Television commercials, billboards, and direct mail no longer cut it as effective franchise marketing techniques. Franchise owners now spend about 40% of their advertising budget on digital marketing efforts. If you’re a multi-location franchise owner or stakeholder, it’s time to learn what it takes to get the results you need using online marketing methods.
Franchise digital marketing is the process of brainstorming and executing a winning digital strategy for your franchise. From cutting-edge web development to effective paid media campaigns, there are a variety of digital marketing schemes you should consider for your business. In this article, we’re going to help you get started by sharing our recommended approaches to internet marketing for franchises. Whether you’re a franchise owner or a part of the marketing team at a franchised business, here are 5 digital marketing tactics that will prove to be game-changers for your corporation’s online marketing performance. Execute these practices to generate high-quality online leads for each of your franchised locations.
5 Winning Franchise Digital Marketing Strategies
1. Use franchise SEO to increase the organic exposure of your business’ multiple locations
Local SEO is a tool used by businesses to optimize their websites and local business profiles to boost traffic and sales online. Local SEO on a larger scale (i.e., to address multiple locations—up to hundreds or thousands of storefronts) is what the digital marketing industry refers to as franchise SEO. Franchise SEO comes with its own set of challenges due to the scale of operations it requires, but with the proper strategies and support it can be incredibly effective. Below are a few SEO tactics to implement in your franchise’s online marketing game plan:
- Identify and incorporate relevant, high-priority keywords for your franchise’s website. Use a tool like Semrush’s Keyword Gap and/or Keyword Magic tools or Moz Keyword Explorer to research and identify keywords that users are searching for related to your business. Implement the keywords on your franchises’ website and online business profiles, making sure to localize key search terms. For example, if you’re targeting users searching “car wash near me,” you can localize the phrase by geo-specifying the term with your city name such as “car wash Salt Lake City” or “touchless car wash Atlanta GA.” These localized terms are most effectively implemented on store pages for each franchise location and in blog posts. This leads us to our next tip.
- Localize your website. Want to increase exposure to individualized franchise locations? It’s time to create location pages for each of your franchised offices or storefronts. Be sure to include the address, contact information, and products or services that each franchised location offers. You can also add a map with the franchised location marked so potential customers know right where to find you. It’s also never a bad idea to add a link to your Google Business Profile and vice versa.
- Focus on content creation. Search engines prioritize ranking websites that are reputable and trustworthy. As a business owner, craft content that focuses on both local and national topics related to your franchised business. Blog posts, podcasts, videos, product pages, and infographics are just a few content ideas to add to your online presence. With unique and consistent content, search engines will start ranking your website on its front pages.
Franchise SEO is a steep learning curve for franchise owners. Oftentimes, it’s impossible to find time to implement SEO strategies when you’re already juggling the day-to-day operations of a franchise business. If you find yourself dropping the ball on franchise SEO implementation, it’s time to hire a franchise digital marketing agency.
2. Place Pay-Per-Click ads on search engines like Google and Bing to generate online leads
Looking for a digital marketing strategy that offers speedy results? Franchise Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is your answer. Paid search ads are highly effective internet marketing tools that position your franchise in front of potential customers right at the top of Google. Combine franchise PPC advertising with SEO tactics to see immediate results in conjunction with long-term online exposure, lead generation, and brand recognition. Use platforms such as Google Ads or Microsoft Ads to highlight your franchised business locations, advertise a service, or boost the sales of your new product.
Here are a handful of franchise PPC best practices:
- Research keywords with geographical modifiers such as “restaurants in kansas city” or “tallahassee plumber.”
- Location targeting is set up on the campaign-level in Google Ads, so you may need to split each location into separate campaigns or combine all franchises into one campaign.
- Set up custom conversion tracking for an action you would like your customers to do on your website, such as calling your business, or filling out a lead form. Keep in mind that some locations may offer different products or services and may need different conversions.
- Use automated bid strategies such as “maximize conversions” or “maximize conversion value,” depending on the goal of the campaign.
- Create geo-specific landing pages that address key search terms and franchised locations to maximize conversion rate and quality score
There are various avenues to take when it comes to franchise PPC advertising. When you’re just starting, it’s difficult to know exactly which platforms to choose, how to manage your advertising budget, and what changes to make if something isn’t working. To get the most out of PPC advertising, seek out the support of a trustworthy franchise digital marketing team.
3. Take advantage of the power of social media marketing
With 4.5 billion active social media users around the globe, now is the time to add social media to your franchise digital marketing tool belt. Compared to other techniques, social media marketing doesn’t have to steal away your time. In fact, 81% of marketers found that investing as little as 6 hours a week into social media efforts led to increased online traffic. Franchisors can use social media for the following:
- Share your business’ unique value propositions.
- Highlight the products and services you offer.
- Reveal a different, more personable side of your franchise.
- Connect with your customers through comments, private messaging, and more.
- Announce new franchise locations and highlight individual business locations.
- Establish trust with your customers or potential clients.
Looks promising, right? Another great aspect of social media marketing is that it’s not hard to start. The #1 most important thing to do before establishing a social media presence is to secure a solid target market, locate competition, and understand your franchise’s brand identity. Make an effort to post and engage with your audience consistently, run ad campaigns, and share your story as if you were talking to a friend.
4. Streamline web design to ensure a user-friendly experience
Your franchise’s website is most likely the first thing your customers will see. Franchise SEO tactics and PPC campaigns generate leads to your business’ online platform, but if your site isn’t user-friendly it most likely won’t convert to actual paying customers. Not only does a website have to be easy to navigate, but it’s also important to understand the journey a potential customer takes when browsing your franchise’s site. Elements such as franchised location pages, CTAs (calls to action), service or product landing pages, and high-quality content keep potential clients on your site and convert them to satisfied customers.
Potential web development issues such as images taking too long to load or confusing navigation flows are immediate turn-offs for viewers led to your website. When designing your franchise’s website, make sure it’s easy to follow and clear of any development obstacles. If you struggle to keep customers engaged on your franchise’s site, it could be time to hire a professional web designer.
5. Leverage email marketing to build relationships with current and potential customers
Email marketing is a powerful tool used to connect with your clients directly in their inboxes. With 91% of consumers checking their inbox daily, email marketing is a surefire method for engagement with your franchises’ ideal or existing market. Softwares such as Mailerlite, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Omnisend, and more help franchisors create a contact list, send weekly emails, and establish solid campaigns.
Don’t know where to start with email marketing? Here are our tips to reach your audience with email marketing:
- Create a strategy. Don’t dive into email marketing without a plan in place. Think about who you’re targeting, what you want to communicate, and why you’re sending emails in the first place. Maybe you want to share about individual franchised locations or communicate success stories from your customers. Whatever you decide, make sure to have a rough outline of what your goals are for email marketing.
- Gather and grow your list of contacts. Add an online sign-up form on your website or leverage your social media presence to add contacts to your emailing list. Continually grow your email list, and add a share button to your emails or run ads on social media to gain new email subscribers.
Create a reusable template with persuasive copywriting. Choose a mobile-friendly template that fits your brand and that works on any device. Once you’ve created your template, save it and reuse it for future email campaigns. In your email’s copy, find creative ways to explain what you offer, how your service/product will help your audience, and what they need to do next.
Hire A Franchise Digital Marketing Agency to Expedite Your Franchise’s Online Growth
Franchise digital marketing isn’t something that can be learned overnight. It takes years of trial and error to find what works. What if we told you that you don’t have to spend years figuring out the best online marketing techniques for your business? Rock Salt Marketing will save you time and money with our franchise digital marketing services. We’ve worked with some of the nation’s largest Fortune 500 companies and countless up-and-coming franchises. We’ve achieved monumental results for thousands of franchise locations.
Rock Salt Marketing will partner with your team to implement professional franchise SEO practices, PPC advertising management, and more to increase online traffic for your business. Don’t let the stress of digital marketing keep you from gaining the online exposure your franchise needs. Contact us to hear what our marketing agency can do for your corporation.
