Marketing Strategies for Franchise Success
If you’ve ever advertised in a magazine or printed publication then you’ll know how far ahead they plan. Most consumer magazines come out at least a month ahead of themselves and many start planning for marketing of their Christmas bumper editions whilst everyone else is enjoying the summer!
And big retail chains operate very similar too.
After visiting family last Christmas I stopped at a service station and already their shelves were filled with Easter treats!
But there’s a massive lesson to be learnt here for all Franchise owners and that’s about planning your franchise journey and marketing well ahead.
It’s important you and your staff (if you have them) know in advance the marketing activities for each month before the month arrives.
This includes the type of marketing channel (direct mail, in-store, online, advert, etc), the offer, the timeframe and any additional bonuses available, etc.
One of the best ways is to use the 3-month rolling plan.
For example Plan at least 3 months worth of marketing activities. At the end of month 1, review your results and then set the next 3, which will be month 4, 5 & 6, etc. So all the time you have a rolling 3 months of marketing activities to always stay ahead.
The reviewing process is crucial especially if you’ll be using the marketing offer again on a future month.
You might also find these helpful…
1. Make a list of all the different activities you need to complete to promote and market your business and choose 1 a day.
2. Never miss an opportunity to tell people about what you do. Always keep it upbeat and exciting rather than sounding like a stilted sales pitch.
3. Keep in contact with your customers and prospects. It’s very easy to get caught up with working in your business rather than on it. Remember it takes more effort to get new customers than it does to keep existing ones, customer loyalty is key.
4. Plan your activities. Marketing is an investment in your business’s future so be prepared to invest your time and resources in the best ways possible.
5. Disorganization is the road to distress. Stop! And get yourself organized. Disorganization can cost your business! Creating new habits requires time and patience. Pick an area that you know you need to concentrate on and do it for a minimum of 21 days or 3 weeks. This is the usual amount of time required to make or break a habit!