Buying a franchise is a great way for many Americans to get into business for themselves and be their own boss. Buying a franchise offers a lot of advantages over starting a business from the ground up. One of those advantages is the fact that as a franchise owner, you can benefit from the advertising efforts of the franchisor. While the advertising done by the franchisor is one of the advantages of owning a franchise, it doesn't mean you don't need to have a successful marketing plan of your own, in addition to those marketing efforts made by the franchisor. How important is the franchise marketing plan in the success of the business? The answer is simple. The marketing plan is a major part of any business, even if you are buying a franchise instead of starting your own business.
How Much Marketing Does the Franchisor Do?
This is a great question. As we mentioned earlier, a franchise owner has the luxury of benefitting from the marketing efforts of the company they are buying a franchise from. If you are buying into a successful franchise, you will see that there is already a great deal of marketing in place that will help your business thrive. In fact, one of the things to look for when you are considering franchises to buy is how much marketing the franchise actually does. Every bit of marketing the company does is to your advantage, so buying a franchise from a marketing-focused franchise is important.
All that said, how much marketing should you do individually, in addition to the marketing done by the company you are franchising from? Just how important is the franchise marketing plan in the success of the business?
You can, and should, do some marketing on your own. Keep in mind, however, that franchisors spend a lot of time and money to build their brand, product, or service. This is all done to build a brand identity and to ensure the brand is protected. To ensure the integrity of the franchise, franchisees will be required to use approved trademark(s) in strict accordance with the franchisor's established guidelines and will likely be limited in the type of marketing they will be allowed to do. Using a trademark in the wrong way can be harmful to the overall brand and could even jeopardize the franchisee's franchise business. This is why franchisors will provide trademark art to franchisees with the stipulation that the art cannot be recreated or altered in any way.
In addition, franchisors will dictate established franchise rules regarding specific marketing and advertising materials for adaptation to the franchisee's use. Some franchisors may allow franchisees to use their own materials, but approval from the franchisor will often be required.
Marketing is so important to franchise success that franchisors often require franchisees to have a grand opening as an introduction to the market. They will also often require the franchisee to develop and submit an annual marketing plan for approval or joint development with the franchisor. The market introduction of a new franchise typically starts weeks before the opening of a new franchise and can last six months after opening.
As we mentioned earlier, in addition to the franchisor's national marketing campaigns, franchisees are sometimes permitted to engage in their own local marketing plans, with the restrictions mentioned above. Approval from the franchisor is almost always required before the franchisee begins with the plan. Some franchisors even include a requirement that franchisees need to spend a percentage of their gross sales on local advertising. This is another way to ensure the success of the brand.
Some Franchisors Provide Websites for Their Franchisees and Tools for Marketing
If you are part of a franchise that does not provide an adequate approach to digital marketing, you could use a company like
WebFindYou, which offers over 20 digital tools that allow you to achieve a true digital marketing strategy.
WebFindYou lets you take advantage of these powerful tools to effectively target your audience and market to them at a fraction of the cost it would take to run other marketing efforts. The great thing about WebFindYou is the freedom it offers you, the franchisee. Their philosophy is "We Manage, You Manage, You Decide." This gives you great freedom as a franchisee to be as involved in your marketing as you want to be. WebFindYou is a cost-effective solution that many franchise owners have used to a great deal of success.
Regardless of the franchise you decide to buy, doing your research is the first step. This will not only answer questions regarding the approach you will take to marketing your franchise, it will answer many other questions that can help you be more successful. The first, and best place, to start your research is at All USA Franchises, where we are on a mission to bring you all 3000 plus franchises in the United States, making it easy and convenient for franchisors, investors, and potential franchisees to come together in one place. Since there is never a fee, you, the entrepreneur or potential investor, have the best chance of finding the perfect opportunity for you. No fee means you have access to all of the franchise opportunities available, not just to those who have paid a fee to be seen. That's what makes All USA Franchises stand out above the crowd.
If you're ready to find the right franchise for you, use our
start your search button and look for your franchise opportunity by
investment or
by industry. You can also head over to our
blog and read some informative articles about franchising. You'll find a wealth of information and some great ideas about how to make franchising work for you.
If you found this article helpful then let us know in the comments section below. Likewise, feel free to share it using the share options below. Want us to cover another topic of your interest pertaining to Franchising? If so, then like us and follow us on social media, and post to any of our social media profiles the topic you'd like us to discuss:
Facebook All USA Franchises,
Twitter @AllUSAFranchise, and
Instagram @allusafranchises
