Franchise Marketing and Its Implementation

Franchise Marketing is an interesting process. I have been in the service of marketing franchises for the past decade and learned over time what to do and what NOT to do through successes and failures....probably more of the latter, but that's what they call experience, right?

The process is unique in that you are working diligently to sell a business model and idea to someone who might be considering starting their own business, but at the same time you are looking for talent and the right characters to join you as a partner in business. If you oversell - you are destined to attract the wrong candidates, if you don't sell enough, no one will be knocking on your door. It is a fine line between being aggressive and consistent with your pushing on new franchise sales while also being reserved enough to look at each candidate from a logical perspective and analyze whether it is someone you would truly enjoy doing business with.

You have a successful business. That is step one. The business has enough time in operation to clearly understand the business model, the nuances of running and operating the business and the company has somewhat of a leadership position in the marketplace they work in. Now how do you expand beyond the first successful location? Franchising and Licensing your business model of course, but how? There are clear steps that need to be taken in order to make this transition from one successful operation to a system that replicates this success through other owner operators who buy your franchise.

It is called a Franchise Marketing System. The key is that you develop a system that creates brand awareness, interest and an overall "buzz" for what you are doing in business and around the offering for others to get into business with you doing the same thing for themselves. Some businesses and industries can create this naturally by way of being new, unique or having wonderful branding while others take a bit more "pushing". The key is that the business is successful that you are replicating and that you are selling a truly successful business model, the Franchise Marketing System is just about packaging that concept in a way that can be marketed and sold.

As a franchise organization, the best franchise marketing systems create the most "Buzz". It is no secret that most of the great franchisors in history were great "Showmen". Create the message in people's heads that you have it figured out... you have a wonderful life and a really great deal with the business that you are offering in a franchise... anyone could have this just like you do if they too joined this franchise company. Of course you have to back this up, but that is the message that fuels the phone calls and emails from interested buyers. Put together a great web presence, in today's market your website IS your store front, if you aren't looking the part online people won't take you seriously. Do PR work, try to get in print - it brings a certain level of credibility that online marketing cannot match. Once you have this market electricity, you need to funnel that interest into your lead generation system.