There are number of advantages to being part of a credible and well-established franchise network. Unarguably, one of the most notable benefits is that you become part of recognisable brand.
Every successful franchise network will have a solid marketing strategy in place and they know exactly how to use the brand awareness quotient to their advantage. This can easily be used to create successful marketing campaigns at a local level.
Like any other business that caters to a local audience, a franchise too needs to focus on Local Area Marketing or LAM. This strategy involves effectively identifying marketing opportunities in a specific location and implementing strategies based on this research. The strategies can be built by engaging with local businesses, organisations and groups as well as individuals and the local media.
When you are proactive and consistent with your Local Area Marketing, it will boost your position as an active member of the franchise network. In turn, this will also give a boost to the broader brand awareness of the company and its standing within that community. Many franchisees incorrectly believe that once they have made their contribution to the national fund, they need no longer worry about the marketing aspect of their business.
While this fund will be used in brand promotion, it will also be dipped into for everything from website design and maintenance, to electronic and print media to online media and more. A good and stable franchise will definitely also have a LAM portal. This portal would be open for use by franchisees within the network.
They can use the campaigns, techniques, ideas as well as advertising artwork that has been successfully incorporated by other franchisees within the network, in the past. In addition, you as the franchisee also need to work toward building a very strong presence in your local area and forge ties with the local media. This will go a long way in generating loyalty among the local community, for your business.
When you make a consistent effort to engage actively with the local community, it will help your business thrive in particular, and will also contribute to the success of the franchise brand as a whole. Some of the steps you can take to create a brand impact on the local level include:
If there are other businesses in your local area, that offer services or products that are similar to yours, it’s likely that you’ll share the same customer base. In some cases, this can prove to be a great opportunity for you to join forces with these businesses; the joint venture can prove to be mutually beneficial. But these types of activities would have to be done after thorough understanding of the rules and regulations of your franchise network.
Following these pointers in creating a Local Marketing Strategy can go a long way in improving your brand presence in the local community. If you want to know more about franchising, feel free to get in touch with us at The Franchise Institute. You can call us on 1300 855 435 or fill in this contact us form and we’ll reply as soon as we can.
Thanks for reading,
The Franchise Institute Team
1300 855 435
