Managing a franchise isn’t just about keeping the lights on — you’re also juggling the unique demands of running multiple locations while standing out in a crowded market.
Have you ever wondered why your competitors seem to attract more customers, even when your offerings are just as good — or better? They’ve likely found a way to overcome the unique challenges of franchise marketing. From managing online reviews and optimizing local SEO for multiple locations to balancing corporate and local branding, solving these challenges can make all the difference. But typical marketing advice doesn’t always help.
Here’s the good news: Successful franchise marketing doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. With the right strategies, you can connect with local customers and build brand awareness across every location.
In this guide, we’ll explore practical tips designed specifically for franchise owners to help you market smarter, stand out with each location, and create loyal customer relationships.
What is Franchise Marketing?
Franchise marketing combines strategies to promote both the overall franchise brand and individual franchise locations.
It’s typically a mix of national campaigns driven by the franchisor and localized efforts managed by franchisees. Franchise marketing can also help with lead generation, which is especially important for new franchises that are just getting started.
Franchise marketing requires maintaining a consistent brand image while addressing the unique needs of local markets. Think of it this way: The corporate team might run a national marketing campaign for a new menu item, while franchisees use social media to promote a local tasting event. This balance can be challenging, especially when you’re dealing with:
- Maintaining brand consistency across locations
- Balancing corporate vs. local needs
- Reaching diverse target audiences
- Managing reviews
- Keeping business listings accurate
- Tracking success across locations
Success comes from defining clear roles and responsibilities. The corporate team focuses on brand messaging and big-picture campaigns. Meanwhile, franchisees take charge of local outreach to engage their communities. This partnership keeps the brand identity strong while letting each location shine.
8 Tips to Create a Comprehensive Franchise Marketing Strategy
Without a structured approach, your franchise marketing efforts can become disjointed and ineffective. Here are our top tips for building a franchise marketing strategy that makes your business stand out:
1. Understand Your Budget and Resources
Marketing doesn’t come cheap; for franchises, the stakes are even higher with multiple locations to manage. That’s why your franchise marketing plan should start with a clear understanding of your budget and resources.
Think of your company’s budget as two buckets: one for corporate campaigns and one for local promotions.
The corporate bucket funds initiatives like:
- National ads
- Branded marketing materials
- Social media templates
- Website management
- Market research
- Search engine optimization (SEO)
- Corporate email marketing campaigns
As a franchisee, you benefit from corporate marketing efforts without having the responsibility of overseeing those decisions. Meanwhile, the local bucket gives you the funds to:
- Run location-specific pay-per-click (PPC) ads
- Localize social media ads to target nearby customers
- Create localized email or direct mail campaigns
- Sponsor community organizations and events like school fundraisers
- Partner with local influencers
Not sure where to start building your budget? Let your data guide you. Use marketing analytics to identify which campaigns drive the most ROI. For example, if one location’s PPC ads are converting new customers at a low cost, allocate more budget to that initiative.
You might also find that some marketing channels, like email and social media, are better at attracting repeat customers. If so, investing in these channels will help you stay top-of-mind with your customer base.
If you’re building a marketing budget from scratch, a good rule of thumb is to use 5 to 10% of your revenue to fund basic marketing efforts like social media campaigns and paid ads. Then, experiment with other channels while measuring their performance to see what works best.
2. Optimize Your Business Listings
Imagine a customer searches for your franchise location, but the hours listed are wrong, or the phone number doesn’t work. Frustrating, right?
Inaccurate business listings confuse customers, hurt your credibility, and can send them straight to your competitors. Customers rely on platforms like Google Business Platform, Yelp, and Bing to find essential information, like hours, addresses, and contact details. So, if even one piece is off, you risk losing their trust.
To stay on top of your listings, conduct regular audits to catch and correct errors. Here are some places to start:
- Phone number
- Address
- Website
- Business categories
- Business description
- Operating hours
- Parking
- Wheelchair accessibility
- Payment methods accepted
- Location-specific photos
- Special services like delivery or curbside pickup
Make sure these details are consistent across all your business listings. Check out our list of the top directory listings and find where your business shows up online to see if the information is accurate. You can also use Chatmeter’s dashboard to identify errors in your listings and correct them across all platforms with one click.
And don’t stop at just correcting errors. Enhance your listings by adding attributes that make you stand out. Showcase features like “free parking” or “pet-friendly” to attract more foot traffic.
3. Create Local Pages on Your Site
A dedicated page for each franchise location helps customers find the information they need. Local pages also give you a chance to connect with your community on a personal level. Without these pages, your franchise business risks losing valuable local searches and potential customers.
A great local page starts with the basics, such as:
- Address
- Phone number
- Hours
- Directions
Then, add location-specific keywords like “best pizza in Chicago” or “oil change in Detroit.” Remember, customers are looking for the right business for their needs, so be clear and detailed.
Take it a step further by adding user-generated content (UGC), like:
- Local reviews
- Photos
- Customer testimonials
If your franchise runs promotions or events, highlight them on the page. A restaurant chain might include a location’s unique menu or a special offer for local customers. Tools like Chatmeter can help you pull the latest location-specific reviews and populate local pages in just a few clicks.
Remember that most local searches happen on mobile devices. Make sure your local pages load quickly and provide clear directions, contact details, and calls to action (CTAs).
CTAs suggest the next steps people should take. Here are some examples:
- Book a free consultation
- Schedule an appointment
- Call today to talk to one of our experts
4. Harness the Power of Local SEO
Once you’ve perfected your business listings and set up local pages, it’s time to take your strategy a step further with local SEO (search engine optimization).
Optimizing your franchise locations for local search ensures you show up at the right time for the right customers. Without it, potential customers could end up at your competitor’s door instead of yours.
The best way to do this is to monitor your SEO performance and adjust to what works. Tools like Chatmeter make it simple to measure keyword performance and see how your locations rank in local searches.
For instance, a car repair franchise could use Chatmeter to track shifts in search terms like “tire rotation near me.” If more people are looking for this service, they should add this term to their business listings, Google Business Profiles, and local pages to reach a wider audience. These tactics will help you stay ahead of customer trends and your competition.
Don’t forget alternative platforms like Bing. While Google dominates search, a well-optimized business listing in Bing can help capture an audience others overlook. The more places you show up, the more potential customers you reach.
Make it easy for people to find what they need, and they’ll be more likely to choose your business over a competitor’s. For more tips on improving SEO across your entire business, check out our blog on using multi-location SEO to improve local search visibility.
5. Build Your Social Media Presence
Social media marketing helps you reach national and local audiences while staying authentic. Whether you’re promoting a new product or engaging with local customers, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn let you meet your audience where they already hang out.
One of the biggest challenges for franchises is balancing brand consistency with local relevance. A helpful solution is to create a centralized content library that franchisees can customize.
These resources might include:
- Branded templates for different platforms
- Campaign assets like images, videos, and logos
- Example posts
- Hashtag guidelines
- Media kits for local events or sponsorships
- Customer review graphics
- Seasonal content for holiday promotions
- FAQ scripts for responding to messages
- Social media calendars
- Brand guidelines, like style guides and glossaries
This will help your franchise stay on message while allowing local teams to add a personal touch, such as community-specific events or offers.
When you post on social media, don’t forget to leverage location-specific tools, such as:
- Hashtags tied to your city or neighborhood
- Geotags on Instagram
- Location-based targeting on Facebook
These features ensure your posts show up for people in a specific location so you can easily connect with local customers. Local franchisees can use these tools to promote community events, highlight customer testimonials, or find nearby businesses to partner with.
Monitoring your efforts is just as important as creating content. Tools like Chatmeter’s Pulse AI can track brand sentiment across social channels. This helps you identify what’s resonating with your audience and adjust your strategy as needed.
6. Create a Review Management Strategy
Reviews can make or break your franchise. Positive reviews attract new customers and boost your reputation. However, negative ones, if handled poorly, can drive people away — not just from one location but potentially from your entire brand.
Managing reviews goes beyond damage control. You can also use them to build trust and create growth opportunities. A solid review management strategy helps you do just that.
Franchise owners often struggle to monitor and respond to feedback across multiple platforms, especially when managing several locations. Tools like Chatmeter collect all your reviews in one place to save time and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. You can also filter and prioritize reviews that need immediate attention, like negative feedback or unanswered questions.
Encouraging happy customers to leave reviews is just as important as responding to feedback. After all, more positive reviews mean better credibility and higher rankings on search engines.
Try sending follow-up emails or text messages after a purchase with a link to your preferred review platform. Need some ideas? Check out our tips on how to get more Google reviews.
Finally, don’t just respond to reviews — use them to improve. Thank customers for their kind words and learn from negative feedback. Check out our detailed guide on responding to both positive and negative reviews.
7. Engage Locally
Nothing wins over customers like showing up for the community.
Community engagement builds trust, whether through sponsoring a local sports team or participating in charity events. Customers who see your franchise actively supporting their neighborhood are more likely to choose you over the competition.
Start by identifying opportunities for local involvement, such as:
- Community organizations
- Local sports teams
- School fundraisers
- Farmers markets
- Parades
- Charity runs or walks
- Food drives or donation campaigns
- Chamber of Commerce events
- Art or music festivals
- Holiday fairs or celebrations
- Environmental initiatives, like park or beach cleanups
- Local business partnerships
These efforts show that your franchise is part of the neighborhood.
Don’t let these efforts stop at the event itself. Encourage franchisees to share photos, videos, and stories on social media to extend the impact. Use geotags, community hashtags, and social media platforms to reach a larger audience.
Customers love seeing businesses support their communities. Plus, sharing those moments makes your franchise relatable and memorable.
When customers feel connected to your franchise on a local level, they’re more likely to stick around — and spread the word. For more ideas on tapping into customer sentiment and improving community ties, check out our guide to the Voice of the Customer.
8. Measure Your Success and Optimize
Regular analysis is key to keeping your franchise marketing strategy on track. Measuring what works (and what doesn’t) lets you fine-tune your efforts and maximize results.
Track key metrics for each franchise location. Tools like Chatmeter’s analytics make it easy to monitor your franchise marketing campaign performance and identify trends.
For example, you can see which locations are thriving on social media. Pay attention to metrics like followers and engagement. Then, go through the most successful campaigns and see what they have in common, like supporting community events or promoting location-specific sales. Analyzing these patterns helps you identify what works best so you can replicate that success with other franchises.
Don’t forget to compare review trends across locations. If one franchise is racking up glowing reviews for customer service, share those tactics with other locations.
And be sure to check out your competitors, especially when they seem to be doing better than you. Local competitor analysis can help you anticipate market changes, refine your marketing strategy, and improve your offerings.
Drive More Foot Traffic With Chatmeter
Franchise marketing requires striking the perfect balance between your brand’s big-picture goals and the unique needs of each local market. By focusing on strategies like optimizing local SEO, managing online reviews, and engaging with your community, you can increase visibility, build trust, and win more customers at every location.
With the right approach, you’ll empower your franchise to thrive in competitive markets. However, achieving success across multiple franchise locations doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
Chatmeter simplifies the process with powerful tools designed specifically for franchise owners:
- Streamline listings management across locations: Keep your brand consistent by updating your business listings everywhere, all at once. Chatmeter’s centralized dashboard helps ensure accuracy and saves you time.
- Respond to reviews in real time: Monitor and manage online reviews across multiple locations effortlessly with AI-driven tools. Whether it’s addressing negative feedback or celebrating a 5-star review, Chatmeter helps you foster strong customer relationships.
- Optimize local SEO with AI insights: Gain actionable data about how your franchise locations perform in search rankings. Chatmeter’s tools empower you to fine-tune your strategy for maximum visibility.
- Build better local pages: Create SEO-optimized, location-specific pages quickly and easily. Populate them with maps, reviews, and relevant content to help customers connect with your brand locally.
Want to see how Chatmeter’s tools can transform your franchise marketing? Schedule a live demo with one of our experts today, or check out our interactive demo below.