How a Franchise Agreement and a Franchise Disclosure Document differ
There are two documents that are of vital importance...
Whether you're currently a franchisee or you're looking to join a franchise in Canada, it pays to know what the emerging trends in marketing and advertising are. With this knowledge, you can check to see whether your current or prospective franchisor is staying ahead of the pack when it comes to this crucial part of brand growth and strength. Check out three popular trends in franchise marketing and advertising so you can take your brand's temperature.
Digital, mobile and social media are becoming king
Online marketing and advertising are exploding, but it's not just pop-up ads anymore. Today's franchise needs to be in different online spaces to capture consumers. A consistent and strong social media presence is becoming a must, but the brand website needs to be up to par as well because that's a starting contact point for many consumers. Online marketing also needs to demonstrate an understanding of the brand's consumers; a "one size fits all" approach is sure to get lost in all the messages that bombard people on a daily basis.
Acting on consumer feedback
Feedback from customers has always mattered, but in the Digital Age, it's much easier for brands to collect and review this feedback to identify problems. As such, companies are expected to act on common consumer complaints and advertise that action, rather than just collecting the data and quietly taking care of the issue as they had done previously. Being viewed as unresponsive to consumer complaints can seriously dent a brand's reputation, especially online. Individual cases of customer complaints online also need to be handled professionally and effectively, as many people look at how a brand responds to an unhappy consumer on the web.
Consistency matters
In any successful franchise system, consistency across locations is found. Today's consumer also expects consistency across advertising and marketing efforts. Everything needs to come together to create a consistent brand voice that's singular and speaks to the overall message. When a message isn't clear, the customer simply won't receive it, and the brand will not be able to develop a strong audience or following.
Marketing and advertising have evolved for franchises - like a lot of other things - because of the increasing developments in tech. Before you sign up with a franchisor, make sure the company understands and uses the approaches to marketing and advertising of today to stay relevant and engage the customer base.
