The shift to a digital world has completely revolutionised the way we canconnect with our customers and deliver our marketing messages, and the opportunities available to launch and quickly grow your franchise business are increasing exponentially.

Mobile marketing gives you the ability to instantly message people who are close by your business with special offers and invitations. When The North Face outdoor stores implemented a geo-fencing campaign like this, 79%of customers reported visiting the store more often and 65% made a purchase as a result of the message.

Apps

Apps bring a whole new level of customer engagement. The Domino’s personalised phone app and pizza builder tablet app have been a huge success. According to Domino’s (USA)CEO Patrick Doyle, 45% of Domino’s sales are now coming through digital channels — that is over $850 million dollars and up from 35% in 2013. The refinement of targeted advertising means that we are able to get our message in front of exactly the right people at the right time. 

For example, with Gmail Sponsored Promotions advertising, you can directly target people who have received emails from your competitors — so if you area travel franchise, you can get your advertisement in front of people who are currently receiving emails from flightcentre.com.au or smartraveller.gov.au.

Social media

Social media gives us the ability to create communities and conversations around our brands, launch new products and learn what customers love and hate about our business, giving the opportunity to improve and provide the best experience possible. However, this wealth of opportunity may also be the death nell for many owners and operators who are not prepared to keep up. 

Many business owners have fallen into paralysis from the sheer overwhelm of possibilities, and even the big companies have been stung by misjudging their use of digital marketing tools. When McDonald’s launched the hashtag #McDStories, they expected people to share their nostalgic memories of eating at McDonald’s when they were young — but within hours the tag had been hijacked by people telling horror stories about finding fingernails in burgers and being hospitalised for food poisoning.

Mobile-friendly Websites

Even some large corporate giants still do not have the very basics of digital marketing in place, like a mobile-friendly website. This is no longer an “option” — it is a MUST. Not only will you be penalised in search engine rankings without it, you will also be losing business. According to Comscore,78% of mobile searches for local business information result in a purchase — if you are not in the search results and showing properly on mobile devices, your business will literally become invisible. 

There is no doubt that your franchise must implement digital marketing to be successful in the future, but the true key to success is KNOWLEDGE — understanding what tools and strategies support your corporate goals and direction, and how you should allocate your time and money across the many strategies available. Whether you are a franchisor or a  franchisee, it is essential to understand the fundamentals of marketing, website design and online strategies so you can make informed decisions to grow your business for the future.