We all know you have only a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. This can be especially challenging when creating complex franchise development ads to help you find your next franchisees. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to help you create ads that will get prospects to want to learn more.
Review your brand.
Before you jump into ad creation, pause and go back to the basics. If someone casually asked what your franchise offers, how would you convey your brand in a few thoughts? There are likely a few other businesses in your space, so it’s great to consider how you relate to them. Are you an ice cream store that sells the very best ice cream product or are you the store that offers the very best ice cream experience? Are you a yard service company that offers environmentally friendly lawn treatments or one that offers exemplary customer service? Know who you are and how you compare to your competition.
Zero in on the franchise ownership pitch.
Now do the same with your franchise pitch. People looking into owning a franchise – whether they want a hands-on approach to management or an investment opportunity – are going to be weighing your opportunity against other opportunities. They might be looking at all offerings within an individual franchise category or at something specific, like cost of entry, across a variety of verticals. What are the key components of your offer and how do you rank them? Zero in on the top two or three at first.
Customize your images.
Assuming you have already determined your franchise opportunity persona, consider the types of images that will appeal to them. An investor persona might connect with an image of a person in a suit reviewing important documents, while someone looking to own a restaurant might gravitate toward a lifestyle image of a manager helping happy customers. Also, consider whether everyday or aspirational photos will connect more. Some people want to see themselves as they are today, and some want to see who they could become. And of course, always adhere to franchisor guidelines when selecting images.
Customize the language.
Before you begin writing any copy, establish the content strategy approach for reaching your audience. Will they connect best with language that is casual and conversational or educational and formal? Will an assertive and bold tone reach them, or will they respond better to language that is pragmatic and objective? Whether you’re writing four words for a Google display ad or multiple lines of text and headlines in a Facebook carousel ad, you need to consider what types of language your audience responds best to.
Add franchise facts and figures.
Do you have 5,000 happy franchisees? Does your average location generate $1 million in sales per year? Find one or two statistics that relate to the unique selling points of your brand when you advertise a franchise opportunity. Use those facts to draft ad body copy and to create compelling headlines.
Confirm the ads clearly speak franchise development.
Sometimes franchise brands mistakenly create ads that relate more to consumer marketing than franchise development. The images and the words need to work together to quickly and clearly get across the message that you are talking about a business ownership opportunity, not local employment. If you aren’t getting enough conversions or you’re getting people inquiring about summer employment, it’s time to re-evaluate the ad strategy and update the images and copy to best reflect the franchise offer. Always review ads one final time before implementation to make sure they speak to franchise development.
Constantly test your ads when you advertise a franchise opportunity.
The terrific thing is that all platforms — Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. — allow for testing and optimization. You can run multiple variations of ads to see which ones convert the best. Be sure to limit your variables in the beginning. Try swapping out just the photo, changing the background color or trying two different headlines. You can then use platform campaign data to create updated or additional ad sets based on what types of ads are performing well and drawing in the right types of candidates.
When you advertise a franchise opportunity, all of your ads should utilize compelling copy and design based on your brand, and audience. There’s a lot of competition for attention, but thoughtful planning and creation can help you design persuasive franchise development ads that convert.
