Local lead gen campaigns can be a tough game to play in franchising, especially when you’re starting from scratch and no one knows who you are.
For franchisees, gaining brand awareness is a crucial step to a lead-gen marketing campaign. If customers don’t know you and your brand, why would they give you their business?
Feeding the Marketing Funnel
Brand awareness sits at the top of the marketing funnel. When prospective customers already recognize your brand, they’re more likely to engage with your content and take that next step – whether that’s booking an appointment, visiting your location or signing up for a membership.
Where the dollars go for any particular campaign can depend on the franchisor and whether they have marketing funds dedicated on a national level to help lift brand awareness.
When a national campaign is supported by a franchisor and runs effectively, it builds awareness across all markets. That means local franchisees don’t have to spend as much time or money on brand awareness campaigns explaining who they are.
Instead, they can jump straight into mid- and bottom-funnel activities focused on lead conversion.
The Cost of Going It Alone
But what happens when a brand doesn’t have the budget or strategy for a national awareness campaign?
For franchisees, that means starting at the bottom and working up. Their marketing efforts must begin with educating the local market to introduce the brand, explain the services and build trust before leads can be considered.
Without a national lift from the franchisor, a brand awareness campaign can eat into already limited budgets and extend the time it takes to see results. But there are ways to maximize your dollars when a local franchise isn’t getting that national brand lift. It just comes down to prioritizing the right platforms and tactics.
Most local campaigns use a mix of Google Search and Meta Platforms to help introduce the brand to the local audience. When brand awareness is missing at the top, more budget must be shifted to Meta – the parent company of Facebook – to build familiarity before moving prospects down the funnel.
Ultimately, what local franchisees want to see is booked appointments, memberships or whatever their conversion goal is. By working closely with your marketing team or agency partner, you can help allocate funds wisely and on a tight budget.
PR, Grand Openings and Brand Awareness Support
Brand awareness campaigns aren’t limited to ad dollars to fuel brand education. Public relations can help with that, too, and for a lot less money.
When a grand opening nears, make sure you shout it from the rooftops. It’s your chance to make a splash in the community and let everyone know who you are. That’s where a solid PR strategy comes in handy.
When done right, PR grand opening campaigns provide an opportunity to create or boost awareness in a new market, make a great first impression, build key relationships within the community, generate local excitement and kick off local lead generation.
But without a national campaign doing the heavy awareness lift, the PR campaigns also have to do double the work before you can focus on generating leads.
A great public relations strategy that includes press releases and targeted media outreach can raise your awareness through local newspapers, TV stations and social media buzz. Creating local partnerships can also improve credibility to help lift your brand’s identity.
Whether at the national or local level, investing in brand awareness is a must that can’t be ignored. In the world of local franchise marketing, the more people know your brand, the more leads you’ll generate from your efforts.
