Curious Jane has helped a wide variety of clients reach their target audience and grow their business through franchise consumer marketing over the years. We have found that many franchises ask a lot of the same questions regarding consumer marketing. Today, we are answering some of the questions we hear most frequently in our Franchise Consumer Marketing FAQ.
What can I expect regarding performance?
What are the benchmarks for our industry or for a platform?
This is a great question, and one that we love to talk through with each client. At Curious Jane, we believe it is very important set expectations early and make sure everyone is on the same page. There will be variations based on the industry, your marketing budget and other factors.
You will need a franchise marketing agency to develop a strategy and then monitor performance across a variety of platforms. They should consider key performance indicators (KPIs) such as number of clicks, click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), cost per lead (CPL), etc. As they implement your marketing strategy, you and your agency will continually assess these metrics to ensure that you have a plan that is working for you. At Curious Jane, we create custom dashboards and reporting tools for our clients that allow them 24/7 access to real-time data.
What do you recommend for lead nurturing?
Customer relations management (CRM) systems provide a great way to build and maintain a database for customer contact information and to monitor customer interactions. CRMs allow you to nurture and convert leads while continuing to serve your existing customers.
If you do not have a CRM, then we strongly recommend finding one that is compatible with the size of your business. If you have a CRM, you have an incredibly valuable tool. Are you getting the most out of that investment? Many companies are not. You want to automate as much of your customer relations outreach as possible. You can create content for things like email journeys, white papers, text messages and videos to send out using your CRM. Your goal is to build and reinforce those relationships so that when the customer is ready to commit, then you are the natural choice.
What should I do about bad contact information for leads?
Do NOT be discouraged! A good email address from a lead is valuable, even if phone number is bad.. There is genuine interest, but they are likely in the “research” phase. They also are telling you that they prefer you contact them by email. Most people do not want a direct phone call, especially at this stage. The good news is that you have many ways to connect: email, SMS, DM, etc. Your goal is to provide them the information that they need in whatever way they choose to receive it.
What results are other clients seeing?
Direct comparisons can be difficult, since it’s not always “apples to apples.” Remember, it’s important for your franchise marketing agency to create an individualized plan for each client based on their needs and goals. At Curious Jane, we research a variety of platforms, evaluate performance and look for opportunities across all industries in franchising for each of our clients. Good agencies regularly attend conferences and trade shows to keep up with trends and new platforms and share information with their clients.
What’s the best way to reach our audience or persona?
Identifying your target audience is critical. A franchise marketing agency can help you develop your ideal persona(s) and determine how to best reach them. This allows you to focus on the leads that are most likely to convert. What does your ideal persona do? Where do they go for information? Meet them where they are. Targeting truck drivers? Focus on truck stops or platforms with videos about trucks and accessories. Targeting mothers of young kids? They shop on Amazon and read education or children’s health blogs. With the right strategy, budget and combination of platforms, you will be generating leads in no time.
