As the reality of the pandemic started to set in, franchise business owners began to quickly pivot, finding ways to continue doing business and to connect with their customers.
Every type of franchise business faced this unforeseen challenge. Restaurants and QSR chains implemented online ordering and curbside pickup, and many other verticals – from franchised tool rental, home services, dry cleaning, salons, dental practices and more – adopted a virtual approach to managing their business. We at Brkthru were there working with them every step of the way.
While franchise growth was impacted negatively during the pandemic, we are seeing the growth rate steadily increasing at a rate of 5.7% in 2022 (Source: IFA 2022 Franchising Economic Outlook, April 2022), which is higher than pre-pandemic levels. The spiked interest of working remotely, via home-based franchises, by young adults is potentially contributing to this increasing rate (Source: 10 Ways the Pandemic Transformed Franchising by Kim Kavin; Franchise500.com).
Add to this that younger adults are showing interest in entrepreneurship given the increased flexibility of home based-franchises (Source: 10 Ways the Pandemic Transformed Franchising by Kim Kavin; Franchise500.com).
As business returns to normal, many franchise owners are trying to navigate what this new normal will look like. Streamlining their marketing efforts across a variety of locations and verticals is imperative. How can franchise owners accomplish this?
In our experience, one size does not fit all. We work with our franchise clients to fully understand their business model and marketing objectives, sales funnel, recruitment needs, competitive set, geography, grand openings, etc. to build out a digital solution that fits the message and voice of the franchise. Most importantly, we work with our partners to keep individual location goals and needs top of mind. Our goal is to streamline as much as possible across franchise organizations, while still providing turnkey solutions that achieve the client’s goals with measurable results.
Many of our franchise partners have noted specific needs when it comes to campaign customization. For example, seasonality, holiday promotions, co-op requirements, etc. Providing custom campaign solutions is something we take great pride in at Brkthru. This has meant working with our partners to develop custom, multi-channel, flighted campaigns, which allows us to heavy up during certain times of the year and tweak tactics based on seasonality. In addition to flighting and tactic changes, we work closely with our franchise partners to provide detailed reporting and a live dashboard to ensure that all individual needs are met.
We understand the importance of having a reliable partner that can be flexible to your specific needs. Connect with us to find out more about how we say YES to helping franchise clients grow business.