Top 30 Franchise Marketing Agency List For 2025

There are truly an overwhelming amount of marketing agencies out there on the internet.  And many of them that claim to be a expert franchise marketing agency simply are not.  The purpose of this article is to identify who the top franchise marketing agencies are along with some information about them.

Keep in mind that the word “agency” can mean different things to different people, so some of these firms listed below may provide services that are outside of the normal realm of what is typically considered to be an advertising agency. 

I actually deviate quite a bit from what you might find on FranchiseRankings, as many of the agencies listed there like Boostability and ReachLocal are just big agencies and the chances of you getting an account manager who is really an expert in franchise advertising is slim to none.  Our list is also very different from what you will find as Credo, as I’ve been in this space since 2010 and have never even heard of any of those agencies like Elevato Digital, Search Nurture, etc.

Our list is going to be more similar to what you might find on Propellant Media‘s site, although this list is more comprehensive in scope.

As much as possible, we would recommend going with one of the top 5-10 agencies listed on this list.

Top 30 Franchise Marketing Agencies:

#1 – Lead PPC (0)

When it comes to franchise development lead generation, we typically have between 90-100 brands that we’re servicing which is about 3-4X as many brands for fran dev as anyone else on this list that we’re aware of.  Also, we now service hundreds of local franchisee locations on Google Ads, Google Local Service Ads, and Meta Ads, so whether you’re looking for a franchise development marketing agency or a local franchise marketing agency, we’ve got you covered.

Again, we’re biased on this, but when it comes strvictly to franchise lead generation via PPC (Google Ads, Facebook / Instagram Ads) as well as Google Ads and Meta Ads for local franchisees, we feel like we are the best at it.  However, we don’t do SEO, Content Generation, PR, and many other types of marketing services, so if you’re in need of those types of services, you may need to use the list below to find vendors that can provide that.

#2 – NinthRoot (0)

NinthRoot has moved up 3 spots on our list for 2024 top franchise marketing agencies.  Like us, NinthRoot is out of Utah.  They have a great team and do an excellent job especially with Google My Business and location advertising.  If you’re in need of an agency that can handle everything from local SEO to content creation to PPC and Google LSA, NinthRoot is one to consider.  Also, NinthRoot is just comprised of great people that go the extra mile to get the results that you’re looking for.  We have a great relationship with them and oftentimes refer business back and forth depending on the needs of the particular franchisor.

#3 – TopFire Media (+2)

We ran across a few a few FSOs that are having success with TopFire Media this year.  Not everybody who uses them is crushing it, but some very high volume brands are having consistent success, so they’ve shot up a lot on our list for 2024.  TopFire Media is strong when it comes to franchise development SEO as well as local franchise marketing.  TopFire has been rated by Entrepreneur as a Top Franchise Supplier for multiple years and is also a Verified Franchise Supplier.  They have an E-Book that you can download on “10 Must-haves When Hiring a Franchise Marketing Agency” that is worth reading as well.

#4 –  C Squared Social (New)

More and more large franchisors are using C Squared for both their local franchise marketing as well as their franchise development lead generation.  They are kind of like a mix between us here at Lead PPC and Ninth Root.  The one thing to be super careful of with C Squared is that unless you specifically request it, they will not give you access to your advertising account after parting ways with them.  We’ve had quite a few problems with getting access to ad accounts that come from C Squared.

Having said that, they do work with some interesting 3rd party data providers that helps them target prospective franchisees via Meta in some unique ways and really hone in those audiences.  They do a great job with the relationship side of their account management, and they’re improving in the space compared to many other agencies that operate in the franchising space.

#5 – Hot Dish Marketing (New)

After TopFire Media and C Squared, we would probably put Hot Dish as the next best franchise marketing agency.  If you’re working with any of these top 5 agencies listed here, you are in good hands.  These guys have been in the space for a while, and they’re climbing up our list of top providers.

#6 – Scorpion (-3)

Scorpion is #6 on our list of top franchise marketing agencies.  They’re not perfect, and occasionally we still get calls from franchisors that have used Scorpion and have had issues with either Cost Per Lead on Google or lead quality on Facebook.  But, all things considered, Scorpion is one of the few franchise marketing agencies that we would recommend interviewing if you’re going through the RFP process.  While Scorpion is mainly known for their presence within the Law Firm and Dentistry fields, they have made strides in acquiring agencies with franchising and have really improved their offering over the years.  Their staff of artists is strong (maybe best of all agencies on this list when it comes to designers), and they can even do print media for franchisors after acquiring Wheat Creative.  So, they are one to look at.

#7 – Curious Jane (-3)

Curious Jane has moved up significantly on our list.  They tend to have great client retention, and I’ve always been impressed with who they are as people, which matters when you’re doing business with somebody.  Curious Jane is all about creating long lasting relationships.  Their staff is sincere about helping you succeed over time and is passionate about helping execute your vision and strategy.  Services include Branding & Creative, Content Marketing, Digital Advertising, Franchise Development, Media Planning & Buying, National Ad Fund Strategy, PR, SEO, and Web Design & Development.

#8 – NineOneNine Marketing (-2)

NineOneNine Marketing is comparable to TopFire Media.  They’ve slid a bit on our list primarily based off of positive feedback from other agencies, but they are still right up there with other franchise marketing agencies.  If you’re currently using them and having success, you’re probably best off continuing to do so.  If you search for the term “franchise marketing agency” on Google, most likely 919 is going to come up first.  So, we’re going to give extra points to 919 since they are a strong marketing agency and also dominate this search term.  Also, they are a full-service agency.

#9 – Accurate Franchising (0)

Similar to Brand Journalist and FMS, Accurate Franchising is a bit hard to put into a box.  They’re a part of United Franchise Group (UFG), which is one of the OGs of all things franchising.  I went to a convention hosted by UFG a few years ago (pre-COVID), and man they were impressive.  They even have a building on a college campus dedicated to teaching how to do franchising stuff.  Come to think of it, I have no idea why more schools don’t teach franchising.  Very few schools teach a calls on “Sales” either.  That should be fixed.

#10 – Brand Journalist (-1)

I actually forgot to include Brand Journalist last year in my list.  Their name just slipped my mind I guess.  I’m going to put them above the platform based solutions like Hyperlocology, Location3, SOCi, etc. but underneath most of the other top franchise agencies.  We probably got more calls in 2023 from clients that were using Brand Journalist, but were dissatisfied with their services.  I’ve met the Brand Journalist team before, and I like them.  Historically, they’ve always been one of the top agencies for writing quality SEO type of content.  I’ve heard that maybe they’ve had some employee turnover and thus have had a dip in quality and account management.  But, this is also hearsay, so who knows really.  I’m not sure that I would recommend them above these other agencies listed above for digital advertising (Google Ads + Meta Ads), but they’re still in our top 10 list for sure.

Also, if you’re looking for a franchise marketing agency that does a good job with creating video content, Brand Journalist excels here.  Likewise, very from franchise advertising agencies provide fractional franchise sales services similar to an FSO, and that’s also something that Brand Journalist does.  So, that’s something to weigh in there if you’re considering hiring an FSO in addition to a franchise ad agency.

#11 – Franchise Marketing Systems (-1)

Similar to Brand Journalist, I spaced it on FMS last year.  Franchise Marketing System is unique in that they’re more similar to a company like Franchise Genesis that helps you become a franchisor (filing FDDS, creating Operations Manuals, etc.) and less of a typical franchise marketing agency.  In addition to helping 500+ brands become franchises, they’ve also sold 6,000+ franchises.  FMS in my mind is going to sit somewhere around Brand Journalist and Accurate Franchising.

#12 – Qiigo (-2)

Qiigo is going to round out our top 10 list for 2024, which is up 14 spots from last year.  For some reason, we haven’t heard much about Qiigo lately.  Perhaps they are doing less advertising and just focusing on their core client list.  But, they’ve been in the franchise marketing arena for several years now, and have carved out a good niche for themselves.  Among other marketing services, Qiigo also does reputation management, which many agencies on this list do not provide.  Qiigo helps Franchise Brands, Corporate Brands, and Local Businesses.  They were voted one of the Top Advertising & Marketing Firms in Atlanta.

#11 – Franchise Hive (+12)

I’m going to slide Franchise Hive up the list a bit so that it’s closer to most of the other franchise digital marketing agencies, since that just feels right.  Franchise Hive is a combination franchise marketing agency and CRM software solution.  They have 3 “Franchise Power Packs” that go from a Minimum Power Pack at $299 / mo. to a Might Power Pack at $499 / mo. up to an All-In Power Pack at $1,499 / mo.

#13 – Reshift Media (-2)

I’m going to place Reshift between the other major franchise marketing agencies toward the bottom and yet above some of the other platform based solutions such as Location3 and Hyperlocology.  To be honest, I have no clue if Reshift is platform based or a typical agency setup, but they do have 25,000+ locations under management, so I’m assuming that they are platform based.  I could totally be off on that though. 

Reshift was voted the world’s best franchise marketing firm by the Global Franchise Awards at IFA in 2023.  Their main services offered include Social, Search, Design, and Development.  Some of their clients include M&M Food Market, Dogtopia, The UPS Store, Lemon Heaven, and many others.

#14 – Hyperlocology (-1)

Some of our clients have reported that they use Hyperlocology, so we’re sliding them up the list a bit.  Hyperlocology is a bit hard to spell but has a unique platform that allows franchisors to keep control of their brand while supporting local franchisees.  The Hyperlocology platform allows for Ad Buying, Reporting, Ad Fund Marketing, Local Advertising, and Local Data.  Industries serviced include Franchise Brands, Financial Services, and Retail.

#15 – Location3 (-1)

These guys are big.  They have over 80 people on staff and are best suited for brands that have hundreds of locations.  Location3 has a platform based approach, which is ideal for franchisors that need to maintain tighter control on the types of content being published across multiple locations.  Industries served include Franchising, Healthcare, Education, Retail, Automotive, Financial Services, Fitness & Wellness, Restaurants, and Service-Based Businesses.

#16 – SOCi (-1)

Over 800 multi-location brands use SOCi as their marketing platform, which is known as “The CoMarketing Cloud For Multi-Location Enterprises”.  It’s basically one central place to automate and scale marketing that is brand directed, locally perfected, and data connected.  Some of their clients include SportClips, Ford, Ace Hardware, Anytime Fitness, Jersey Mike’s, Marco’s Pizza, and many others.

#17 – ChoiceLocal (-1)

I wish that I knew the ChoiceLocal team.  I have a hard time placing them higher on the list without knowing their team or ever hearing from prospective clients that they have worked with ChoiceLocal.  So, I don’t have a great pulse on this one.  While they only have about 50 franchise systems that they work with, their retention rate is an astounding 96% and they have solutions for both franchisors and franchisees.  The main services offered are Search Marketing, Marketing Automation, Franchise Development, Video Production & Editing, Social Media Marketing, and Recruiting Solutions.

#18 – Integrated Digital Strategies (-1)

One thing that I like about Integrated Digital Strategies is that while their core service offering is franchise lead generation, they also do provide a level of franchise sales services, much like an FSO, which pushes the quality of their leads higher than some agencies.  If you’re in need of both franchise sales and franchise lead generation, they would be one to consider.

#19 – AMP Agency (0)

While not limited to franchising (they also do retail national chains, consumer electronics, travel, gaming, etc.), they obviously have some experience in franchising and their overall artwork is solid.  One thing that does stand out to me with AMP is that they are big on tracking and measuring KPIs, especially as things cross over into online shopping cart experiences for franchisees’ shops.

#20 – Bright Pink Agency (-1)

Bright Pink reminds me a bit of Curious Jane.  A lot of brands fail because they never put together a strong overall marketing strategy.  If you feel like your brand is off or needs some work, Bright Pink may be able to provide a more holistic marketing approach for you.  Services offered include Marketing Strategy, Web Design, Content Marketing, SEO, and Local Franchise Marketing Support.

#21 – Goodway Group (-1)

Goodway Group is going to round out the last agency in our top 20 franchise marketing agencies list.  Many franchise agencies focus on either franchise development lead generation or local franchise marketing.  Goodway Group puts a heavy emphasis on national marketing and is able to help put all of the pieces together for large multi-location brands, similar to perhaps Location3 in that regard.  One thing that is unique about Goodway Group is that they can also help you with TV advertising, which most agencies on this list cannot do (outside of YouTube Ads).

#22 – Franatics (-1)

Franatics provides local content creation, social media content creation, and various lead generation services.  They have a podcast called “The Social Zee Podcast” that you might want to check out if you’re a fan of listening to podcasts.  It is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Stitcher.

#23 – Franchise Direct (+1)

I moved franchise portals down on this list in general, since they’re not actually agencies, but they do play a similar role.  This is the first year that Franchise Direct is listed higher than both Entrepreneur.com and Franchise Gator.  The lead quality for franchise portals has gotten really bad over the past 5 years, and Franchise Direct is one of the few portals that many of our FSOs as well as franchise brands continue to use, which speaks highly of Franchise Direct as opposed to other franchise portals.  For some franchisors, Franchise Direct is able to drive a slightly higher quality lead than Gator, although it really depends on the specific sub-niche that your franchise resides in.

#24 – Entrepreneur.com (+1)

The main reason that Entrepreneur.com has moved down on this list so much is that I’m shifting portals in general to be lower than both regular franchise marketing agencies and platform based marketing solutions.  This is one that you normally wouldn’t consider to be an agency as they are more of a franchise portal.  But, the detail they provide for each of their franchises (including a graph year over year of the # of corporate versus franchisee units owned, investment amount etc.) is so powerful and the leads generated from their site are beyond that of normal franchise portals, that I’m going to give them a boost in our rankings here.

#25 – Franchise Gator (+1)

Franchise Gator is the largest franchise portal in the space.  While not a traditional agency, nobody drives more franchise leads than Gator.  This lead generation source is ideals for franchise brokers.  If you are fast at calling leads, it can also work for franchisors.

#26 – Sharpnet Solutions (-3)

Sharpnet is known more for their franchise SEO services.  To be honest, driving high quality franchise leads from SEO for franchisors is not easy.  We don’t even try to do it.  So, if you’re unhappy with your SEO vendor, I’d have a conversation with these guys.  Sharpnet Solutions offers SEO, PPC, Social, and Programmatic Design services.

#27 – Local Hero (-3)

Local Hero is platform based and most similar to SOCi while focusing on hyper-localized ads.  Some of their clients include Five Guys, Quiznos, A&W, Simple Mobile, Teriyaki Madness, Culver’s Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and many others.

#28 – Sparktank Franchise Marketing (-1)

In some ways, I would say that Sparktank is one of the more similar agencies to us here at Lead PPC in that all of their account managers have worked specifically in franchise lead generation for a very long time.  Sparktank focuses on helping Attract New Franchisees, Grow Local Sales, Franchise Websites, and Creative Services. 

#29 – SalesOptima Digital (-1)

Like many of the agencies listed above, SalesOptima provides local SEO, local paid search, social ads, and brand development.  Service include SEO, Social Media Advertising, Google Local Service Ads, Programmatic Advertising, Digital Marketing Strategy, Marketing Automation, Data Analytics & Insights, Local Listings Management, and Search Engine Marketing.

#30 – Ignite Visibility (-1)

Ignite operates in many industries, but they have made the Inc. 5000 and won several Clutch awards.  Services offered include SEO, International Search Marketing, Local Search Marketing, PPC Advertising, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Conversion Rate Optimization, Public Relations, Website Design & Development, Reporting & Analytics, Amazon Marketing Services, Digital Marketing Strategy, and of course Franchise Marketing.

 

Why Hire A Franchise Marketing Agency?

In the past, franchise businesses were often limited to local markets and relied on word-of-mouth advertising to generate customers. However, in recent years, with the rise of digital marketing and technology, more and more franchise owners have started to explore different marketing strategies to reach a broader audience.

Hiring a franchise marketing agency is essential for any business looking to grow their presence in the marketplace. Such agencies specialize in understanding the unique needs of franchises and can develop effective promotional campaigns that will generate more brand exposure and leads. Here are some tips on how you can find the right franchise marketing agency for your business.

Research Your Options – When hiring a franchise marketing agency, it’s important to do your research. Look into what services they offer as well as their track record with other franchises, so you can get an idea of whether or not they are capable of delivering results. Doing this research upfront will save you from having to deal with an inexperienced or unqualified agency later on.

Understand Your Objectives – Before hiring a franchise marketing agency, it’s important to clearly define what outcomes you want from their work. Do you want to reach a wider audience? Increase sales? Develop a stronger online presence? Knowing these goals ahead of time will help your chosen agency develop an effective strategy that specifically meets your needs.

Look at Their Portfolio – Most reputable agencies will have a portfolio of previous clients they have worked with, so be sure to take some time looking through their case studies. This will provide insight into both their process and results, as well as give you an idea of what kind of skillset they possess. If possible, contact some of the previous clients listed in the portfolio and ask about their experience working with the agency; this should give you a good indication about whether or not they would be suitable for your project.

Set Clear Parameters – Before signing any contracts or agreements with an agency, make sure that all expectations are laid out clearly from both sides – this includes things like costs associated with services provided, deadlines for deliverables, etc. Setting clear parameters helps ensure everyone is on the same page throughout the duration of the campaign and reduces chances of miscommunication down the line.

Monitor Progress & Results – Once you’ve selected an agency and set up all necessary parameters/agreements/contracts needed for them to start working on your project, make sure there is regular communication between both parties throughout its duration – this way any changes or roadblocks can be addressed quickly instead of waiting until it’s too late and incurring unnecessary costs due to delays in deliverables or output quality issues caused by miscommunication between teams. Additionally, set up benchmarks that need to be achieved at certain points during your campaign (e.g., 5% increase in website traffic after 2 months) – doing this allows both parties involved keep track of progress made over time and adjust strategies accordingly if necessary based on changing market conditions/behavioral shifts from potential customers/etc.

Finally – don’t forget to measure results! Make sure that all key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to your campaign are tracked regularly throughout its runtime so it is easier identify if objectives have been met (or exceeded!) once it concludes; this could include things like website traffic numbers/conversions rates/social media engagement metrics/etc., depending on which strategies were implemented during the campaign period as part of your overall strategy developed by your chosen franchise marketing agency team beforehand.

 

Need Help?

If you would like to speak with us about potentially having us help drive quality franchise leads for your franchise please fill out our Contact Us form.

We are a boutique franchise marketing agency / franchise ad agency that specializes in franchise marketing and franchise advertising via PPC (Google Ads + Meta Ads).

Additionally, if you need help with franchise sales or with finding a solid franchise broker, we would be more than happy to share our opinions with you on the subject.  Thanks!

 

Video Transcript

Hi there! And welcome to our website. You’re probably viewing this video on our website or on YouTube, but welcome to Lead PPC. Com. My name is Grant James and we are going to talk about the top 30 franchise marketing agencies that are out there. Obviously we are very biased in this because we believe that we are one of the best agencies out there, but I wanted to show some love to some of the other groups that exist within the greater franchising ecosystem so that you have more information on what are some good agencies that you could take a look at so here are what we consider or I consider to be the top kind of 30 franchise marketing agencies. I tried to put them in order as much as I could, but there are some differences. Some people are looking for franchise development lead generation. Other people are looking for like a franchise portal. Other people are looking for local franchise marketing so there are some differences there and I try to address that a little bit in the article.

The first one I’m just saying is us here elite PPC. We have worked with over 250 brands. We’ve been working with franchises since 2010. I used to be a chief marketing officer for a franchise or back in the day, and a lot of my staff has kind of come out of the franchising space, so whether it is franchise development legion that you need. Help with or if it’s local franchise marketing we can definitely get you covered on that some other good groups if you were to go type in 919 marketing is great. If you were to type in the search term franchise marketing agency usually 919 is going to show up. They are pretty good. This is kind of what their website looks like and they have some they have some good information on there so I’ll be one that I’ would take a look at when we get phone calls from people. One of the agencies that a lot of people have worked with or consider is 919 Marketing.

Another one is going to be Scorpion. One thing that I love about Scorpion is they have really good designs. They use their own content management system which bug some people because it’s not WordPress, but if you need help with SEO or you need help you know, just kind of all encompassing and you’re not. You’re okay with using their CMS. They can be really good. Um, we have a good relationship with them. They’re great people. They kind of come out of the law for marketing space. They doing more and more with franchising. Um. And they also do a lot with dental offices so they’re one to take a look at entrepreneur. Com. There is a lot that I really like about Entrepreneur. Com. I would consider them to be more of kind of like a really high. End portal. I think that their leads are really good. Also they have some different search features that are on there that show how many units people have as far as like how many like the unit growth year over year within a franchise system which is pretty cool so there are listings on Google on their site.

They get listed on Google are pretty good night through, really like these guys. I feel like what night through is good at is kind of Google, my business and local search results. If you have multi unit types of situations here at least PPC we only do paper click so we don’t do some of the more like organic type of stuff. So if you’re looking to get ranked organically, these guys do a great job of that. We’ve we’ve sent a lot of clients their direction they’ve sent some backguard direction we’re both out of Utah. I probably got in a lunch with these guys maybe 5 times over the years. Really good people next is gonna be a location 3 these people have over 80 people on staff and they’ve also worked with 1t of brands. I don’t know if they’re venture capital back or how that works, but it’s kind of kind of has that vibe. They’re out of Denver, Colorado, so if you are and Denver they might be one to take a look at as well.

Next we have Reshift Media. They were voted the world’s. Best franchise marketing firm by Global Franchise Awards at IFA in 2023, so you know anytime something shows up in IFA that’s something to kind of be aware of but I think they have some cool stuff going on there as well. Then I’m just gonna kind of blow through some of the next ones of these choice local. They have about 50 franchise systems that they work with and their retention rate is 96 percent, which is actually quite insane. I’m not sure kind of what time period they’re looking out that with, but that is really good.

Integrated digital strategies as the next one and if the internet is being kind in it looks like their website is kind of slow, but they provide things like let’s see, and on here I wrote one of the things that I like about integrated additional strategies is that while their core service offering is Franchise league generation, they also do provide a level of franchise sales services like an FSO, so that’s one to keep in mind where if you need help with franchise sales that can help you. Also curious genus one that I like a lot. Um, these people are really nice so we’ve done some booths at different events and they’ve actually helped me like put up my booth and so I’ve gotten to know them. I can get 2 different events and I I just really like them a lot. I think that they do a good good job with a variety of different services and you can kind of go to their site and see some US stuff they do. It’s a lot like media planning, national Ad Fund, PR franchise, Italman SEO web designs, kind of a little bit of everything. So if you’re like if there’s someone’s more like an all encompassing agency, they might be one kind of take a look at the rest.

I’m just kind of read through bright pink agencies. Good sharpened solutions crush this one’s not necessarily a franchising specific one’ but they do do some enfranchising good way group franchise, Gator franchise direct, hyper Locology, Spark Tank Franchise Marketing Sales, Optima Digital amp Agency, Ignite Visibility, Top Fire Media, Franchise Hive, Kigo, Fernatic, Silver Crest, Soaky. Not sure I say that saying that right. Elysian Marketing, Local Hero and Thrive. I think these guys used to be Dex back in the day, not 100% sure. I also kind of talk about some of the reasons why you would hire a franchise marketing agency.

Things such as looking at your options understand your objectives like these are some kind of basic things when you’re looking to hire an agency what to look for in doing that anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this video, of course, would love to talk with you if you’re interested in talking with us, just click on the contact us button, fill this out and then we can. It’ll right away you can. Set up a calendarly invite. We can set a point right there to have a conversation, but thanks for coming to our site. We appreciate it. We’ve got lots of articles on here. I think we have more kind of content around franchise marketing than just about anybody, so I hope you’ll enjoy that. Talk to you’ soon bye.