Who Are The Top 20 Local Franchise Marketing Experts? (Emphasis On Local)

There are many aspects to franchise marketing, and one of the more distinct and important ones is definitely Local Franchise Marketing.  We’ve been providing digital advertising services via Google and Facebook Ads for franchises since 2010 (in fact it’s all we do), but it took us until around 2019 to really feel confident in the local advertising side of things (versus franchise development).

Top 20 Local Franchise Marketing Experts:

In this article, I seek to provide an insider’s view of who the Top Local Franchise Marketing Experts are in the great franchise marketing field.  Again, the emphasis here is on local marketing.

1. Lead PPC – When it comes to franchise marketing via PPC ads, I would put us here at Lead PPC at the top.  But, if you need help with things like SEO and Content Generation, there are others that are stronger in that department.  Our strongest areas for local franchise marketing would be: beauty, health, education, home services, restaurants, and fitness.  There are some industries outside of this that we may not have experience with but we’d be open to having an honest discussion regarding whether or not we would be a good fit for your brand as a marketing partner.
2. Entrepreneur.com – I use Entrepreneur.com a lot as a resource for franchise marketing.  Any time we are creating landing pages, I like to look at things like investment amounts, # of corporate vs franchisee locations, and high level info about a given brand.  They have amazing content both online and in print as it relates to entrepreneurship in general, and a big chunk of that content is focused on franchising, both nationally and locally.
3. The Franatics – Local content creation via SEO is not easy.  It’s one thing to create a national presence for a given brand, but keeping up with content generation for localized blogs, case studies, on-site phone & video sessions, etc. is an absolute logistics nightmare, and The Franatics have made this a part of what their team is able to execute on.  They also do organic social media content, which is a plus.
4. Curious Jane – I’m probably biased but I just like these guys.  Their approach is always fresh, honest, and bright.  This is a group that I wouldn’t have any hesitation engaging with or at least having a conversation with.
5. Franchising.com – Franchising.com comes up on our lists quite often because of the sheer amount of quality content that they pump out within the franchising space.  One of their major franchising topics is always on multi-unit franchising.  As both an owner of a franchise focused ad agency and a multi-unit operator myself within the food franchising space, I have come to appreciate the strategies and advice that they offer on their website.
6. MOZ – Tools like MOZ, SpyFu, and SEM Rush are a must when it comes to SEO and PPC research.  You can get most of what you need from Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google My Business, and Google Ads, but sometimes it’s nice to use other tools to get a different angle on what to do organically as you produce content daily or weekly.  I like that MOZ has content on their site specifically tailored to franchisors and local franchise marketing.
7. Canva – Believe it or not, Canva actually has some good expert content in regard to franchise marketing.  The thumbnail that you see on this blog page was created with Canva, and although I’m a Photoshop user as well, I like the speed and ease that Canva comes with out of the box with all of their easy-to-use templates.  It’s a must for marketers, whether you are doing national or local campaigns.
8. Dr Franchises – These guys are out of India, but they absolutely crush it when it comes to franchising content.  The sheer amount of content that they put out for all things franchising related is impressive.
9. SOCi – SOCi has this content piece they put together called “The Complete Guide To Franchise Marketing” which is pretty good.  I like how right off the bat, they focus on installing strong brand guidelines and standardization.  There’s nothing worse that having a bunch of stores out there that don’t even feel the same or united in any way.  Granted, at the beginning often times franchisors are trying to fVigure out what their brand playbook should be, but once that is known, standardization is key.  That’s one thing that makes brands like McDonald’s and Chick Fil A so strong.
10. MarcomCentral – MarcomCentral is a platform based brand management, workflow automation, and digital asset management suite.  What I like about their content on franchise marketing is that they try to keep up with the trends of what’s working within recent years with franchise marketing.  Often times, you find stale articles with strategies that worked years ago but don’t work today.  These guys also rank #1 for the term “local franchise marketing” organically, so I tend to have a lot of respect for the marketing abilities of groups that can separate themselves from other marketers and experts.
11. RevLocal – From an agency perspective, one thing that is unique about RevLocal is that they have local digital marketing consultants across the nation in many major cities.  So, if you want a bit more of a hands on digital marketer in your back pocket that you could actually go to lunch with, this might be a group to look at.
12. Hyperlocology – Any time you can provide reports that are dialed all the way down to the local level, you win.  I love it when a franchise system has reports like sales volume, COGS, profit margins, and marketing data available.  Hyperlocology helps fill in some of the gaps franchisors run into with local data.
13. Pica9 – Platform based solutions to local franchise marketing is a common theme due to the redundancies of multi-unit franchise marketing and the need for controls on what is actually being published online, especially via social media.  Pica9 has some crossover with their platform on what you might see from MarcomCentral, but they also do some unique things like providing Print & Digital Templates and Local Vendor Integrations.  So, if your franchise also has a lot of printing needs, solutions like AlphaGraphics or Pica9 could make sense for you.
14. Sprout Social – Sprout operates in a lot of industries outside of franchising such as government, hospitality, travel, nonprofits, etc.  But, their social media platform also lends itself well to local franchise marketing.  They preach that 71% of customers are more likely to buy after a positive social experience.  And, their software is designed to do just that.
15. Eclincher – Living in this modern world, it’s so easy for us to become 100% dependent upon digital advertising for customer acquisition and retention.  But, I like that Eclincher discusses the need for things like donating to local causes, hosting periodic in-store events, group discounts, and other forms of multichannel marketing.  While attribution models may slip a bit when working off of multiple mediums, this can be a great way to really show your community that you care and gain much goodwill from the local market of your stores.
16. PVOLVE – I like to try and higvhlight franchisors that do a good job of providing marketing ideas and content to both their franchisees and the general franchising space.  PVOLVE is a fitness concept kind of like Orange Theory, Fit Body Boot Camp, etc. that dives into things like making sure you have a strong Mission Statement and Core Values that your brand embraces and preaches.  The stronger the “Why”, the stronger your brand.
17. FuseBox One – As a counter-point, FuseBox One puts an emphasis on focusing on your strengths when it comes to marketing.  So, they actually go with a “less is more” approach recommending that franchises don’t try to master every type of marketing medium (trade shows, direct mail, digital, organic, etc.) at once.  I’m also of the belief that there is an order of operations that franchisors should pursue in their marketing efforts, especially with franchise development lead generation, such as focusing on SEO, then PPC, then Broker Networks, then Franchise Portals.  But, that’s just me.
18. Thrive – Thrive has made a lot of strides in the franchising space.  They also have a pretty good guide to franchise marketing that is worth looking at.
19. LocaliQ – Since this article is all about local marketing, LocaliQ vits the bill.  They state that 42% of franchise marketing professionals feel like traditional marketing channels like TV and PR are no longer worth the investment and 55% of multi-location businesses believe social media is the leading franchise marketing channel they rely on.
20. Uberall – Reviews are key when it comes to local marketing of any kind.  Uberall’s platform has review capabilities and helps connect the dots between a variety of marketing mediums.

5 Additional Tips On Creating & Executing a Successful Local Franchise Advertising Plan

With the right strategies in place, local franchises can be incredibly successful. But when it comes to advertising, there are many factors to consider that will help ensure business growth and success. Here are some tips for creating and executing a successful local franchise advertising plan:

1. Understand Your Audience – Before you launch any form of local franchise advertising, it’s important to understand who your target audience is and what their needs are. By focusing on the customers you want to attract, you can create more effective ads that have the potential to draw them in.

2. Use Multiple Advertising Channels – Don’t just focus on one type of marketing tactic when putting together your campaigns; incorporate multiple channels into your strategy. This could include a mix of digital, print, radio, TV, and/or outdoor media.

3. Optimize Your Ads for Mobile – With more people using mobile devices than ever before, it’s essential to make sure your ads are optimized for small screens. Clean and simple designs can help you capture the attention of your target audience more effectively on these platforms.

4. Leverage Local Influencers – Working with local influencers or content creators can be an effective way to get your message out there in an organic manner. Reach out to those who have a large following in the area you’re hoping to market your franchise in and see if they’d be interested in collaborating with you on an advertising campaign.

5. Track Your Results – Tracking your results is key to determining the success of your local franchise marketing efforts. By monitoring performance metrics such as website visits, conversions, and ad impressions you can better understand what’s working and what’s not so that you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

By following these tips, you should be well on your way to creating a successful local franchise advertising plan that has the potential to drive business growth and success for your organization.

 

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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!