Survey: 42 Percent Say Traditional Franchise Marketing Just Isn't Cutting It

The franchise industry has seen tremendous growth in the last several years. The number of franchise establishments continues to increase, the employment growth in the franchise sector continues to increase, and the GDP of the industry has also seen a dramatic rise.

With this, competition is at an all time high. This is not only true for franchises trying to draw in consumers but also for franchisors trying to open more establishments. So how are franchises marketing their businesses to separate themselves from all the competition?

We aimed to find this out and provide valuable insights to the franchise industry on how other establishments are marketing their business. Over 1,900 franchise professionals and developers across the country were contacted to provide their feedback.

A Few Highlights From the Franchise Marketing Survey

As new marketing opportunities continue to pop up with the increase of mobile advertising, social, etc. we wanted to find out how the effectiveness of marketing strategies compare to previous years. It's not surprising to see that current strategies are more effective than ever. In the digital age it is much easier to track data thus allowing for organizations to shift their marketing dollars to the areas that provide the best return.

Interestingly enough, the respondents felt that more traditional methods of marketing, direct mail, and PR are less valuable nowadays with 42 percent feeling like they no longer warrant the investment they require.

Following the data from the previous statistic, the same holds true when asked what the top three marketing channels are that are most effective at generating new business. Not surprisingly referrals topped the list but in a surprise second, social media took up 55 percent of the vote followed by SEO and PPC tied for third.

Understanding that digital makes up four out of the top five channels that are most effective at generating new business, it is not surprising to see that 39.47 percent of all respondents say that over 35 percent of their franchise marketing budget is allocated to digital.

The biggest marketing challenges seem in line with many organizations even outside the franchise industry. How do I generate better quality leads/sales at an effective ROI? I don't have the budget to invest in new marketing strategies and how do I find the time to get all of our marketing objectives done?

Republished by permission. Original here.

Images via HigherVisibility.com

This article, "Survey: 42 Percent Say Traditional Franchise Marketing Just Isn't Cutting It" was first published on Small Business Trends