Marketing is not an easy field. It’s always evolving, with new technology and new trends popping up every day. As a result, it can be hard to stay on top of things, especially when running a franchise business. And when you are in charge of the marketing for your company, it’s easy to become blind to mistakes that can hurt your bottom line. But certain mistakes are much more common in franchises than in traditional businesses. So here are seven marketing mistakes to avoid when running a franchise.
- Incorrectly Targeting the Market
There are plenty of ways to go wrong when it comes to marketing. One of the most common mistakes is targeting a specific market. If you don’t send your marketing materials to potential customers, they may never know that your brand exists at all. You can also be missing out on a huge audience if you only send your materials to people who fit into a certain niche.
- Choosing an Inefficient Distribution Method
When you are ready to get your marketing materials out there, you will consider which distribution methods will bring in the most potential customers. It’s a good idea to look at how many customers each method will reach, how quickly it will reach those customers, and whether or not those customers will be interested in what you have to offer. You may be surprised by the results of your research.
- Not Standing Out from Other Franchises
It’s important to stand out from the crowd. Even in today’s more corporate world, a franchise can still be seen as a little bit different and unusual. So if you want to get noticed, you will want to follow the trends and find ways to be original. You may even want to consider offering something completely new that other franchise businesses aren’t providing.
- Not Doing Enough Research
If you want to keep your business running smoothly, you will want to stay on top of current trends. It’s a good idea to hire a team of researchers to keep you up-to-date with the latest products and services in demand. If you don’t know what’s hot and not, it can be hard to know which products will sell. By staying on top of what is selling, you can ensure that your customers are getting the most up-to-date product or service.
- Not Using Technology
There’s nothing wrong with sticking to traditional marketing methods. But it’s not always necessary to use the most up-to-date technology in today’s world. For example, if you don’t have a website and an online presence, you can miss out on a huge audience that may be interested in your product. But if you do have a website and a presence online, you are more likely to attract potential customers.
- Not Being Mobile-Friendly
If you want to attract new customers and keep existing ones engaged with your brand, you need to be mobile-friendly. That means that you have a website that can be accessed from mobile devices and that your social media accounts are all responsive. Anything less can put off potential customers.
- Not Being Consistent
It’s a good idea to establish some consistency for your brand. If you send out a marketing campaign, you need to be consistent in the messages. Customers will respond better if they know what to expect. Don’t make changes to your marketing campaign without good reason. It’s better to stick with what’s working on to get better results.
Conclusion
Marketing is hard work. It takes time, money, and a lot of thought and strategy behind it. Unfortunately, if you’re running a franchise business, there are plenty of mistakes that can be made regarding marketing. But by avoiding these marketing mistakes and changes in how you look at your marketing efforts, you will improve sales.
Written by Taylor McKnight, Author for Franchise Direct AU
