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Creating a Facebook ad strategy starts with an examination of the franchisor/franchisee relationship. The franchisee is responsible for the success or failure of their business location, but it’s in the franchisor’s best interest to see each business location succeed. A strong Facebook ad strategy will enable a multi-location brand to leverage corporate resources while empowering franchisees at the local level.

Facebook ads manager doesn’t allow for posting across multiple locations at once, but a social advertising tool like SOCi can help franchisors post to every location at once and facilitate the interaction between the corporate team and local businesses. Below, you’ll find three ways to implement a strong paid social strategy in your franchise business.

Localize paid social with Dynamic Ads for Retail

Brick-and-mortar stores don’t have to fight the social media and the digital revolution. In fact, social can actually drive foot traffic; 49 percent of in-store purchases are driven by digital interactions, and Facebook is helping businesses take advantage of this fact with Dynamic Ads for Retail.

These ads present a unique opportunity for multi-location retailers to advertise special offers and products that are available in each individual store — with store-specific prices as well. The ads can be set up in such a way that they’ll dynamically update based on product availability and prices at the store closest to the person viewing the ad. This localized approach provides consumers with accurate information about the franchise locations nearest them and helps drive in-store visits.

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Consider a tool that enables dynamic text/images

For franchisors, social media marketing is one of the best ways to not just promote the brand, but also drive foot traffic. Cutting edge franchisors can empower franchisees with this technology by implementing a tool that offers dynamic text and images. The franchisor can create a single branded ad for 100s of locations, and the ad will dynamically insert location-specific text such as addresses, cities and phone numbers. Technology like SOCi offers dynamic image capabilities too; if franchisees provide images of their specific locations, the ad will dynamically update to show those images along with the updated location.

Franchisors should also empower franchisees with Facebook’s incredible data-collection capabilities. While the franchisor can see the overall success of the ad campaign spanning 100s of locations, individual franchisees will be able to see how their ad performed and compare it to sales or page likes. When it comes to calculating ROI on ad spend on- or offline – few platforms can match Facebook’s level of detail.  

Use a hybrid approach to franchise marketing

The franchisee/franchisor dynamic requires interaction and cooperation. Local franchisees need corporate branding, but they also need the freedom to localize their store offerings or ads based on the needs of the community. These business objectives can be accomplished through the hybrid management model, in which the franchisor controls the corporate social content and franchisees control their own business’ social pages. In this model, the corporate team can also provide individual franchisees with branded templates and approve posts.

Branding is an important aspect of the franchisor/franchisee relationship; the corporate brand is one of the main selling points for franchisees, who rely on the brand’s recognition to attract customers. The corporate franchisor team has the resources to provide branded templates and messaging, approve store-specific ads that individual franchisees create, or send branded ads that apply to every franchise location. The franchisee, on the other hand, might want to create ads with location-specific offers or mention specific community events.

Managing an ad strategy for a business with 10s to 100s of locations is no small task, but both Facebook and SOCi are constantly releasing new tools that make it easier for the franchisor and franchisee to collaborate on ads. This collaboration is made possible with technology, but it’s only effective if both franchisor and franchisee buy-in to the hybrid management model.

For more insights on how SOCi works within the hybrid management model, schedule a demo today.


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