Franchise Marketing Support: What to Expect from a Franchisor

As an entrepreneur interested in owning a franchise, you likely understand by now that you will be given a playbook for success. You know a franchisor should help you with site selection, you know you will be trained in the business’s systems and processes, and you know you will have a family of fellow franchisees within the company to lean on for support at any moment’s time.

What about marketing? You put a lot of time and effort into getting the new franchise location built out, but it means nothing if no customers know about your business.

What franchise marketing support can you expect ahead of the grand opening? Will the franchisor provide regular and ongoing marketing support after you open your business? A good franchisor knows a business is nothing without customers. Find a breakdown below of what to expect and what questions to ask before you sign a franchise agreement.

The marketing support franchisors provide varies from one company to another. Marketing strategy will depend on variables such as business location, business model and services offered, effectiveness of social media advertising with your customer base, ability to generate interest from local media, and costs of advertising with local media.

What’s important to understand is this: As a franchisee, you are never alone. Make sure you ask the franchisor to describe their marketing strategy. Discuss the initial and ongoing support you can expect as you generate buzz around your business for the grand opening; and how that support changes once your business is established.

Franchisors know which potential customers to target and how to target them. They have the research and experience to shape your marketing plans and the materials you need to make the marketing plan successful.

• Logo and Images for Ads and Social Media are Already Designed

Franchisees pay for a license that allows them to use the franchisor’s images, logos, and other branded materials. Not only does this allow franchisees to benefit from the name and brand recognition of the franchise, it also saves them the time and money required to hire someone to design images and logos businesses need for ads and posts on social media, in newspapers, and other platforms.

• Strategies for Grand Openings are Established

The franchisor should be there to answer questions and help new franchisees implement strategies for a successful grand opening. While the franchisor won’t execute the strategy for you, they are able to provide ideas to generate buzz around the business that has worked for other franchisees. You can also discuss plans with fellow franchise owners who have hosted successful grand openings and built a thriving customer base in other communities.

• Support is Often Included in Your Franchise Agreement

It’s difficult to provide a breakdown of what franchise marketing support and incentives to expect because they vary among franchisors. Understand what’s included in your franchise agreement before signing it. For example, Tide Cleaners currently offers a limited-time incentive program that includes a marketing expenditure of $25,000 for franchisees opening their first plant store. In addition to the traditional royalty fees and the initial franchise fee, Tide Cleaners franchisees also pay an ongoing marketing fee of 4 percent, half of which is used for the brand’s National Ad Fund that helps maintain the Tide Cleaners name nationwide. The other 2 percent is used for local advertising to directly target the franchisee’s potential customers.

• Choose Tide: an Established Brand with Unmatched Training and Support

As a Tide Cleaners franchise owner, you start with a plant store, and the opportunities for expansion are endless, with drop stores, our innovative locker program, and other non-traditional opportunities for growth.

Tide Cleaners is leading the laundry services industry into the future, with cost-efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly services, including wash-and-fold and dry cleaning. To top it off, the franchise is backed by a well-known brand that customers have trusted in their homes for more than 70 years.

Those interested in owning a Tide Cleaners franchise location in their community should submit their contact information here.