Post-Covid: Successful Franchise System Digital Marketing
Local franchise marketing is different following the pandemic. In many cases demand has increased but so have the volume of choices and businesses competing for your customers’ attention.
Here is your opportunity: use the first page of Google to your advantage, increase organic traffic and drive conversions. Gone are the days of over-relying on paid media to augment traffic on your website. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the only sustainable way to use Google to your advantage. Relevant pages perform well and receive better scores, keeping your business ahead of the competition.
Over 90% of all online shopping experiences begin on a search engine and most users never see page two. It is necessary that your business has page one real estate on Google and other search engines. When thoughtfully executed, SEO as a strategy becomes a consistent source of traffic and conversions. It is an asset that will return over and over. It also provides a strong foundation on which paid media can then be layered to meet short-term marketing objectives. Blending media to meet the client’s objectives is the core of our business.
The 2022 playbook is different.
First, go back to the basics. Build sustainable organic traffic and build pages that convert. Increase your ability to be found by shoppers at all points of the funnel by leveraging search engine optimization or SEO. SEO matters now more than ever.
Imagine a marathon runner given a choice to run with the wind at their back versus running into the wind. Which would you choose? When considering investing in digital marketing to increase traffic and conversions, make sure you will be running with the wind at your back. This is the only long-term digital strategy that matters. Then, supplement your organic results by adding innovative tactical paid-media strategies to drive short-term outcomes. Like good SEO, your paid tactics need to be expert high-touch first, and data and tech-enabled second. No short-cuts. No monkey-business.
Second, marketers need to recognize the different needs of the constituent audiences when building their program. Local franchises need more leads with the caveat that they are better, convert faster, and cost less. Franchises need reporting which makes sense relative to their leads and conversions. Reports about clicks and impressions just present data; Franchises need information they can use and understand to make quick decisions. Franchise systems are understandably thinking about the brand, market trust, and growth. A core competencies of great franchise systems are best practice sharing and consistency. Lead response is a great example. Last but certainly not least, the consumer needs to locate quality local vendors quickly who respond to their needs, and simplify the process from research to completion.
The 2022 playbook is different.
Go back to the basics. Build sustainable organic traffic and build pages that convert. SEO also lowers costs and provides consistency and predictability. We can put your strategy into motion with the gold standard of SEO on a Pay-for-Performance basis. It’s a no-brainer.
