Food Franchise Marketing Strategies

Food franchises get fast reputations in their area—for better or worse. Make quick fixes by responding to negative reviews and starting a relationship with an expert partner who can help whip things into shape.

Most likely, your location/s is popping up when people search for food in their area. But are you at the top? Implement some fast search campaigns to ensure you get top billing.

OOH (billboards, bus ads, etc.) are a longtime tactic for food franchises; but did you know that new digital billboard options offer faster implementation? Explore the options in your local area.

Most food franchisees don't have much control over corporate websites, mobile apps and other digital tools that are franchise wide. But you likely have more control of your location pages or listings. Start any marketing effort by making sure all listing information is correct and up to date. You can even add content to some listings to improve local SEO (see Step 2!)

Location-specific/local SEO is crucial for your food franchise business. Use a combination of local paid search and local SEO to ensure customers find you first when they're searching for specific food items. But beware—in a competitive segment like the food franchise business, you'll want a pro partner to help you navigate this element.

Besides search, you can bring in foot traffic with other channels—from the aforementioned billboards to in-app advertising. There are even geo-targeted ads that can trigger messages when people are nearby, or at certain times, like for seasonal specials. Then, opt-in to corporate-sponsored incentive programs and special offers so you have something to keep customers coming back for more.

Happy customers take stellar service and a quality product, but managing your reputation online takes work, too. Take the time to monitor and respond to reviews online and have some offers in your back pocket to win back anyone who had a bad experience.

Even though your food franchise's corporate team is investing in the franchise brand at a national level, you'll likely need to work on some local brand building. Connected TV, radio, social and OOH can be laser targeted to the right demographic in your area, and help build a name for your franchise within the community.