Top trends in Franchise Marketing for 2022

After 24 months of utter chaos, which some people called "the new normal", the time has come to get back to the good old, slightly more predictable normal.?

For better or worse, the pandemic brought some exciting changes on the franchise marketing scene and 2019 strategies just won’t do it this year. We must adapt to the trends in customer behaviour and keep up with the latest in marketing. So, let's get growing.

Online is for lockdowns.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the world outside is buzzing. Finally, after two years of socialising over a screen, people want some reality. This doesn’t mean you should dispose of your PPC campaigns or cut off your social media presence but just keep in mind franchising is all about people. Human beings are social creatures, and they love attention (at least most of them), so person-to-person interaction can't be replaced by any online activity, no matter how much money we invest. Face-to-face communication is back and is here to stay, so if you want to dip your finger in the growth pool that is 2022, you better adjust. To put it into perspective, digital marketing is for bringing in the leads, while face-to-face communication is for closing deals.?

Events are back, and everyone's excited.

Webinars are out, and live events are back in. That's the headline of 2022. Unsurprisingly, the whole abuse of webinars as sales tools in the past 24 months has made many people allergic to the format. Many webinars were anything but useful: they weren't educational, brought zero value, and their only point was to sell, sell, sell. Maybe that sounds exciting to you, but they were a waste of time for many franchise prospects.?

Naturally, people are eager to get back to something they know well and find beneficial - live events. All sorts of expos, conventions, seminars, you name it, are back on the calendar. We at The Travel Franchise have kicked off the first quarter with a few very successful live sales events, and our schedule for the next quarter is looking even busier. It's the perfect way to meet prospects, create new connections or start new collaborations. It's also ideal for exchanging ideas, which brings us to the next point.

Networking, Networking, Networking

If you haven't done it already, it's high time to master your networking skills. This aspect of marketing has always been key but in 2022 it's exploding. As mentioned, people are sick of looking at each other over a screen and relying on an internet connection to sound coherent and convincing. So naturally, networking will be huge this year, which will give you some great opportunities to meet the best of the best in franchising, learn some new tricks, exchange ideas, increase your business prospects, and of course, find some good potential franchisees who will be eager to learn more about the opportunities you propose.?

Keep your digital marketing on

The two years of global pandemic have skyrocketed the digital revolution. While offline is all the buzz now, digital is certainly not going anywhere either. Nearly everyone on the planet has a smartphone in their hands, and it is the primary source of information. The vast majority of users are now comfortable with purchasing products and services online, and they are also more open to bigger investments. The best course of action is to keep your digital marketing campaigns on and slowly but surely go back to a hybrid approach. A great digital strategy will integrate your live event efforts with digital automation for a seamless experience.

Utilise smart tools to save time

How did we even do marketing before smartphones and all these online tools we have available nowadays? 2022 is indeed a dynamic year, so every saved minute counts. Smart algorithms make our jobs easier, and you should utilise as many of them as you can to get ahead.?

In case you still don’t have an efficient CRM system, this would be the first thing to start with. A good CRM will automate a ton of tedious, repetitive tasks and make your day that much stress-free. All your other tools can then be integrated with your CRM so that it is all done for you and compressed into a single platform.

Referrals rule?

As the dark vale of the pandemic is rising, people are ready once again to invest. That's great news for everyone but even greater for those who have already established referral programs for their franchise networks. Your franchise partners are one of your most valuable assets. They know what you can do and how you can help people reach their business goals. So incentivising them to share this information with their circle of friends is a win. However, for this to happen, you need to establish a coherent internal communication strategy so that your existing franchisees can positively work for your growth as a franchisor.

The year of expansions

If you manage to cover all these points, then 2022 is certain to be a year of expansion for your franchising brand, as it is for ours. Looking to spread across new regions, countries, and continents? You may need a bit more strategising - but if you didn't do your homework last year, just focus on reaching your growth potential by following the trends for franchise marketing.??