Franchise Marketing Trends To Adopt in 2025
Franchise Marketing Trends to Follow This Year
The word is out that franchisors nationwide are increasing their franchise marketing budgets, but the real story isn’t just about bigger budgets – it’s about where these marketing dollars are actually going. What are savvy franchisors betting on? Let’s dive into the expected marketing trends that are shaping the future of franchise development, and learn how you can get your growth strategy ahead of the curve.
Trend 1: Integrated Marketing Approach
When we focus on local franchise marketing, the following is the mantra of every marketer: don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This time-tested wisdom stresses the importance of diversifying marketing efforts, rather than concentrating the entire budget into a single campaign. While this approach is widely understood and implemented in B2C marketing, it proves equally vital in B2B contexts, particularly in franchise development.
An integrated marketing approach serves two crucial purposes. First, it maximizes brand visibility by reaching potential franchisees through multiple touch points. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it strengthens brand legitimacy through repeated exposure. This aligns with the Rule of 7, a marketing principle suggesting that consumers need to encounter a brand at least seven times before taking action. By implementing an integrated strategy, businesses create multiple opportunities for these meaningful brand interactions.
The key to sustainable franchise development lies in strategically distributing resources across various marketing channels. This includes balancing investments between digital and traditional marketing methods, while maintaining a mix of proven strategies and experimental approaches when resources allow. A comprehensive digital strategy typically encompasses paid advertising, SEO efforts, social media engagement, and press coverage, all of which should direct potential franchisees to a robust website that effectively communicates the brand story and investment opportunity.
Beyond digital efforts, a truly integrated franchise development strategy extends into the physical world. This includes leveraging influencer partnerships, establishing thought leadership in the industry, building strong broker networks, and engaging in face-to-face networking at conferences and talent scouting events. This multi-faceted approach ensures that the brand message reaches potential franchisees through every available channel, creating a cohesive and compelling narrative that drives healthy franchise growth.
Trend 2: Video, Video, Video
Video content continues to dominate going into 2025, with an overwhelming 91% of businesses already incorporating video into their marketing strategy, according to Wyzowl. The momentum shows no signs of slowing, as 68% of marketers who haven’t yet embraced video plan to start this year, indicating a clear acknowledgment of video’s growing importance in reaching and engaging audiences.
Short-form video, in particular, has developed into a powerful tool for connecting with consumers. A report by Firework states that 72% of consumers actively prefer watching videos over reading text when learning about products, highlighting a significant shift in content consumption behavior. The business case for short-form video is equally compelling, with the same report revealing that 31% of marketers cite these bite-sized videos as delivering the highest return on investment compared to other content formats.
The versatility of video content extends across multiple marketing channels, making it a cost-effective investment. The same video assets can be strategically deployed across your website to enhance user engagement, incorporated into digital advertising campaigns to capture attention, and integrated into traditional marketing materials. Furthermore, individual clips can be repurposed and combined in different ways to create fresh content, maximizing the value of your video investment while maintaining consistency in your message across all platforms.
Essential Video Types for Franchise Development
A comprehensive franchise development video marketing strategy should include several key types of videos that speak to different aspects of your brand and business opportunity.
- The core of this content library is typically the Brand Story video, which weaves together your company’s history, mission, and vision in a compelling narrative that resonates with potential franchisees.
- Testimonial videos featuring elated franchisees add credibility and authenticity by sharing real experiences and success stories, helping prospects envision their own potential within your system.
- Educational content, such as explainer videos about proprietary tools, systems, or products, demonstrates your operational sophistication and support infrastructure.
- Event highlight reels showcase the energy and community within your franchise network, while also leaving potential franchisees with a sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).
- Day-in-the-Life videos following current franchisees provide practical insights into the business ownership experience and what a prospect can expect.
Each of these video types serves a specific purpose in your development strategy, working together to create a comprehensive picture of your franchise opportunity.
Maximizing Your Franchise Conference for Video Content
Your annual franchise conference or meetup presents an often overlooked opportunity to efficiently create multiple types of video content while maximizing your production budget. Whether you call it an annual conference, a summit, a masterclass, or a regular meetup for networking and idea sharing, this gathering of your entire franchise system creates the perfect environment to capture authentic moments, testimonials, and success stories all in one location. During the conference, you can film franchisee interviews and testimonials between sessions, capture dynamic training moments that showcase your support systems, and document the energy of your community during networking events. The conference setting naturally lends itself to filming leadership presentations, which can be repurposed into smaller clips for social media or development materials.
This strategic approach to conference filming not only reduces production costs by capturing multiple content types in one location but also ensures consistency in your messaging and brand presentation. The resulting content library can fuel your marketing efforts throughout the year, providing fresh, authentic material for franchise development, social media, and training purposes.
Trend 3: Non-Pushy Franchise Focused Website
Even during the rise of an AI-powered world, a solid website is still a make-or-break for businesses. Think of your website as an anchor for all your marketing efforts. It’s where people go to get the real scoop about your brand, figure out what kind of investment they’re looking at, and get an actual sense about what experience they can expect.
If you didn’t already know, web visitors make lightning-fast decisions about your site. Sources say on average it takes users less than a second to decide whether they’ll stick around or bounce. According to the folks at Sweor, a whopping 75% of people admit they judge a company’s credibility just by looking at their website design. That’s right – three out of four potential partners are sizing up your business based on their first glimpse of your site and what digital content your brand has to offer.
If you’re serious about growing your franchise, you need to do more than just throw some information on a webpage. Your website should tell your brand’s story in a way that clicks with potential franchisees. Skip the pushy sales tactics – we’re looking at you “Be Your Own Boss” ads – instead, give web users the meaningful insights they need to evaluate your franchise opportunity, such as cost breakdowns, educational content on training and support, a look at your franchise culture, and regular updates about what your brand is working on to help franchisees set and achieve new goals. Remember, these are savvy investors looking to make informed decisions about their future. They need substance, not a sales pitch.
Start a Conversation with a Pro
Interested in working with a professional in the franchise development marketing space? BizCom and Brand J have been helping to grow franchise brands nationwide for over 25 years. We’ve worked with over 500 brands and rely on proven strategies to reach your ideal audience. Fill out our form here to start a conversation with us. We look forward to learning more about your brand and how we can help you grow.