Have your local marketers gone rogue?
It is an issue that puts your multi-located brand in serious jeopardy. An inconsistent customer experience across the distributed network is incredibly jarring for prospects and customers. Additionally, these brand inconsistencies weaken messaging which can lead to confusion, loss of trust, and a perception of lower quality. In a recent study, we found that 90% of customers actually expect a consistent customer experience across all channels and brand interactions.
In most cases, complexities in marketing processes will cause your local affiliates to take matters into their own hands. The good news is that simplifying your local marketing strategy is singlehandedly one of the easiest things you can do to increase marketing adoption and ensure brand compliance across the distributed network.
How to Simplify Your Franchise Local Marketing Strategy
Follow these steps to simplify your brand's local marketing strategy:
1. Invest in a Brand Management Solution
To spearhead local marketing strategy simplification, we recommend investing in a complete brand management solution. You may want to consider one (or all) of the following software solutions purpose-built for distributed organizations:
Local Marketing Automation (LMA): This tool supports local marketing enablement through automation and corporate-local alignment. The term "marketing automation" most often refers to cloud-based applications that help companies deliver personalized content through conditional logic or trigger events. However, in this scenario, local marketing automation enables local marketers to create localized versions of brand creative. From print advertisements and in-store signage to multifaceted digital campaigns, local marketing automation supports the many activities of local affiliates and marketers. In most cases, local marketers use this software to run marketing programs defined by headquarters.
Digital Asset Management (DAM): This tool empowers brand managers to store, organize, and share digital files. With an organized digital asset library, organizations can get more value from creative through easy access and distribution. Due to its centralized nature, the library is a secure sharing platform that allows multiple stakeholders to have access to digital files.
Product Information Management (PIM): This tool centralizes and manages e-commerce business' product information. This software collects data from multiple data sources, formats, and creates a single source of master data. Additionally, this software automatically responds to problematic data and pushes accurate data to desired distribution channels including retail, social media, marketing, or sales.
CampaignDrive is a cloud-based platform for national marketers and designers to deliver on-brand creative assets and ensure brand consistency and compliance in local markets. With advanced permission and control features, brand managers can enforce brand standards locally and grant local affiliates with some design flexibility.
The software has everything we need to provide brand-approved material to our franchise system. It is easy to utilize for all skill levels and is the perfect match for our growing franchise needs. - Karen G, Senior Graphic Designer at Wellbiz Brands Inc.
To get started, we recommend taking our software out for a free test drive.
2. Commit to a Regimented Approval Processes
After you've invested in a brand management solution, be sure to enact a strict approval processes. In most cases, brand management platforms enable brand managers to monitor creative use across the distributed network. Additionally, brand management platforms also include approval workflows to streamline local creative distribution and activation.
CampaignDrive helps system administrators monitor all franchise local marketing activity down to the finest detail. Correct documents on-the-fly to accelerate turnaround time and keep local satisfaction high. Moreover, in just a few clicks, identify top-notch local executions and share these examples with the field. It's that easy!
3. Deploy Ready-to-Use Campaigns With Customization "Baked In"
To simplify your franchise local marketing strategy, try deploying ready-to-use campaigns with local customization already "baked in." In this scenario, brand managers can lock mission-critical design features and enable affiliates to add a touch of localization.
Use this as an opportunity to monitor campaign adoption and activation. What worked and what didn't? Depending on the outcome, you may or may not want to deploy more customized digital campaigns in the future.
4. Focus on Select Marketing Channels
To further reduce marketing complexity, focus on one or two marketing channels at a time. Be sure to implement strict guidelines on usage, image formatting, brand voice, and more. As local marketers get up-to-speed on these channels, encourage the use of other brand approved marketing channels.
5. Commit to Ongoing Iteration
Finally, make it easy for local marketers to ask questions and find help. Remember, local marketers are rarely the design and marketing professionals that we need them to be. These local affiliates will likely have a ton of questions and concerns prior to campaign activation. As such, it's important to guide local marketers through the appropriate use of marketing systems, design best practices, and more.
CampaignDrive offers on-going system and training and support. Introduce key stakeholders including corporate leaders, brand managers graphic designers, and local users to CampaignDrive. The guided and in-depth training experiences drive increased system adoption and effectiveness. Moreover, support teams are always available when unexpected issues arise.
Make Franchise Local Marketing Easy With CampaignDrive
The fact is, your franchise local marketing strategy is only as strong as the tools you use to activate it. For that reason, many industry-leading distributed enterprises make serious investments in local marketing automation software.
CampaignDrive enables system administrators, brand managers, corporate designers, and local marketers to produce value-driven customer experiences, on-brand creative, and compliant marketing across the distributed network.
In fact, after swift implementation and a two-month pilot in key markets around the globe, CampaignDrive helped the world's largest hotel company achieve rapid local marketing activation and success.
To get started, we recommend taking our software out for a free test drive.
