I feel like I have some interesting insight into the world of franchise marketing, not only because of my role here at Balihoo, but also because my Dad owns a Radio Shack store in my small hometown of Chelan, Washington.  I spent some time with my dad this weekend and chatted about business and the economy, and had some interesting insights that will benefit franchisees.

Relationships are important to any business, and are especially so to a business owner in a small town with regular access to your customers and potential customers, where you can hear—more clearly sometimes—the perceptions people have of you and your business.  Luckily for my dad and for his customers, he is a perceptive guy. What he realized by listening is that people see the Radio Shack sign and think "big corporation," not small business. That "big corporation" perception carries a stigma of poor customer service that my dad did not feel was relevant to his business where he cared so much about relationships, employing locals, contributing to the community, and caring for people. 

So, he adjusted his on-air radio ads to remind his customers that his Radio Shack is a locally owned business. Similar to his situation, I expect that many franchisees feel the same frustration about the "big corporation" stigma associated with their stores. Behind the neon lights of the corporate logo, in many cases there is still one person or one family who is keeping an eye on the bottom line, hiring and managing local employees, making decisions about their local advertising, and their relationship with the community, and running a business with all the same passion and drive of any small business owner.

Here at Balihoo, we view each one of our customers as an individual small business owner.  We know that they each have to make decisions based on their own market and their knowledge of their customers, which is why our ad builder software provides so many customizable options.  We can lend our expertise and provide a helping hand to the franchisees, who know their customers like the small business owners that they are.