Being on the account management side at Balihoo, I work very closely with franchisees on their franchise marketing. Each franchisee presents us with interesting challenges when planning their local advertising, whether being their particular market area or budget restraints.

Most recently, I have been working with a group of painters, helping them execute their individual marketing tactics. Our media professionals, taking into consideration budget limitations, have created a plan that makes optimal use of their marketing dollars. Being that all the different franchise owners are dispersed throughout the county, it is crucial that we track and test different offers in different markets to see what pulls well and this takes time (at least three months) and patience.  It is not going to make the phone ring overnight; it takes time to build brand presence in the market.

This concept is central to our marketing strategy and we are constantly reminding and reinforcing this to our clients. When they are in the operational day-to-day they can easily lose sight of the overarching strategy and become impatient,  throw their hands up and say, “This isn’t working”.  When in all actuality, they just need to give it some time and stick to the plan, gain measurable results and then re-evaluate the strategy and optimize from there. After all, good things come to those who wait!