How technology has helped franchising grow.
Technology has helped many small businesses grow over the years, but today, we will talk about how technology has helped franchising grow from being an option only for big brand names such as McDonald’s to an excellent opportunity for most small businesses to grow their brand nationwide and internationally.
People looking to expand their small businesses have more choices.
Before the internet and technology were well-known for small business owners to expand their company, they had to rely on advertising such as leaflets and real-life shows to get their brand name out there. Even though before the internet, this way of marketing was trendy for franchise brands, now people can advertise online, making it much easier for new franchisors to grow their franchises. One of the main concerns for business owners looking to expand is the price since online franchise advertising is much cheaper than real-life events like franchise shows. This has helped franchising grow even further in the UK and globally.
More advanced training systems
This aspect of technology has helped franchising grow in terms of franchisees signing up to franchises. Since technology has allowed franchisors to have real-life and digital training, and now since technology has got so advanced, the digital training resources are better than ever and can be a great addition to new franchisees, especially franchisees that are new to the world of business and have never run a business before.
Automatic SMS and email marketing to build brand awareness
These days many websites use databases of potential customers or previous customers. Many franchisors have their own SMS and email marketing platforms, such as CRMs set up for new franchisees. This is another excellent way for new franchisees to build a loyal customer base as quickly as possible, as this is a modern approach to keep customers coming back. Some of these systems are so advanced that they can even give customers coupons or other rewards for their loyalty to a particular franchise business as a customer.
Communication has been the best it’s ever been between the franchisor and franchisee.
Communication between the franchisor and franchisee is crucial for success, especially if that specific franchisee is new to the business. The good thing is that tech has made communication more straightforward than ever through systems like VoIP and communication apps like Skype. Some franchisors might even have their own app, which will contain the franchisor and groups of other successful franchisees that can be used as a support network for new franchisees.
Conclusion
As you can see from the points above, technology has helped franchising grow and not just from the point of new franchisors or even new brands. It has also helped franchising grow as a community for franchisees since positive feedback from franchisees is another reason why buying a franchise has become such a popular option among aspiring business owners since when people make a business investment or any type of investment, they like to feel safe everyone knows there is safety in numbers meaning if most franchisees are happy with their experience with a certain franchise it might be the right one for you. Of course, remember before investing in any franchise to do your homework and make sure if that specific business model would fit your needs. The same goes the other way with franchising your small business. You need to talk to experts before in order to understand if your small business could be successful as a franchise and if your business is franchisable. If you feel this article has helped you and want to find out more information about anything franchising related, feel free to check out our other articles.