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In the world of Star Trek, everything is automated – food is dispensed at the push of a button from matter replicators in the walls, piping hot and ready to eat. And it’s easy to trick ourselves into believing that we live in such a world today. Consider this: certain franchises have already experimented with their customers ordering a pizza by simply texting a pizza emoji from their phone, triggering delivery right to their doorstep.
Franchising sometimes gets a bad rap – people often talk about their preference for a “local” business to move into that retail space. There are a lot of myths about franchising we could spend all day debunking. But here’s the thing: we don’t live in Star Trek, and in the real world, someone has to make that pizza. Probably someone nearby, usually at a small business, often at a franchised location in your own neighborhood. Franchisees are local businesses that connect the online ordering process with the tangible satisfaction of holding a product or experiencing a service. After all, when you need a plumber, or an eye exam, or a pizza, you may have a big brand name in mind, but you’re sure hoping that brand is nearby.
Like any local business, franchisees rely on local media and marketing to drive business. Sure, they benefit from national TV spots for the corporate brand, and smart, brand-driven promotions can generate a ton of new customers. This is one of the key selling points of buying into a franchise system vs. opening an independent business. But what happens when the promotion is over? And what about emerging franchise brands, where the ad fund isn’t going to cover a thirty-second spot during the Super Bowl anytime soon?
Whether you’re talking about an established franchisor with 100 locations, or a brand new operator cutting the ribbon on their very first, franchisees are woven into the fabric of their local communities, selling products to their neighbors, and creating jobs. Franchising bridges the gap between the virtual world and the real world, between big business and a corner mom-and-pop operations. When the big, national promotions end, your businesses are still out there, looking for every edge they can get to keep working in their communities.
That’s where Balihoo comes in: to provide locally-authentic digital media that drives customers for our clients’ franchisees. Customers prefer digital ads that are tailored to their own cities, neighborhoods, and ZIP codes – and the local store details matter. We like to think of it as a “best of both worlds” experience for our clients’ customers: A brand they trust offering what they need, where they need it, provided by people in their own community.
So while your franchising bridges the digital gap for your customers, we can bridge that gap for your business, by giving you the tools to make that bridge more resilient, more convenient, and – naturally – more profitable.
