As we all know, the coronavirus has produced a number of challenges for businesses of every size and in every industry around the world. If you have recently paused your marketing efforts, or your marketing campaigns are not producing the results you hoped for, now is the time to reset and get your marketing headed down the right path.
A recent survey conducted by GlobalWebIndex showed 4 in 10 respondents agree that brands should continue to advertise as normal.¹ Not only do consumers want you to talk about your product, they want to see how your brand may be helpful in their lives and what your brand is doing to face the challenges presented today. In our own research, we have found that consumers are invested digitally, and, now more than ever, it’s critical for brands to continue to stay in front of and engage with their customers.
Take a step back and review your overall strategy to see where you can pivot to rise above the clutter and keep your brand top-of-mind. Below are a few examples of how we led our clients with smart marketing strategy to help each of their franchise brands grow during these unprecedented times.
Green Home Solutions
The environmentally conscious Green Home Solutions was primarily known for mold remediation pre-COVID-19. As the pandemic emerged, they were uniquely positioned to address the situation with their disinfection services that were already a part of their roster of service offerings. With three levels of disinfection available: general, enhanced and hospital grade treatments, and EPA-registered products, including the Halosil Fog Disinfectant System, Green Home Solutions is able to kill many viruses and germs, including coronavirus. Their consumer marketing team focused their promotional efforts on this essential service, keeping Franchise Owners very busy in their local markets.
Within days of the pandemic hitting, we spotted the opportunity to message their essential service of disinfection to boost franchise sales. And, boost it did. Our new disinfection digital campaign drove an increase in overall lead volume by 149% year over year. As we continued to optimize their campaign, we increased qualified leads by 294% year over year, and our ads saw an average cost per lead of $131.
“Our lead generation results have been so strong due to the efforts of the Hot Dish team,” said Glen Snyder, Chief Development Officer, “we needed to add to our Franchise Development team to handle all of the leads!”
The campaign and their pipeline continue to gain momentum thanks to the ability to quickly turn consumer marketing efforts into a strong lead generation campaign.
Pet Supplies Plus
To drive stability in the pipeline for Pet Supplies Plus—the nation’s leading pet store franchise—during these uncertain times, we elevated their consumer omni-channel shopping options that were keeping stores busy and proving the concept as a recession-resilient franchise opportunity. We quickly reworked messaging on their franchise development website, created a new set of digital ads and launched a new SiriusXM radio campaign. The results had us drooling for more!
Year over year, our campaigns drove a 21% increase in leads and a 113% increase in qualified leads. Between March and May of this year, Pet Supplies Plus awarded 16 franchises and continued to celebrate numerous grand openings.
“We’ve seen tremendous results in our leads,” said Christine Schultz, Franchise Marketing & Sales Support Specialist. “Hot Dish is truly a part of our franchise development marketing team!”
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
The ever-popular brand Tropical Smoothie Cafe continued to show support for their guests and franchise family. In March, the brand challenged Franchise Owners to giveaway 100,000 smoothies to healthcare workers and frontline responders. And, the response was heartfelt and overwhelming. To date, they’ve given away over 1 million smoothies!
To remain sensitive during these emotional times, digital ad messaging and imagery pivoted to focus more on the brand’s passion for community—not only the communities surrounding their local cafes, but for their own franchise system.
“We are All In – in it together supporting our franchisees while giving back to our communities,” said Cheryl Fletcher, SVP of Franchise Development. “And Hot Dish did a fantastic job capturing that in our digital ads.”
Sharing the sunshine and generosity of the brand proved to win over the hearts of prospects and Franchise Owners who were weighing options to open more locations. Since March 1st, Tropical Smoothie Cafe has signed more than 30 franchise agreements, with 60% coming from existing Franchise Owners. With the new ad creative and further campaign optimizations, we garnered a 9% decrease in cost per lead from April to May, and more than 37% of leads are financially qualified.
Keep rockin’.
There’s no real playbook for brands when it comes to marketing during these rocky times. You have to work with what you’ve got and use it to your advantage. The most important thing you can do is stay flexible and be ready to pivot as the environment around you changes. And above all else, keep marketing. Research shows your customers will thank you.
Hot Dish Advertising brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to help your brand continue to grow, no matter what the world brings our way. Experience the Hot Dish Effect firsthand. Let’s chat.
