FRANCHISE BUSINESS NETWORK

• Rachael is an experienced digital marketing strategist with over 10 years’ experience working with
B2B and B2C companies.
• She began her career in broadcast production at the Chicago-based ad firm, Leo Burnett.
• Rachael also worked as an SEO and digital marketing strategist for Organic Ranking Systems.
She joined Fishman PR in 2009 and developed the content marketing practice. In her role, Rachael
creates effective strategies to help franchise brands achieve consumer awareness, franchise lead
generation, search engine optimization and online reputation management objectives.
Rachael Wachstein, VP Content Marketing Fishman Public Relations
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Fun Fact: Rachael’s youngest child is featured in Awkward
Family Photos 2015 coffee table book, “Born to Be Awkward.”

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OVERVIEW
The State of Franchise Sales Today
Developing the Right Messaging
Delivering the Right Messaging
The Golden Rule of Content Marketing for Franchise Sales
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Take-Aways
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Questions6

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The franchise sales game has
changed.
 Prospective franchisees have greater access to information and
are more self-directed than ever as they explore franchise
opportunities.
 Prospects research and evaluate opportunities before
consenting to engage with a brand.
 Although the candidate is in control of their sales journey,
franchise brands can use content marketing to influence their
decision making process.
THE STATE OF FRANCHSE
SALES TODAY

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DISCOVERY
• Content is used to raise awareness
of a franchise opportunity with the
goal of driving traffic into the sales
funnel.
• Content can be used to attract
users that fit targeted buyer
profiles.
LEAD
SALES READY LEAD
THE STATE OF FRANCHSE SALES TODAY
There are three stages in the sales journey where content marketing can be used to influence a prospect’s decision...
• The most basic, top-of-funnel lead is an
inbound web form completion. Web forms
are commonly competed to ask a question or
download a gated asset.
• Those who submit the forms are considered
leads even though they may not have the
resources or intent to invest.
• Content is used to inform, engage and
inspires leads through branded
communications. The lead is nurtured until
they are sales ready.
• Sales ready leads may have come in as
a web form completion, but since then
they have demonstrated sales-
readiness through subsequent
engagement.
• Sales-ready leads are prepared to be
contacted by a sales rep.
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2 3

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Not all franchise prospects are the same and you shouldn’t market
your opportunity to them as if they were.
The very first step in effectively marketing your franchise opportunity is to segment your target audience.
DEVELOPING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
When you try to be something for everyone, you end up being nothing at all.
Example Target Audience Segments:
Multi-Brand/Multi-Unit
Experience/Background
Business Owners (conversion opportunities)
Customers
Veterans
Women
Questions
 Do you currently segment your target
audiences?
 What are some of your segments?
 Does your CRM allow for segmentation?
 How do you market differently to your
audience segments?

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Select key audience segments and build out profiles.
What are their business and life goals, interests, motivations and pain points that buying your franchise will solve?
DEVELOPING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
Background
Industry/Occupation:
Experience:
Age:
Location:
FRANCHISEE PROFILE
Habits
Media Consumption:
Trusted Sources:
Research Methods:
Influencers:
Situation
Highest Priority:
Needs/Desires:
Goals/ Aspirations:
Pain Points:
Objections:
Decision
Investment Process:
Stakeholders:
Other:

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DISCOVERY
blog posts, social media, byline
articles, email, website, ads
LEAD SALES READY LEAD
DELIVERING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
eBooks, whitepapers, guides, reports webinars, long form videos, podcasts,
case studies, franchisee testimonials,
executive profiles, email nurture
campaigns
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Drive traffic for relevant searches by blogging. Blogging is one of
the best ways to drive traffic to your website, demonstrate thought
leadership and increase awareness of your franchise opportunity.
What is your target audience searching for online? Write blog posts
around those searches.
Ex. How to start a tutoring business?
Pro Tip: Don’t guess. Use Google’s adwords platform to see what
people are really searching for.
DELIVERING THE RIGHT
MESSAGING
Phase: Discovery

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Drive traffic with LinkedIn’s publishing feature. Social media and
networking sites like Twitter and LinkedIn are powerful tools for
increasing awareness of a franchise opportunity.
• Add prospective franchisees, brokers and contacts as
connections on LinkedIn
• Write informative posts that are worth sharing on topics of interest
to your target audience
DELIVERING THE RIGHT
MESSAGING
Phase: Discovery

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Drive traffic with LinkedIn’s
publishing feature.
You better have something worthwhile to
say or you risk being annoying.
Pro Tips:
1 INCLUDE A CALL
TO ACTION
2 ADD VALUE

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Utilize advertising opportunities to deliver relevant messaging. Ads should be targeted to specific prospect profiles. General messaging
about the franchise opportunity is a waste of resources.
Relevancy is key to advertising success, resulting in higher click through rates, etc.
DELIVERING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
Phase: Discovery

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Franchise or industry reports assist people in researching your
franchise opportunity. Offer them as a download in exchange for contact
information to capture leads.
In this example, the report addresses a common objection to investing in
the franchise…
“Isn’t the pizza segment too crowded?”
DELIVERING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
Phase: Lead

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eBooks can be used to capture
leads.
Create ebooks that your target
audience would be willing to
trade their contact information
for. The content should move the
user closer to making the
decision to engage with a sales
representative.
DELIVERING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
Phase: Lead

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Use webinars to move users from leads to
prospects. Once a user registers for a webinar,
they become a lead. When the lead attends the
webinar, they are engaging with a brand and
demonstrating interest or sales-readiness.
DELIVERING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
Phase: Sales Ready Lead

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Use content to nurture leads until they are sales ready. Today’s franchise prospect doesn’t want to fill out a form and get an immediate call
from a sales representative. You need to nurture them through the sales funnel until they are ready to engage. Instead of pitching your
franchise opportunity as the greatest thing ever, you should first offer value. Examples of valuable offers include webinars, ebooks, and
whitepapers.
DELIVERING THE RIGHT MESSAGING
Phase: Sales Ready Lead
Email Subject Line Call to Action Content Type Goal
What type of job will bring
satisfaction and meaning to your
life?
Take franchise opportunity quiz Quiz Share insights, connect with people who would be a good fit for
the opportunity
Why do we work? Download whitepaper on the
meaning of work
White Paper Educate leads on the franchise opportunity that combines
financial freedom and making positive change in the world
Everyday Heroes: The Story of
Jane Doe
Read this resource Blog Article Build a personal connection between leads and a franchisee
they can identify with
What if your job made the world
a better place?
Register for webinar Webinar Identify candidates who are motivated by our mission.

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Online brochures and bullet point information won’t sell franchises. With so many opportunities to choose from, brands must tell
inspiring stories about themselves in order to stand out in the crowded marketplace.
Content marketing helps candidates understand a brand’s mission, purpose, impact and culture. These are the things that truly
differentiate your opportunity from all others.
THE GOLDEN RULE OF CONTENT MARKETING FOR
FRANCHISE SALES: YOU MUST TELL A
COMPELLING STORY

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Car Salesman vs. Walt Disney
THE POWER OF A GOOD STORY
What story are you telling about your brand and franchise opportunity?
He tells you all of the great features of
the used car, reciting basic facts.
He creates a world that you can
identify and connect with.

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'Finding Nemo' spawns clownfish craze at pet shops
THE POWER OF A GOOD STORY
The Finding Nemo Effect
“According to one study, the clownfish populations of some reefs dropped by 75%
in the five years following the movie's release.” - Telegraph

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THE POWER OF A GOOD STORY
“Help Change the World One Child at a Time”
e² Young Engineers :
Owning and operating a children’s educational enrichment franchise is
much more than an investment in your financial future – it is an
investment in the future. The mission of e² Young Engineers is to prepare
children for the world they’ll be living and working in. e² Young Engineers
fills the gaps that traditional education fails to address.
We provide children with accessible, fun and exciting ways to learn
important science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts –
skills that are necessary for the creative and critical thinking needed to
be successful in the modern world.

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THE POWER OF A GOOD STORY
“We Serve Up Smiles”
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
Are you searching for more information on a frozen yogurt franchise
because you want to run your own business? Have you been looking
for a new career path because you want to make a positive difference
in the world?
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt may be the right franchise for you. Menchie’s
is a self-serve frozen yogurt franchise that serves a delicious frozen
dessert, but more importantly, we serve up smiles. The success of our
business model is evidenced by our tremendous growth around the
world and our numerous franchise industry awards.

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THE POWER OF A GOOD STORY
We are Passionate About Giving Back to
Our Local Communities.
Jersey Mikes
Jersey Mike’s, a fast-casual sub sandwich franchise with more than
1,500 locations open and under development nationwide, believes that
making a sub sandwich and making a difference can be one and the
same. Jersey Mike’s offers a sub above, serving authentic fresh sliced
subs on freshly baked bread – the same recipe it started with in 1956 –
and is passionate about giving back to its local communities.
In just three years, the company has nearly doubled in size. A 2014
Technomic report ranked Jersey Mike’s in the top five fastest-growing
restaurant chains with sales above $200 million.

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THE POWER OF A GOOD STORY
“We Help Families and Give Loved Ones the Quality of Life They Deserve.”
Senior Care Franchise

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TAKE-AWAYS
Facts and figures don’t sell franchise
opportunities, you must communicate a
compelling story to stand out
You don’t control the franchise sales process1
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Content marketing can be used to drive
traffic and awareness, capture leads and
convert leads to prospects
Potential franchisees are
like wild stallions.
They just want to run
free.

Q&A
Email me at rwachstein@fishmanpr.com for a free 30 minute brainstorm
Want to learn more about content marketing for franchise sales?
Register for our upcoming webinar.
“10 Characteristics of a kick-ass Franchise Sales Website”
www.FishmanWebinar.com