Integrated marketing: tool for maximising profit

Integrated marketing campaign represents the integration of all marketing tools, approaches, and resources within a franchised company that maximises impact on consumer’s mind. Such marketing campaign can further lead to maximum profits at minimum costs for both the franchisors and franchisees.

Mediums to promote brands

Considering the contemporary sources for promotion of the brand, franchisors can opt for two modes:

Online marketing channels: Online marketing channels include any e-marketing campaigns or programmes, from Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click, e-mail, and banner to latest web related channels for blog, webinar, micro-blogging, RSS, and podcast.

Offline marketing channels: Offline marketing channels include conventional channels like prints (newspaper, magazine), mail order, public relations, industry relations, billboard, radio, and television.

Maximising profits with integrated approach

The best possible way to be a successful franchisor is by increasing the network of his franchisees and area developers is by adopting an integrated marketing campaign. It is also important to maintain the consistent brand image across the franchise network. An integrated promotional campaign allows the franchisees to be in synchronisation with the franchisor and also with each other. The article highlights the benefits of adopting a uniform marketing strategy to promote the brand at national and regional level.

Maintaining consistent brand image: Franchisors need to maintain the brand image consistently by reviewing its marketing strategies from time-to-time. Franchisor can take its franchisees help in developing an integrated marketing campaign that will help in maintaining the consistency of the brand image across its franchisees. People identify themselves with the brand and want to have similar experience in all franchised location irrespective of its location. Integrated marketing strategy is quite helpful in maintaining this uniformity.

Uniformity in promotional activity:  Planning an integrated promotional activity may lead to easy availability of uniform promotional material. Franchisors should encourage this by providing them online as well as offline contact for placing orders for promotional material.

Access to hassle-free marketing goods: Franchisees would always prefer if the franchisor provides them a simpler and a hassle-free way of ordering promotional goods for the brand. All franchisees remain busy in managing their outlet and search new ways to promote the brand. A franchisee who has to order promotional goods may face problems if the franchisor leaves them to fend for themselves. They may have no prior experience of placing big orders, negotiating on the prices etc. However, a franchisor with an integrated promotional network can save his franchisees from all these additional hassles.

Easier payment pattern: Franchisors can also make the payment pattern easier for the franchisees with the help of an integrated marketing system. This can be done either by allowing them to use their credit cards on giving orders on the online system or charging the order to the corporate (franchisor’s) office. With the development in technology, a system can be developed to find out, which franchisee had placed an order and at what time. This would lead to easier way of placing orders for the franchisee and would help the franchisor in developing an integrated marketing strategy.

Effortless arrangement with vendors: In an integrated promotional system, the franchisors can pre-arrange vendors to take care of the order from the time it has made its fulfillment. An integrated marketing system includes everything in it so that the franchisees have a hassle free promotional campaign. If the vendors are carefully selected and trained both the parties, franchisors and franchisees, can be free from botheration of dealing with vendors each time when they place orders.

Starting seasonal promotional campaigns: Having an integrated online ordering system makes it possible to make franchisees aware of a seasonal or festival promotional campaign started by the franchisors. This will enable franchisees to quickly organise seasonal and special marketing campaigns. The corporate office can set up special landing pages in the system for ordering such seasonal items in a matter of days and can then e-mail franchisees to let them know about the special campaigns.

To conclude, it can be said that having an integrated and a low-cost online system can benefit the entire franchise organisation in numerous ways. It is time that intelligent and smart franchisors start availing benefits of having their own online integrated system.