Four Tips to Operate and Grow Your Franchise During COVID-19
By Chris Biscuiti, Minuteman Press International
For potential and established franchise owners, the COVID-19 pandemic has taught many valuable lessons. The biggest key for businesses both now and moving forward is to continue to adapt and innovate in order to best serve their clients.
In our case, print is considered an essential business because printing provides critical products, services, and communications to other essential businesses, government groups, hospitals, non-profits, and organizations. The printing industry today is extremely versatile and by meeting the needs of virtually any business or group, printing businesses are able to continue to operate as long as COVID-19 guidelines are followed.
As a result, print remains a solid investment today. With that said, all franchisees across different industries who are able to pivot and adapt their products and services to meet the growing needs for high-demand items from a diverse client base are best positioned to achieve growth.
Here are four tips for franchisees to spur growth during COVID-19:
1. Let clients know that you are open for business. It is important for franchise owners to contact their clients and reach out to prospects to simply let them know, “YES, WE ARE OPEN!” Also, make sure you offer safe ordering, pickup and delivery options.
The best ways to let clients know they are open for business right now include a healthy mix of digital, print, and phone or video conferencing communications. For example, the owner can send a “WE ARE OPEN” postcard and also include this messaging on social media pages, websites, and email marketing. Then, the owner can call clients and simply assure them they are still operating and offer a video conference to them as well. By meeting customers across multiple touch-points, they will be sure to know the current status of the business.
2. Make items currently in high demand a priority and promote them. Examine your business and think about what is in high demand right now and as well as what will be in high demand moving forward. For example, right now, high growth areas for printers during the pandemic include large format printing such as social distancing signs, posters, and banners, custom branded apparel including face masks and facial coverings, and direct mail marketing campaigns. Whatever your industry, find what your clients need, then fill those needs quickly and efficiently.
3. Combine print and digital marketing to create effective cross-media campaigns for clients. It is important for any business to take advantage of all of the available marketing channels available to them. By developing and implementing cross-media marketing campaigns, you will reach your customers across multiple touchpoints. For example, postcards that include QR Codes will give customers easy access to client websites after getting something tangible in their hands. While emails might be skipped over and deleted, postcards will be seen and read.
4. Take advantage of all of the resources provided by your franchisor. The best franchises have pivoted and adapted to make sure they are meeting the new demands created as a result of the pandemic. Whether your franchise has implemented new products and services, created fresh marketing programs, or provided you with an updated blueprint for operating your business safely and efficiently, it is important to use those resources.
Ultimately, if COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that franchising is more vital than it ever has been before. We are all in this together, and franchising, at its core, is one big family that supports each other through and through.
Chris Biscuiti is PR Rep for Minuteman Press International. For more information on the Minuteman Press franchise, visit https://minutemanpressfranchise.com. For products and services, visit https://minutemanpress.com. Franchise opportunity information for International Franchise Association (IFA) franchisor member Minuteman Press can be found here.