This is the first of several posts based upon my 2012 interview with Renee Bailey at Franchise Direct. The theme of the interview was Marketing, Media and Franchising.

What are some trends in franchising today in regards to marketing?

As today’s consumer and franchise candidates are more sophisticated, educated and technologically advanced than ever before, many franchise organizations are focusing on digital marketing as a way to attract these targets.

Unlike traditional marketing, the digital space allows for many different approaches to attract and engage their targets. Specifically, using a combination of social media marketing and content marketing in conjunction with traditional marketing has proven quite effective. Add to the mix the old stalwart – email marketing – and it creates a cross-platform, multi-tiered effect that touches the target audience multiple times within a short period of time… and at times, almost simultaneously.

The key here is to understand that the sales process with today’s consumer and franchise candidate is no longer an A to Z proposition. Often, by the time [they] make personal contact with a company representative, they’re already at letter K, M or even W in the equation. As such, it’s imperative that the transition from the digital space to the personal interaction is seamless, and in line with the message conveyed throughout the digital marketing efforts.

In the next post of this series we’ll address challenges franchisors face integrating new types of media and how franchisors and franchisees alike could better utilize mediums at their disposal.