The road to owning a business is paved with question marks and constant experimentation. Owning a franchise gives you the support and experience of a stable business, but many tasks are still left in the hands of the franchise owner. For first time entrepreneurs, this can lead to many new challenges.
Marketing is one of them.
How do you get the word out about your business? How do you engage new customers and keep existing customers coming back time and time again? It starts with the tools you use to deploy the sound strategy your franchise has in place. Here are four tools you’ll want to equip yourself with as a first-time entrepreneur.
1. Email Marketing
Like you, your buyers check email every day. It’s become habit for most consumers these days. So, it makes sense that one of the best ways to stay connected to your customers today is by email. To do this, you’ll need an email marketing tool that’ll enable you to quickly and professionally blast emails to your customers.
Email marketing tools are not expensive. Some franchises have rules about which ones you can use, but many do not. Talk to your franchise about what’s available to you and use it to grow your business in your area.
2. Social Media Scheduling Tool
One of the best ways to stay connected to your consumer is through social media. As a first-time entrepreneur, you’ll soon learn the hard lesson that social media is a huge time suck. It eats away at your day – so much so that it’s easy to put off, knowing how much it’ll drain your resources. Soon, you’ll realize that you posted inconsistently or not at all, which could cost you sales.
The best way to handle social media is to use a social media scheduling tool, such as Buffer or Hootsuite. These tools let you batch social media content far in advance so it can be off your plate and off your mind, freeing you up to focus your energy on other important tasks.
3. A Good Printer
From business cards to brochures, and signage to point-of-sale displays, you have a lot of material to print for your business. This can’t be done without a connection to a good printer.
Research ones in your area. As you do, consider your strengths, especially when it comes to graphic design. Although franchises oftentimes provide the graphic design for marketing materials, you might need to make a few tweaks. Having a printer that’ll work with you to get those done is a powerful benefit you can’t ignore.
Remember that you often get what you pay for when it comes to printing. Don’t be afraid to spend a little more for printing that needs to make an impact.
4. Professional Relationships
No matter how digital our world gets, nothing can replace the power of strong professional relationships. Consider joining a local Chamber of Commerce or networking group as a way to build these connections in your community. This relationship building can be done even before you open your business doors. The sooner you get out there, the sooner you’ll see traction from consumers in your geographic area.
Ready, Begin!
We’re living in a prime time to start a franchise and own a business. With the help of these marketing tools and a sound strategy, you’ll be able to open new doors and grow.
Susan Guillory is the President of Egg Marketing & Communications, a marketing firm specializing in content writing and social media management. She’s written three business books, including How to Get More Customers With Press Releases, and frequently blogs about small business and marketing on sites including Forbes, AllBusiness, The Marketing Eggspert Blog, and Tweak Your Biz. Follow her on Twitter @eggmarketing.