Business Services Supplement February 2018 Franchising USA 6#4 2

FranchisingFeature b u s i n e ss s e r v i c e s

february 2018

the interface financial group

financing outside the box!

innovative methods of

reducing your carbon footprint

it’s not either/or... it’s and Business Service Franchises:

The Executive Franchise

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what’s new!

Wray Executive Search Opens in Los Angeles

Wray Executive Search continues its expansion with the opening of a new office in Los Angeles, led by Assistant Vice President Sarah Cavey.

Ms. Cavey has 20+ years of hospitality experience. Prior to joining Wray Executive Search, Ms. Cavey held sales leadership positions with Lucky Strike Entertainment and McCormick & Schmick’s. During her tenure, she focused on sales team development, creation and execution of outside sales strategies, talent acquisition and implementing sales processes to create cohesiveness in sales and operations across regions she oversaw.

Sarah grew quickly within the leadership positions, which she attributes to her inquisitive nature and drive to make a difference. She is excited and honored to

be able to assist Wray’s clients to find the right candidates and to help candidates achieve their career dreams.

“We are very excited to have Sarah on our team. Her blend of drive, smarts and sophistication, along with her deep knowledge of our core industry will serve our clients exceedingly well”, said Bob Gershberg, CEO Wray Executive Search.

Los Angeles, one of the most substantial U.S. economic engines, is a global city with thriving businesses and a deep talent pool of industry thought leaders. It is estimated 15% of the nation’s leading restaurant chains are headquartered in Southern California. Sarah and the entire Wray team are excited to connect with Southern California businesses to provide

the first-class service and executive recruitment to build the best leadership teams. www.wraysearch.com

Emerging Franchises Sets Up for a Successful 2018 just as the big brand names you know today. All their brands are unique since they focus on niche markets that are still untapped.

Emerging Franchises, a Franchise Development Company that represents and assists in the building and organizing of the hottest franchise companies both in the United States as well as internationally, is coming into 2018 strong with two sales to start off the New Year.

With little territory available for the older brands, Emerging Franchises bring fresh innovative brands that have great potential

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In addition to franchise sales and growth, Emerging Franchises also assists in New Franchise Development. Everything from Franchise Disclosure Document creation, Logo Creation, Logo registration, Website updates/creation, Operations manuals, Training Manuals, Franchise sales videos, promotional videos, Brochures, and much more.

“We are essentially the one stop shop for your franchise needs, we make it happen,” stated owners Samantha Rincione and Greg George.

This year Emerging Franchises has signed with over 30 companies and has no expectations of slowing down anytime

soon. Some of the brands you can find in the Emerging Franchises portfolio include Stacked Pickle, Fóumami, Chutneys Indian Grill, Thumbs Up Diner, Dog Stop, Peño Mediterranean Grill, Buzzed Bull Creamery, Mr. Bagel Meister, YourZone45, Bar-B-Cutie Smokehouse, UFood Grill, Lobster Pot, At Home Therapy, Shine Window care, Trattoria Mia Pasta, Uncle Al’s All-American Café, Burger Village, Firenza Pizza, Hot Harrys Burritos, Benzer Pharmacy, and Dapper Doughnut.

Emerging Franchises has also brought on approximately 25 agents to represent them throughout the United States and Internationally. The agents will be used to vet out proper candidates and match then between our brands and our potential franchisees. www.emergingfranchises.com

Window World Made the Season Brighter for Children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® With $1M Donation Window World is excited to announce it donated $1 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® this past holiday season. The donation brings Window World’s total contribution to St. Jude to more than $8 million over the past decade. In 2018, Window World is celebrating 10 years of giving to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“We are truly grateful to the Window World team for forging such a strong relationship with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital over the last 10 years,” said Richard Shadyac Jr., president and CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “Our lifesaving work relies on charitable contributions from organizations like Window World, which help us continue the groundbreaking research and pioneering treatment of childhood cancer and other lifethreatening diseases.”

Window World, America’s largest exterior remodeling company, looks beyond its customers’ front doors to focus on community outreach and is passionately committed to helping others through Window World Cares®, the charitable arm of Window World.

Chairman and CEO of Window World, Tammy Whitworth, and her late husband, Todd, started Window World Cares in 2008

after the birth of their first child, Anna Grace. Anna Grace was born premature and spent the first days of her life in a hospital.

Tammy and Todd decided to partner with St. Jude after gaining firsthand experience of the strain of worrying about a child’s health.

“Having a child in the hospital is difficult enough for parents,” explains Tammy. “St. Jude takes care of their financial burden while providing families with some much-needed hope. We at Window World feel blessed to be able to further St. Jude’s mission.”

Read more about how Window World Cares is changing lives and helping others, or make your own donation to St. Jude by visiting WindowWorldCares.com.

Kitchen Tune-Up Announces New Franchise in Sioux Falls, South Dakota Kitchen Tune-Up Franchise System. “We have excellent franchisees in Rapid City, Aberdeen, and now Sioux Falls. We are

confident that Steve & Susan will represent our brand impeccably and finally Sioux

Falls can experience the unique services of Kitchen Tune-Up.” Kitchen Tune-Up has a new location in their home state of South Dakota.

Kitchen Tune-Up is serving Sioux Falls and the surrounding communities with its customized services.

business for over fifteen years offering

While most kitchen remodeling services

Susan. “Joining an established national

finish its work in as little time as one to

Tune-Up now gives us the ability to offer a

service standards, known as its Customer

cabinet painting and faux finishing,” said

can take weeks, Kitchen Tune-Up can

franchise and partnering with Kitchen

five days. Kitchen Tune-Up’s customer

Harrisburg residents Steve and Susan

wide range of kitchen services in addition

Up’s operations along with the support

“We have been looking for the perfect

Aberdeen. “We’ve been in the kitchen

to,” said Heidi Morrissey, president of the

Sneller have launched Kitchen Tune-

of the company’s home office located in

to cabinet painting,” Susan continued.

partners to award the Sioux Falls market

Service Trustpoints, ensure a hassle-free experience from start to finish.

For more information about Kitchen Tune-Up franchise opportunities, please visit www.ktufranchise.com.

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what’s new!

FASTSIGNS International Inc. Named Best-in-Category Franchise for 2018

by Franchise Business Review

Independent Survey Shows FASTSIGNS Ranks Highest in Franchisee Satisfaction in the Business Services Category within the Top 200 Franchise Brands FASTSIGNS International, Inc., franchisor of FASTSIGNS®, the leading sign, graphics and visual communications franchise, recently announced that it was named Best-inCategory in the business services sector on Franchise Business Review’s list of the top franchises for 2018. This is the 13th annual ranking of the top 200 award-winning franchise opportunities.

“We are incredibly proud to have been ranked number one for franchisee satisfaction in the Business Services category for the second consecutive year by our franchise owners,” said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. “Our entire organization is designed and committed to provide each of our franchisees with the tools, resources, support and training they need to succeed in their local markets. This recognition

is confirmation that our efforts have continued positively impact the lives of our franchise network and we look forward to another successful year ahead.”

FASTSIGNS was among 307 franchise brands, representing over 28,000 franchise owners, that participated in Franchise Business Review’s research.

“There are thousands of successful franchise companies operating in North America, but many of those companies do not offer a solid investment opportunity

for the actual franchise owners,” says Eric Stites, CEO of Franchise Business Review.

In addition to this achievement, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. was ranked the #1 franchise opportunity in its category and 70 overall on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2018 Franchise 500®, the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking.

Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at www.fastsigns.com.

Liberty Tax Service Appoints New Chief Financial Officer Liberty Tax Service names Nick Bates as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bates will succeed Kathy Donovan, who will provide consulting services to Liberty Tax Service until March 31, 2018, in order to promote a smooth transition.

Mr. Bates has extensive experience at both public and private companies.

Most recently, he has served as the Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller for Liberty Tax Service. Prior to that, Mr. Bates spent five years at Catapult

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Learning, LLC, most recently as the Chief Financial Officer. Prior to Catapult, he held several positions at MedQuist Inc., in various financial roles.

“Nick has been an integral part of our management team and is well respected

by the entire organization. We are thrilled that he is able to step right in and immediately make a positive impact on the organization,” said Ed Brunot, CEO of Liberty Tax Service. www.libertytax.com

AtWork Group Named to Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® List for Eighth Consecutive Year AtWork Group, an award-winning national staffing franchise, has been ranked No. 88 in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® list, extending their yearly streak for making the ranking to eight years in a row. The ranking was a marked improvement over No. 139 in 2017, which itself was up 210 spots from their 2016 ranking.

“We’re honored to celebrate making the Franchise 500® list for eight consecutive years,” said Jason Leverant, president and COO of AtWork Group. “We’ve been able to report a 78 percent growth in sales and a 35 percent increase in unit growth thanks to having the right franchise owners and maintaining a strong focus on customer

service. Staying true to these values has allowed us to distinguish ourselves in the industry and continue our momentum.”

AtWork Group is currently operating close to 100 locations in 26 U.S. states.

The company offers staffing solutions to businesses in all industries, providing quality candidates for administrative, call center, customer service, accounting and light industrial positions. Flexible employment solutions are available including temporary, temp-to-hire, payrolling and full-time placements.

AtWork was recently ranked No. 18 in the Franchise Times Fast & Serious, a list of

smartly growing brands. The company also recently received a Franchise Times Top 200+ ranking for the fifth year in a row, and Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) recognized AtWork as being one of the largest staffing companies based on revenues, as well as one of the fastestgrowing staffing firms in the U.S. AtWork has also been listed on Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000 annual list four times, coming in at No. 2,790 in 2017.

For more information on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® list, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. www.atworkfranchise.com

Minuteman Press International Awarded #1 Marketing & Printing Franchise Ranking by Entrepreneur Minuteman Press International is proud to be Entrepreneur’s #1 rated printing and marketing franchise in 2018.

“It is a testament to our Minuteman Press franchise owners who follow our tried and proven system, our corporate staff, our regional franchise support teams, and our franchise business model that we are the #1 ranked marketing and printing franchise by Entrepreneur in 2018,” says Bob Titus, Minuteman Press International President & CEO. Bob continues, “To achieve this number

1 rating for 15 consecutive years and 26 times overall really shows our continued strength as the leaders of the printing industry with high core values. This is a tremendous accomplishment and honor, and we look forward to continuing to build on our unique position as the modern printing industry and support our franchise owners in the years to come.”

In 2018, Minuteman Press International plans to continue their pattern of franchise growth and expansion. Franchisees are able to benefit from Minuteman Press’ unique royalty incentive program, ongoing

local and corporate franchise support, strong mass purchasing power, easy to use business management software, and continued research and development of products and services. www.minutemanpressfranchise.com

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T he I nter face Fina ncial G roup - I FG

Financing

Outside the Box!

Q. Are you getting the financing your company needs and deserves?

Q. Is your financial institution holding back your growth?

Q. Are expansion plans on hold due to lack of working capital?

A. If so, it’s time to think outside of the established financial resources box!

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The Interface Financial Group (IFG) provides innovative solutions to these questions in a well-established franchise format mode.

IFG has a long history, over 46 years, of servicing client companies that are in a growth mode but for whatever reason they find it hard or even impossible to access that all-important growth capital from the conventional marketplace.

‘Cash Is King’ is an old and perhaps even tired expression, however it is still very much appropriate today – companies that operate with good cash reserves can often achieve their growth plans faster than those companies that struggle with cash flow issues.

Ensuring a healthy cash flow is key to all

businesses, and healthy cash flow depends on customers paying their invoices in a timely fashion – something that is often hard to achieve and often beyond the ability of the supplier. In this day and age customers are taking longer and longer to pay what they owe, using their suppliers as a financing vehicle. Net 30-day terms have now become Net 60 days – if you are lucky!

How does IFG solve the problem? Simply by buying invoices once they are created, and providing their clients with instant cash flow – the sale basically becomes a ‘cash-on-delivery’ transaction.

By buying the invoices, and it should be noted that this is a buy/sell transaction; there is no lending involved - IFG handles

the waiting period to get paid, leaving the client with cash to grow their business.

IFG pioneered this service in North America over four decades ago, and now offers similar services in 8 countries.

Another innovative feature is that IFG delivers the service through what is now a proven franchise channel. Working in concert with franchisees, IFG has created a financing vehicle that resolves cash flow issues for clients, while at the same time creating growth opportunities for their franchisees.

Some of the facets that make the IFG 50/50 franchise stand out from the crowd: • franchisee and franchisor always handle all transactions together • franchisor provides capital leverage to enhance the franchisee’s ROI • franchisor deli vers a virtually paperless franchise for their franchisees The franchise is styled as 50/50 because the franchisee and the franchisor always work in concert with each other, handling the necessary due diligence in a transaction together with the financing of a transaction. This naturally creates a substantial comfort zone for franchisees

“‘Cash Is King’ is an old and perhaps even tired expression, however it is still very much appropriate today – companies that operate with good cash reserves can often achieve their growth plans faster than those companies that struggle with cash flow issues.” as they are now part of a syndicate with their franchisor who has over 46 years of experience and history.

Franchisees are engaged in financing the purchase of invoices with the franchisor, and the level of their involvement is geared to once again create a comfort zone for the franchisee. With the leverage element provided by the franchisor, franchisees will earn income on capital that they have not invested – in other words they are working with ‘other people’s money’ and as such creating a return greater than there capital contribution.

IFG 50/50 franchisees are engaged in all the ‘people’ aspects of a transaction, while the franchisor handles all of the paperwork involved. Once again this represents another substantial comfort zone for franchisees inasmuch as they are not involved in form filling, contract preparation, ledgering etc. Their focus

is on working with business owners and resolving their issues in a people-to-people approach. The IFG franchise represents a technology enhanced and technology advanced system. With a state-of-the-art operating platform, transactions can be completed in hours rather than days, thus enhancing the service to the clients.

The Interface Financial Group offers a rare combination of services – being able to step in and help their clients when “the bank says no or no more”, while at the same time providing a vehicle for individuals transitioning from the corporate world into self-employment and business ownership with a proven model, where franchisee and franchisor always work together creating a three way success story – it’s success for the client, success for the franchisor and, of course, success for the franchisee. www.interfacefinancial.com/franchise

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Featu re

b y G i n a G i l l Fr a n c h i s i n g U S A

Business

FRANCHISING FEATURE A business cannot run completely on it’s own, there are many jobs that have to be performed day to day and a lot of behind the scenes labor is performed to create success. Many hands make light work as they say and for a business that is more than true.

The backdrop of a business actually relies on outside sources to function daily. There is shipping and handling, tech services, supply orders, electrical and cleaning services; the list is never ending.

Some small businesses usually fulfill the majority of their services on their own, but everyone can’t be well-versed in everything and will have to request the service of other businesses, especially in emergency cases.

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While bigger businesses have a continuous arrangement with outside sources for day to day duties, as well as inconsistent services.

Business services is one of the safest franchises to start up. For those looking for a career change and a better work life balance, business services is an easy and safe guarantee that provides a lot of personal freedom.

Most business services do not have a set location, but are mobile and therefore a franchisee would set up the franchise as instructed and usually work from home and on their own time. This process would normally take a lot of selfmanagement and time management, but a lot of franchisors have a set plan to keep things consistent and on track. It would be useful to speak with trainees and current franchisees to see if it’s the best fit for your lifestyle.

The great thing about business services is the clientele it usually has established, which means a franchisee would have an immediate source of profit right from the beginning.

There are lot of choices in this particular genre; in 2017 there were over a hundred thousand business service franchises established in the US.

Cleaning services One of the most common business service franchises is the cleaning service. A lot of small businesses would perform a lot of the minor cleaning tasks and daily rituals but a deep clean is usually serviced out to another business. Even larger businesses have a routine cleaning schedule but will hire a steam cleaning or carpet cleaning service, for example.

A lot of hotels, office buildings and hospitals have a serviced out cleaning service that is constantly used. These services can be provided at any point in the day, but are usually performed late at night. Though a franchisee wouldn’t typically be involved with the tasks, once and awhile it may be expected to jump in if there is a quick turnover.

No experience is required to run a cleaning services franchise but a research of clientele would be recommended.

EATURE

Some of these franchises have long term contracts with other franchises, with a client list that is full and guaranteed from the get-go. Contact with franchisors should be considered before establishing an investment to ensure there is potential for clients within the area.

Repairs, Electricians, Construction and Plumbing When a business runs into an unexpected problem, they still have to open their doors to the public and continue service.

If there is a plumbing issue at hand, they need immediate assistance, therefore they usually have a contract set with a reliable

plumbing franchise that can adhere to their emergency needs. Though plumbing is one of the repair services that a business would rely on heavily, it’s only one of the many handyman services needed to run a business.

Between leaks, repairs, floods, updating, renovations and every other type of construction service a business needs to survive, most businesses depend on

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Featu re

b y G i n a G i l l Fr a n c h i s i n g U S A

IT One of the most common business services is a technology-based franchise. Almost every type of business runs on form of technology nowadays – from cash registers to debit machines to wifi services – and businesses are willing to pay the price to get their technology up and running as fast as possible. However, IT repairs and updates, as well as emergency run-ins can be complicated and need immediate attention for the business to continue running.

“Between leaks, repairs, floods, updating, renovations and every other type of construction service a business needs to survive, most businesses depend on someone else to perform the task.”

someone else to perform the task.

This is a great franchise to run if you have a background in handy work or construction. It allows franchisees to fulfill a passion while also living a great work life balance.

An issue to consider is the local businesses, which may take stiff competition. Small businesses usually cannot offer competitive prices but a longterm contract may already be in order with the majority of clients in your area and there may be sense of loyalty as well.

Insurance Company All businesses need insurance and a franchise that sells business insurance is a remedy for success. Insurance rates are higher for businesses, whether it’s building insurance or group health insurance.

Although you might find that most current businesses are already insured, they could be looking for a deal when their contract is up.

This type of investment would take a

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lot of research. A background in sales and insurance would be helpful but not necessary. A franchise in insurance would allow for a safe investment because it covers all its tracks and would work through all the red tape legally.

Training and support would be key factors to consider during research and speaking with current franchisees, their clients and their employees would give a clear perspective of how the business is run. Research into the credibility of the franchise would also be helpful and a look at the clientele list, as well as how long contracts are held.

Though it may come off as a possible mobile franchise, clients prefer insurance companies to have a tangible base, creating a larger start up fee for an office.

For the most part an insurance franchise can run itself, and usually has a pretty experienced and reliable set of employees to run the business, but the franchisee may have to step up to a lot of menial tasks every once and awhile.

The only issue with tech services is that a lot of businesses may have set deals with their internet carrier for tech support.

Again, a list of guaranteed clientele can be requested during your research and a oneon-one visit with local businesses to see how they adhere to their software needs would be recommended.

There is no experience necessary for this type of franchise, but it could be beneficial. However, more franchisors offer lengthy training in case you have to step in on the job.

Tech companies have a lot of small business competition, as well as big box store competition like Best Buy, that offers on location services. So a survey for the competing numbers would be helpful before a location is determined.

Business services is one of the safest start up franchises to consider. It usually has a low investment fee because it’s likely to be mobile without a set location and the best part is a list of clients is automatically a part of your business plan, which guarantees profit and success.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: After receiving an English Degree, followed by a Journalism Diploma, Gina

Gill became a freelance journalist in 2008. She has

worked as a reporter and in communications, focusing on social media. She currently works as a community information officer with Epilepsy Society, while pursuing her writing career at the same time.

Look out for our next special feature: HEALTH & BEAUTY FRANCHISING

Click here to find out more...

FRANGUIDE.COM 703-424-2980 FIND YOUR FRANCHISE WITH FREE GUIDANCE FROM INDUSTRY EXPERTS Franchising USA

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Christopher Conner, President, Franchise Marketing Systems

Business Service Franchises:

The Executive Franchise

Chris Conner

Franchising USA

The franchise marketplace has gone through a significant evolution over the past ten years in that more and more of the candidates that enter the franchise marketplace are what would be described as higher-educated and higher-qualified franchise buyer than the market had seen previously.

The reason for this new wave of buyers who bring college educations, MBA’s and advanced careers is the declining job market for higher income employees.

Many industry segments have seen significant decline in what were traditionally high paying opportunities for employees. According to Fox Business, Real Estate Agents who in the mid-2000’s realized an income of $39k-$136k per year have lost over 200,000 jobs in the segment, the pharmaceutical market who once was a premier industry segment for sales and marketing positions have lost over 50,000 jobs paying between $75,000 to $106,000 per year. Banking, Construction, Journalism and other market segments have experienced some of the same trends.

This movement from an employee standpoint has pushed people who in most cases have not been an entrepreneur or business owner to consider starting a business and this is where franchising offers a significant value proposition.

For many of these candidates who come from a “white collar” office environment, working in the restaurant or retail industry segments is a difficult life transition to grasp, where the business services market segment tends to be a much easier transition to business ownership.

Business service franchises are businesses that offer B to B services and are usually incorporating a higher level of management and strategic sales that would be associated with selling a business service.

The business services segment in franchising has expanded exponentially in the past decade driven largely by this influx of new, qualified franchise candidates. Business service franchises have not only grown in quantity of franchise units, but also in number of franchise brands that have taken to the market and are offering opportunities.

Real Estate Business Services have expanded with franchise brands such as HomeVestors (almost 1,000 franchises), Five Star Painting services (almost 300 franchises) and new brands such as

A-1 Painting or Arbitrage all of which provide real estate services and have very strong performance track records in addition to strong franchise growth.

The Pharmaceutical former employees tend to be drawn to the healthcare market segment in franchising which offers an enormous array of opportunities such as Visiting Angels Home Care (1,000 locations), Caring Matters Home Care and Alerion Home Care & Wellness which are effective in-home senior care franchises.

The healthcare market has expanded significantly with the growing senior population and needs of this demographic.

Regardless of what the business services market segment might be, there are opportunities for buyers. Accounting and financial services franchises have experienced significant growth with the automation of the banking sector shrinking the number of job opportunities in the banking industry. Franchises such as RMH Business Solutions, Padgett Business Services (300 Franchises) and others offer small business consulting services and financial guidance.

Franchisees are offered tools, technology and systems needed to open a business using their brand and operating model.

Home services (Patch Boys, Inspection Boys), Janitorial (Jantize America), sales training (RC Evans Institute and Sandler

“The business services segment in franchising has expanded exponentially in the past decade driven largely by this influx of new, qualified franchise candidates.”

Sales Training) and other market segments also offer significant business service franchise opportunities.

Some of the key benefits to the business service franchise model are that these businesses often tend to be home based, offering a lower initial investment and typically do not have the cost of goods associated with traditional businesses, which leads to a great opportunity for a strong return on investment on the franchise. There are a wide range of business service franchises available; follow your passion and interests and find the franchises that fit your passion and interests before you settle on a brand.

Christopher Conner is the President of Franchise Marketing Systems and has spent the last decade in the franchise industry working with several hundred different franchise systems in management, franchise sales and franchise development work. www.franchisemarketingsystems.com

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Paul Elliott, President, Consumer Brands, BrandMuscle

It’s Not Either/Or… It’s And Over the last two years, during which time I have been exclusively focused on brand-tolocal marketing, one fact has become extremely evident...

Paul Elliott

Franchising USA

Franchisees typically do not have adequate funds available to propel growth of their local business. However, according to BrandMuscle’s 2018 State of Local Marketing Report, 86% say co-op funds are critical to the success of their business.

Whether.it’s the absence of co-op support from the brand or insufficient budget allocation from the local business, the resulting reality is the same.

Franchisees often settle for single channel or single tactic advertising campaigns to help control costs. While these campaigns may be affordable and easy to execute by the business or their chosen agency, they are frequently poorly aligned with the consumer journey, and therefore, unlikely to make the cash register ring.

For example, it may be easy and affordable to, once again, renew that Yellow Pages listing or buy that local newspaper ad, but is that really reaching your target consumers in a way that will impact their buying decision?

The reality is that today’s consumer has changed dramatically from just a few years ago. Their journey from research to purchase is fully enabled by technology and infinite access to information.

They are smarter and better informed.

They can easily compare prices, access

“Small budget local campaigns require precision focus and perfection in execution to maximize every dollar spent and impression or click delivered.” the thoughtfully-chosen channels and tactics to inform, motivate, and predispose consumers to engage and purchase from the local business partner.

This is the point in the article where your job, as the reader, is to ask, “how can I possibly execute a holistic and integrated media campaign on a shoestring budget?”

Well, I am glad you asked. But first, let me give you a little background.

customer reviews, and even check local inventory. They can purchase with the single click of a button, and have come to expect personalized and highly relevant experiences in all aspects of their lives.

Based on these new consumer expectations, marketers are starting to realize that it’s not a question, or one form of advertising or another (eitheror). Reaching today’s consumer requires a multi-channel, multi-touch approach to influence consumers throughout their purchase journey. No longer can marketers simply choose between tactics like direct mail, out-of-home, radio, newspaper, paid search, mobile ads, social, etc. Effective campaigns that will drive profitable sales growth require a more strategic and holistic approach, seamlessly integrating

Prior to joining the ranks of local marketers, I spent the prior 15+ years planning and executing large scale brand/ enterprise campaigns. On the enterprise marketing side, there has historically been an unstated acceptance of a degree of wasteful marketing spend, for both traditional and digital tactics. Whether it’s sending direct mail coupons to the customer who has already made the purchase or paid search/display ads targeting the wrong consumer or geographic location, it is simply considered the cost of doing business.

While that may be acceptable at the enterprise or brand level, where budgets tend to be large enough to cover up mistakes, the same does not hold true at the franchisee level. Small budget local campaigns require precision focus and perfection in execution to maximize every dollar spent and impression or click delivered. Without this level of “Precision Marketing,” franchisee budgets simply cannot work hard enough to deliver impactful business results.

So, the answer to the question of how a franchisee can execute an integrated media campaign on a shoestring budget lives in the precision of execution.

Precision marketing is about getting rid of wasteful marketing spend by enhancing the effectiveness of integrated marketing through the use of data, insights and advanced marketing technologies. It is a new and more accountable form of marketing that is transforming the

preconceived notions about what’s possible, and what should be expected from your marketing investment.

No longer can franchisees (or enterprise marketers, for that matter) blindly spend their precious dollars on single channel tactics with little understanding of their effectiveness in making the cash register ring. Instead, data and insights must be infused throughout the planning process to provide precise guidance on the right mix of traditional and digital tactics to use, while advanced technology is then utilized to precisely pinpoint and deliver marketing messages at the right time and place to impact consumer or business behaviors.

In the future (or current day at BrandMuscle) franchisees will have the power to achieve an even more intelligent form of advertising; one that combines demographic, psychographic and behavioral data with consumer location insight to influence engagement at the optimal time and place.

Imagine a world in which your advertising meets consumers where they are going (not just where they are or where they’ve been) -- based on their preferences, observed behaviors and “patterns of life.”

Consider it the next frontier of local advertising.

As President, Consumer Brands, Paul Elliott leads client delivery across the company’s footprint of Cleveland, Kansas City and Austin, and is responsible for innovating, enhancing and delivering the future of BrandMuscle’s Precision Marketing offerings. Paul is a recognized thought leader in integrated marketing and customer engagement, with nearly 20 years of experience helping global brands and their local outlets achieve significant results and return on their marketing investments. www.brandmuscle.com

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Luther Garcia, CEO at ECS Global Solutions

Innovative Methods of

reducing your carbon footprint

“While there is a pressure to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, doing so can lead to more efficient business practices, massive savings, and a greener business.�

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Reducing your carbon footprint should be a priority of every business, no matter the industry.

A carbon footprint is your impact on the environment based on the sum of your greenhouse gas emissions. The excess carbon dioxide emissions directly contribute to global warming, causing an increase in temperatures and changes in sea-level patterns that could put plants and wildlife in danger, devastate coastal economies, and cause an onslaught of pollution-related illnesses. Consumers are responding to these atmospheric changes by reconstructing their buying habits based on corporation’s environmental policies.

Besides replacing the bulbs, they can also be turned off more frequently. From a young age on, most of us have been taught to turn off the lights when they’re not in use. This still holds true, but intelligent building technology is making it possible for the lights to do it for you.

Automatic sensors can already respond to movement in a room and switch off when there is no activity detected. Intelligent lighting systems can sense not only movement, but temperature and sunlight, to increase or decrease the brightness and amount of lights in use based on the current readings of the room. These energy savings can make a significant impact on an electric bill.

While there is a pressure to minimize greenhouse gas emissions, doing so can lead to more efficient business practices, massive savings, and a greener business.

Major strides have been made in recent years to combat the increasing need for energy, especially in a technologydriven world. If you don’t already have separate bins for garbage and recycling, you should get on that today, but there are new and innovative ways of measuring and directly minimizing your carbon footprint that you can implement. With intelligent building technologies, any business can find ways to become more efficient.

Heating & cooling units account for about half of the energy use in a standard building. It’s important to monitor these machines regularly so they run at full capacity and don’t waste energy.

Changing the air filters frequently will help them break down less easily. Not overworking the machines is another way to keep them running at full capacity.

Work on reducing the fluctuating of temperatures, so your systems can run more smoothly - the AC unit shouldn’t need to fluctuate more than a few degrees during the day. Curtains or blinds can also help with temperatures. The systems could be working perfectly, but if the insulation is weak, all of that heat could be leaking out or seeping into drafty areas and window cracks. Strengthening the insulation will take some of the load off of heating and cooling units.

The biggest impact that a business can make to reduce their carbon footprint is to upgrade lighting fixtures. Replacing incandescent bulbs with light emitting diodes (LEDs) is the easiest and most cost-effective step towards becoming a more energy efficient entity. The lifespan of an LED is more than two and half times that of an incandescent. Now that LEDs are less expensive than when they first appeared on the market and are able to give off the same warm, familiar glow of an incandescent bulb, they’re on their way to becoming the default light source.

State and local governments offer financial rebates or tax breaks for environment-savvy practices. This can inform you on what technologies will be

Increasing the number of people in your office could be a unique solution.

Single-family homes use more energy per person than multi-family homes and buildings, like apartments. Two people can get the same use out of one lit room with facilities. Consider moving to a shared office space, downgrading in size, or closing the office on weekends and holidays.

Luther Garcia

most cost-effective, and might reveal that solar panels or wind turbines could be in your business’s future.

Establishing an environment-friendly culture in your office is a fun way to reduce unnecessary energy use. No need to require every employee to eat vegan, but the amount of energy needed to produce the meat we require every year is staggering. Just reducing pork or beef from one meal a week can have an impact, so moving Taco Tuesday to Pizza Friday can still make a difference.

The first step towards reducing your carbon footprint is getting an energy audit to calculate your emissions.

Implementing effective carbon management policies can reduce the negative impact of pollution and sustain our environment for future generations.

Luther Garcia is the President and CEO at ECS Global Solutions, a leading provider of integrated building and energy intelligence solutions.

ECS Global Solutions was founded to serve the growing needs of businesses seeking cost effective demand side management. Their client base includes Fortune 500 companies in the retail, real estate management, healthcare and financial sectors, as well as municipal and governmental authorities, real estate developers and contractors. Luther has served as the company’s President and CEO since he led its acquisition by Finnergy Global in the Summer of 2013. www.ecs.global

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Josh Allen, Director of Marketing at Location3

Local Search Marketing for Franchises:

How You Can Generate More Customers in 2018 While 2017 was a year for strong growth in digital advertising among franchise systems, there is still evidence that many franchises are sorely lacking when it comes to local search marketing strategy.

Regardless of which industry vertical your franchise business operates in, your customers are online - 82% of customers conduct online research about business locations before actually visiting a store or making a purchase.

As users become increasingly savvy in their online research and more selective, it’s time for your franchise system to harness the power of local search marketing in order to increase in-store visits and in-store revenue.

The Top 3 Things You Need to Be Doing Right Now

Get Mobile, or Get Left Behind Mobile shopping-related searches have been on the rise, increasing by 120% in the last year, with an astounding 78% of

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local-mobile searches (i.e. “best Mexican restaurant near me”) resulting in offline purchases. Consumers are increasingly onthe-go and when they conduct localized mobile searches, they tend to have a higher level of purchase intent, as the user is seeking something that fits their needs at that moment. Many customers also often search using brand-agnostic phrases rather than specific products or services (i.e. “men’s haircut” vs. “Great Clips”), signaling to business owners that they’re more interested in researching multiple options in their area rather than committing to a single brand. With this growth in mind, it’s key for franchises to adopt a mobile-first mindset, and develop an integrated strategy that includes a mobile-friendly website complete with action items like calls and form fills aimed at increasing customer conversions.

Everything Is Local - Your Franchise’s Digital Presence As online user search behavior becomes increasingly localized, “near-me” searches and similar location-based queries continue to grow exponentially. Google reports nearly 33% of mobile searches are location-based queries. If your franchise location isn’t easily discoverable online, potential customers might visit your competition instead. The easiest way to

improve your chances of online discovery is to establish consistent, accurate and robust information about your location in key directories like Google My Business, Facebook, Bing Places, Apple Maps and more. Additionally, ensure your core business information (name, address, phone number, business hours, website link) is consistently listed across directories and populate your profiles with non-branded keywords related to your business. This will help improve your overall search ranking, and make your business listings more visible. While you might have marketing brand standards and requirements, it’s important to complement branded content by populating business listings with custom details specific to your location (products, services, offers, affiliations, certifications, etc.) Lastly, customer reviews should be monitored and responded to on a regular basis, as businesses with more reviews (and responses) tend to rank higher in customer search results. Creating a high-quality local digital presence for your franchise location ensures consumers can easily find you online, and find your franchise location offline.

Hyper-Local Paid Search for Increasing Store Visits Committing advertising dollars toward

pay-per-click campaigns (PPC) focused on geographical areas related to your franchise location can help you increase awareness and drive more in-store traffic, often with only a small investment. While paid search ads don’t have the same aesthetic appeal as a flashy billboard or creative radio spot, they often provide a higher return-on-investment if executed properly.

Many franchises make the common mistake of casting a wide net and bidding on broad, competitive keywords like “pizza”, “department store” or “haircut,” rather than taking the time to develop more segmented campaigns using detailed keywords and geo-targeting parameters.

Tremendous amounts of money is wasted by brands taking the former approach, when better research and data-driven strategies can reduce costs and increase customer volume at the same time.

When it comes to your franchise, you can easily tap into specific user searches that feature location information or keywords in order to identify consumer trends in your area. For example, searches like “happy hour deals near Times Square” provide both location intent and user

“When it comes to your franchise, you can easily tap into specific user searches that feature location information or keywords in order to identify consumer trends in your area.” category interest that you can leverage when building campaigns. Then, by developing advertising copy that connects with the user’s original search query (rather than simple, branded copy), you can create a better user experience and lower your overall costs. This leads to more customers for your business and less wasted budget. By letting actual, relevant user data influence your campaign structure, you can easily reduce waste and maximize your investment in franchise paid search advertising.

When executed well, an integrated local search marketing strategy can provide incredible ROI for your franchise. By building a foundation around an optimized mobile presence, accurate online business information, and investing in paid search campaigns that use existing customer data to reach more of your target audience, you can drive more customers to your franchise in 2018 than ever before.

As Director of Marketing, Josh is responsible for planning, developing and managing Location3 and LOCALACT

Josh Allen

brand strategies, with a focus on establishing new business partnerships among franchise systems and multilocation brands. He also works with Location3 client partners to establish key initiatives for increased franchise engagement and growth. He is an active member of the International Franchise Association and has previously been featured by the American Marketing Association, Franchise Update Media, MediaPost and more discussing franchise digital marketing strategy. www.location3.com

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