In a recent IFA webinar, VP of Sales Gabriella Ferrara joined franchise leaders Julie Green (Heights Wellness Retreat) and Maddie Zook (franchisor, franchisee, and supplier) to break down the current state of franchise marketing. One thing was clear: the path to growth in 2025 is local, data-driven, and collaborative. Here are the key takeaways and what they mean for your franchise.
Local Is the New National
Franchisees don’t care about brand visibility unless it shows up in their ZIP code.
The days of "national-first" thinking are shifting. Local marketing tactics are proving to be more meaningful, especially when franchisees see tangible impact in their territory.
Real-world example: Heights Wellness built a national campaign called Reps and Recovery that started as a single gym partnership and scaled to a repeatable, local-friendly program with support materials for franchisees.
How to make this work for your franchise:
- Build campaigns that can be localized easily.
- Empower franchisees with toolkits that bridge national creative with local relationships.
- Use tech partners like Scorpion to localize SEO and listings while maintaining brand consistency.
Franchises Are Spending More on Digital — But It's Not the Whole Picture
Digital is essential, but local still drives efficiency.
Franchisee Maddie Zook put it bluntly: "There’s no world where you join a franchise brand and get free leads." Even as digital spend dominates, the most effective strategies combine grassroots efforts and community presence with paid digital.
Many brands are still operating on a 70/30 digital-to-local ratio, but the panel recommended getting closer to 60/40 to improve efficiency.
Even as digital spend dominates, the most effective strategies combine grassroots efforts and community presence with paid digital.
How to make this work for your franchise:
- Layer digital and grassroots tactics to lower lead costs.
- Use RevenueMAX's conversion intelligence to identify which tactics are turning leads into revenue.
- Educate franchisees on the role of both digital and offline efforts to drive sustainable growth.
Rising Digital Costs? It Doesn’t Mean Your Marketing Is Broken
Cost-per-click (CPC) is up, but that doesn’t mean performance is down.
The experts emphasized the importance of tracking what actually drives revenue, not just traffic. Campaigns with lower click-through rates but higher conversions may still be the winners.
"Just because we've done something the same way for 20 years doesn't mean we should keep doing it,” said Julie Green.
How to make this work for your franchise:
- Pair your ad data with CRM or POS insights to see what converts.
- Use RevenueMAX's lead intelligence to identify breakdowns in the sales funnel—is it marketing, or is it lead handling?
- Prioritize training for sales teams and front-desk staff to improve lead-to-appointment conversion rates.
First-Party Data Is Undervalued (And Underused)
Want to spend less on ads? Start with the data you already own.
First-party data, such as customer contact info, membership trends, and visit history, can fuel more relevant campaigns, reduce waste, and even prevent current customers from clicking paid ads just to reschedule.
How to make this work for your franchise:
- Activate customer match features with your advertising partner.
- Use Scorpion’s CRM integrations to automate lead matching and list segmentation.
- Ensure you have proper opt-in language on your website and in your communications.
Align Marketing with Operations to Maximize ROI
You can’t out-market bad conversion.
In some cases, locations were converting at 7% when brand benchmarks were closer to 20%.
Franchisees often ask for more leads, but conversion issues usually lie in operations. In some cases, locations were converting at 7% when brand benchmarks were closer to 20%.
How to make this work for your franchise:
- Review lead handling processes and call recordings.
- Work with Scorpion to identify where leads drop off.
- Use RevenueMAX's performance tracking to hold teams accountable and improve coaching.
Grow Your Franchise
Marketing isn’t just about campaigns. It's about equipping franchisees with the tools, knowledge, and support to succeed in their local markets. Whether it’s through localized content, integrated technology, or training on lead conversion, franchise brands that invest in clarity and alignment will win.
Want to learn more? Watch the full IFA webinar or contact our sales team to see how RevenueMAX can help you grow your franchise the right way—locally, efficiently, and with results you can measure.
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