If you run a local service business with multiple locations, you need to hear what Dakota Zirk has to say. He specializes in helping franchisors manage multi-location marketing—a major challenge as businesses grow.
Why Franchises Struggle with Multi-Location Marketing
Once a franchise reaches 20+ locations, the biggest issue is the lack of structured processes. What works for one unit needs to be repeatable across all locations. If you don’t have a streamlined system, you waste time fixing problems instead of growing the business.
Common issues franchisors face:
- A process exists, but no one follows it
- Important documents go unread
- Franchisees run inconsistent marketing campaigns
- No one tracks social media, reviews, or ad spend
- Franchisees act independently, hurting the brand
Without a single source of truth, managing franchisees turns into a game of whack-a-mole. Some don’t do marketing at all, fail to collect reviews, or don’t engage with the community. A grand opening alone won’t sustain long-term success—marketing strategy is ongoing.
Why Standard Marketing Rules Don’t Work
Some franchisors mandate:
- Monthly marketing meetings
- Spending 5% of revenue on ads
- Using specific agencies
This approach fails past 20+ locations. It becomes impossible to monitor every franchisee. Instead, franchisors spend most of their time figuring out which vendors to trust and enforcing brand standards.
The problem? No one reads long brand guidelines. If a process is too complicated, franchisees ignore it.
The Solution: A Centralized System for Marketing & Data
A structured, data-driven system ensures franchisees follow best practices. You need:
- Visibility into marketing performance at every location
- A way to track spending and results
- Consistency in branding, advertising, and social media
We use Vendasta to manage franchise marketing across multiple locations. It eliminates scattered spreadsheets and outdated documents, giving franchisors one dashboard for:
- SEO performance.
- PPC campaign results.
- Social media tracking.
- Online Review monitoring.
With everything in one place, franchisors can identify what works and scale those strategies across locations. No more guessing—just data-driven decisions.
Dakota Zirk has also offered a free quick audit of your franchise marketing footprint. He has helped top franchisors streamline operations, improve marketing, and scale successfully.
Think of it like a free x-ray—get expert insights into what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it.
