Coronavirus and Franchising: Amy Przywara of Sylvan Learning and Dawn Kroeger of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

The coronavirus continues to have dire effects on businesses across the country, forcing many to come up with new strategies to survive. The franchising industry is no exception, and franchisors across segments are strategizing new ways to support their franchisees, keep customers satisfied, help local communities and come out on the other side.

To that end, 1851 Franchise publisher Nick Powills and Charles Internicola, founder and partner of the Internicola Law Firm, are covering the coronavirus and its impact on the franchising industry through a webinar series titled “Coronavirus and Franchising: Mindset + Strategy to Recover and Grow.”

In today’s afternoon webinar, Powills and Internicola spoke with Amy Przywara, Sylvan Learning CMO and Dawn Kroeger, Director of Marketing for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK* about how brands should be adapting their marketing strategies and staying positive during the coronavirus crisis.

Marketing strategies

Here are some of the key insights from their discussion.

From a marketing standpoint, this crisis has the opportunity to become a transformational time as brands develop innovative new strategies. It is important to prioritize leadership around marketing and adjust plans in real time as information comes in.

Maintain ongoing communications with franchisees about what messaging they need to prioritize. Be flexible and create a wide array of content options depending on the local situation, including PR, email and social media messaging.

Move quickly, but be cautious to keep local communities out of harm's way. When adapting old marketing methods, make sure you are sending out the right information that applies to each audience.

Supporting franchisees

Shift your marketing priority away from driving new leads and more toward supporting established franchise locations, staff and corporate teams. Focus on brand storytelling and transparent communication during this time. For example, the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK team have created an easily accessible document that franchisees can access daily to see updated information and best practices.

On a local level, it is important to manage advertising in-house. Guide franchisees in how they should allocate marketing funds and shift strategies to adapt to the crisis and continue driving revenue.

For essential businesses, it is important to create a balance of both pulling back on marketing efforts and keeping customers satisfied and educated. Franchisees that are still servicing consumers need to be available to provide for the community without pushing sales too hard. Now can be a great time to get involved in the community and build lasting relationships. Be available to answer consumer’s questions and keep the dialogue open.

Franchisees may also need to think about offering flexible payment plans in order to keep loyal customers who are struggling to afford services. Let consumers know what level of support and service the brand can offer during this crisis.

Customer satisfaction

It is essential to keep existing customers satisfied with the brand. In the coming weeks, the focus will shift to become more about marketing toward new customers and educating them on how the brand adapted its services to meet the needs brought on by this crisis.

Focus on what customers need right now, and reevaluate priorities and investments to meet consumers where they are headed. For example, Sylvan Learning will be focused on showing prospective customers how their industry-leading supplemental education services are now also available online.

The franchisee's mindset can make or break your brand right now. The most successful franchisees will be the ones with the mindset of growth — the ones that did everything they could to take care of their community and keep customers satisfied during this time.

Lean on leadership expertise to avoid negativity. When it comes to handling staffing issues or pay cuts, brainstorm with franchisees to create methods for keeping employees motivated, whether it be through training, support, awards or career opportunities. This shake up very well could create a larger pool of highly-qualified employees looking for the right job.

The franchising industry needs to create a language for how we can succeed through this, and in the end we will be much more appreciative of what we have.