Combining national and local online marketing in franchising

In brief: combining national and local marketing

• National online marketing builds the brand; local online marketing brings customers to every location.
• You combine them by deciding, task by task, what happens centrally and what happens locally.
• Anything that touches the brand or benefits from economies of scale is handled centrally; local knowledge comes from the location.
• The local basics for each location (profile, reviews, location page) are preferably funded from the marketing fund.
• The same facts must be correct nationally and locally; that is also what AI assistants reward.
• One report per location shows whether the combination works.

Which tasks belong at national level and which at local level?

As a rule of thumb: anything that touches the brand or benefits from economies of scale is handled centrally. Anything that requires local knowledge is done by the location, within central guidelines.

How do you divide the marketing budget?

There is no fixed ratio, but in practice we see franchise brands often underfund local baseline visibility, even though that is precisely where visits come from. We therefore advise securing the local basics for each location first, then national campaigns and finally additional local promotions.

Which channels belong at which level?

Not every channel lends itself to both levels. Some channels are local by nature, such as the Google Business Profile. Others are mainly national, such as a brand campaign on television or online video. Many channels work at both levels, provided you set out the division of roles.

How do you record the agreements?

Record the division in the franchise manual rather than only in the franchise agreement. A manual is easier to adapt when channels change, and in online marketing that happens every year. Discuss changes with the franchisee advisory council and give franchisees a short summary of what is changing and why.

Also set a fixed moment each year at which you evaluate the division on the basis of the figures per location. That way the division grows along with the franchise brand.

What often goes wrong with the division?

• Locations advertise on the brand name themselves and compete with head office.
• Nobody owns the Google Business Profiles.
• The fund goes entirely to national campaigns and nothing happens locally.
• Local promotions without templates lead to an untidy brand image.

You avoid these pitfalls with a plan; see the marketing plan step by step and the role of marketing training for franchisees. If you would rather not do the work yourself, read why outsourcing pays off.

How do national and local online channels reinforce each other?

A national campaign makes people aware of the brand; the local channels make sure they find and choose the nearest location. Anyone who sees a brand campaign and then searches for the brand name plus their town should find a complete profile, good reviews and a location page. If that local part is missing, the effect of the national campaign leaks away. Conversely, strong local profiles make every national message more effective. That is why we plan national campaigns together with local posts and ads for each location.

Why does consistency between national and local matter for AI?

AI assistants combine information from the brand website, location pages, profiles and reviews. If those sources contradict each other, for example on opening hours or services, the franchise brand loses trust and a location is less likely to be recommended. By using the same facts nationally and locally, you strengthen both. More on this in AI visibility per location.

Which organisational model suits combining the two?

The hybrid model: central control over brand, quality and data, with local freedom within fixed guidelines. How to set that up is explained in the hybrid marketing model. How to divide the budget between franchisor and franchisee is covered in dividing the marketing budget. If you want to outsource local execution for all locations, take a look at outsourcing local marketing for chains.