Plan print around each location's trade area, give every location its own tracking, and start with a group of test locations before rolling out. Once you know which locations and programs bring in customers for the least, scale those across the system and give franchisees results they can see for their own location.
Why print works for multi-location brands
- It's local by nature. Print is bought by neighborhood, so each location reaches the households around it, not a whole metro area.
- It drives visits. A printed offer in the mailbox is one of the most reliable ways to get someone through the door.
- It scales. The same program can run around 5 locations or 500, with coverage built for each one.
- It can be measured by location. With location-level tracking, every franchisee can see what print did for them.
It works across categories, from pet care and boarding to specialty retail, restaurants, and fitness.
Plan around each location's trade area
Every location draws customers from a different distance. A store in a dense suburb might pull from a couple of miles, while a destination location might draw from much farther. Build coverage around how far customers actually travel to each location, using your own customer data where you have it. Where locations are close together, plan coverage so they aren't paying to reach the same homes twice.
- A + B Nearby locations. Where trade areas overlap (striped), homes are planned once, not paid for twice.
- C Dense suburb. Customers come from close by, so the trade area is small.
- D Destination location. Customers travel farther, so coverage reaches wider.
Choosing programs
- Shared mail reaches every home around a location at a low cost and builds familiarity over repeated drops.
- New mover programs reach households who just moved into a location's area and are choosing where to shop, eat, or take their pets.
- Newspaper inserts work well for weekend-focused promotions and coupon-driven categories.
Keep the brand consistent, make the offer local
The best franchise print keeps one look and message across the system while letting each location's piece carry its own address, phone number, and tracking. Some brands also vary the offer by market, testing a stronger offer where a location needs more traffic. Building one design with swappable location details keeps printing efficient and creative approvals simple.
Measure every location
Give each location its own phone number, promo code, or QR link so response can be tied to the right store. Then match new customers back to the households that received the piece. That lets you compare locations side by side and see which ones get the most out of print.
Location-level reporting also helps with franchisees. When an owner can see what print did for their own location, it's much easier to get them on board with the next round. See our tracking best practices.
Test, then roll out
- Pick a group of test locations that represent your system, like a mix of strong, average, and newer locations.
- Run at least three months. That's enough drops to build familiarity and enough data to judge.
- Compare against similar locations that didn't get the mail to see what print actually added.
- Roll out in waves, starting with the types of locations and programs that performed best.
Common questions
Can print be planned for each franchise location separately?
Yes. Coverage, programs, and timing can all be set location by location, while buying and reporting stay centralized.
How do franchisees see their own results?
With location-level tracking numbers, codes, and match-back, results can be reported for each location, so every owner sees what their program drove.
Do all locations need to run the same program?
No. Programs and formats can flex by market. A location in a dense suburb and one in a rural area often need different mixes.