Although web portals continue to be the most cost effective source for franchise lead generation, deep down I am holding out for a campaign that is not only cost effective but also provides a franchise lead that is only looking at my clients brand. When I came across an ‘affiliate’ program, I was a little confused but hopeful.

So to be clear, or as clear as an “affiliate” program can be:

• Websites of all shapes and sizes group together and form a “network”.
• Based on the quality of a franchisor banner ad and landing page, these websites and networks will “opt” to advertise your banner ad on their site for free.
• When a candidate clicks on the banner ad, reviews your landing page, and submits a request for franchise information, you pay a flat cost per lead.
• The cost per lead varies by network. The better your banner ad and landing page are, the lower your cost per lead.
• The averages cost ranges from $35 – $50 per lead.

I am now five weeks into a campaign and have learned a couple of things. First, it takes time for the websites who “opt” in to actually post the banner ads. The first few weeks are slow, with about 10 leads a week. As time goes by, the leads steadily increase to as many as 25 leads a day.

I dislike that I never know exactly what websites are running the ads and I dislike even more that I don’t know which ones are most effective.

However, I love this program because it has little risk. If a banner ad runs 1 million times and no-one request information no harm no foul.

How qualified are these leads? It’s hard to say in at five weeks in. 

-Christine Mudd, founder of FRANDEAVOR

As the founder of a Franchise Development Firm, I spend about 30% of my day working on the business of franchise development and 70% of my life talking about Lead Generation.  Nothing happens in franchising without that first lead, sales people cant close, real estate brokers can’t secure sites, and construction guys can’t build.  Thus, “IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FRANCHISE SALES LEAD BLOG” is born.

Each week, I will feature different war stories regarding lead generation.  I’ll also invite other franchise veterans to share key tactics and strategies.  Participation is key to breaking the code in lead generation, so please  . . .  comment with your wounds, victories, and cost per leads analysis.