THE BEST MARKETING DOLLARS I'VE EVER SPENT

Great marketing doesn't require huge budgets. We asked franchisees and franchisors to share their best marketing ROI-and their stories (on the following pages) will inspire you.

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1/ Host an annual family-friendly event.

"Every December, we host our highly-anticipated 'Grinch Takes Over' event for two magical nights. A live Grinch character roams the restaurant, engaging with families, playing silly pranks, and posing for photos. He even accept onions from kids who come dressed as little Grinches themselves. We set up a large projector for movie screenings, serve special kids' pizzas made with green dough, and provide on-site photo printing, giving families a memorable keepsake to take home-complete with our Crust Pizza branding, perfect for the fridge. We often have lines out the door, and people stop us around town to tell us how much their kids loved the event." -JESSIE and JASON PARKER, franchisees of Crust Pizza Co. in Louisiana

2/ Incentivize team members to create content.

"The best money we ever spent on marketing wasn't for ads or influencers; it was for coffee. We believe our team members are the true powerhouse behind community awareness, so we created a Slack channel where our team can upload anything that captures the spirit of our studio: selfies, "us-ies,' quick videos, artsy shots, silly moments, teacher tips, member celebrations, memes, or fails. For every image or video we use in our social campaigns, the contributor gets a Starbucks or Peet's Coffee gift card-in surprise amounts. What started as a fun way to gather content has transformed into a vibrant culture of sharing and collaboration."-TONI KING and AUDREY RYDER, franchisees of YogaSix in California and Nevada

3/ Commission a photo shoot of yourself on the job.