Multi-location businesses operate at a kind of crossroads – somewhere between opportunity and complexity. For PE firms and operational leaders, these kinds of businesses can be a well of untapped potential – portfolios that can be grown, and valuations to enhance. But we all know that delivering on that potential isn’t an automatic thing. Quite the opposite, in fact. To grow consistently, you’re going to need a marketing strategy that works as hard, if not harder, than the businesses themselves.
This first step in the journey is about understanding the challenges multi-location businesses face, the opportunities before them, and then laying the groundwork for a system that doesn’t just work – but scales.
For you, the decision-makers who are tasked with improving these businesses, the question isn’t just “how to grow?” – but rather “how do I grow efficiently, and profitably?”
The Strategic Role of Marketing in Portfolio Growth
At the heart of it, multi-location marketing is about keeping things in alignment – between a national brand strategy and the specific needs of every location, between customer expectations and the business’ capabilities, and, ultimately, between your stakeholders’ goals and the market’s realities.
For PE firms managing a portfolio of multi-location businesses, marketing plays a big role in:
- Enhancing Valuation: Scalable marketing systems and predictable, well-documented ROI contribute directly to EBITDA growth, an important factor in valuation and exit strategies.
- Driving Performance: Every location is a building block in the broader portfolio. A marketing plan that supports underperforming locations, while also giving high performers the freedom to continue to grow, lifts up the entire network.
- Demonstrating Scalability: For investors in particular, the ability to scale successful strategies across many locations is documented proof of operational maturity and scalability. These are the things that attract investments.
The Unique Complexities of Multi-Location Marketing
No two markets are the same, and no single strategy works everywhere. So, multi-location businesses have to balance their big-picture goals with local targeting – a complex task in itself. Here are some of the things that will need your attention right from the beginning:
- Operational Alignment Across Regions
Coordinating between a lot of different locations means navigating different state and county regulations, and different staff capabilities. A franchise location in Austin is going to face very different customer expectations than a corporate-owned business in Boston. For centralized processes to work, they must leave room for localized execution. - Scaling SEO and Paid Advertising
Visibility and outbound marketing strategies at the local level should always contribute to the national brand’s authority. The challenge here is in building actually relevant location-specific campaigns that will work, while still meeting the company’s broader goals. Without careful planning, businesses risk wasting valuable capital on campaigns that could compete with one another, or even end up being wholly ineffective. - Proving ROI to Stakeholders
Investors and stakeholders will always want transparency on how effective marketing campaigns are, but proving ROI isn’t that straightforward when results are spread across dozens – or even hundreds – of locations. This is when metrics like CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), and location-specific lifetime value (LTV) have to be rigorously and systematically tracked, and then communicated in a way that satisfies both your high-level investors and your local managers.
Laying the Groundwork for Scalable Marketing
A great multi-location marketing strategy starts with a strong foundation. It is, arguably, one of the most important steps in the process. For decision-makers like you this means creating (from the start) a system that is efficient and adaptable.
Set the Right Metrics
Define KPIs that actually matter to your stakeholders. Your investors want to see EBITDA growth, but your CMOs might be more concerned with foot traffic or online conversions, since they’re more in touch with the day to day operation of the business. Regardless of which exact metrics you choose to track, make sure they are relevant at both the national and local levels
Prepare Your Local Teams
No one knows a market better than the teams on the ground. Give your location managers brand-compliant tools, approved templates, and guidelines that they can adapt campaigns around. The key here is balancing empowerment with proper oversight, and being flexible enough to allow for customization at the local level.
Centralize Where It Counts
Centralization is very important in areas like branding, data management, reporting, and high-level strategy. Centralizing reporting and marketing gives businesses quick visibility into what’s working across different locations (and what’s failing). With this level of insight, it becomes much easier to be smart about resource allocation.
Invest in Scalable Technology
From powerful CRM platforms to smart marketing automation tools, the right technology should help to streamline operations and improve consistency at all levels.
Tip: Pick platforms that have really granular data tracking, as well as customization at the local level. Without it you’ll be effectively blind to local trends and changes.
Leadership’s Role in Driving Success
For PE firms, CMOs, and operational leaders, a successful multi-location marketing campaign is about tactics and accountability.
- For CMOs: Work to keep national campaigns and local efforts in sync by making sure there is clear collaboration between corporate/franchise teams and local teams.
- For PE Firms: Make marketing alignment the priority, and focus on systems and reporting that help scalability and show measurable ROI.
- For Operational Leaders: Be the glue between the marketing teams and the daily business managers. Make sure that what’s promised to customers is what they get in the end.
What’s at Stake
Multi-location businesses are complex machines, in a highly competitive space. Falling behind means risking market share, and ultimately portfolio value. On the other hand, businesses that master their multi-location marketing strategy can look forward to:
- Stronger Valuations: Scalable marketing systems make businesses more attractive to investors.
- Improved Customer Loyalty: Consistent, localized experiences build trust and reward you with repeat business.
- Sustainable Growth: Efficiency at scale drives long-term profitability, and that improves valuation.
So, it goes without saying that getting it right is paramount to success. Even with a solid operational framework, and lots of investment capital, businesses aren’t going to grow consistently without scalable marketing systems.
Looking Ahead
This first article introduces the foundation for mastering multi-location marketing, but it’s just the beginning. In the following sections we’ll cover some of the key strategies and tools that consistently drive success – topics like local SEO, paid advertising, social media, and operational efficiency. Each article builds on the one before it; a roadmap that will help you tackle the challenges that multi-location businesses face.
Whether you’re focused on optimizing ROI, improving the consistency of your branding, or scaling operations across many locations, the strategies we cover in this series are here to help you turn marketing into a powerful growth tool. When you’re able to choose and use the right systems, and step into any multi-location strategy with true understanding, you’ll be ready from the start to deliver sustainable, scalable results.
