Mrs. Fields Cookies Gives Top 5 Marketing Tips For Cookie Franchises

If the smell of fresh baked cookies isn't enough to draw customers in during a recession cookie franchise Mrs. Fields Cookies has some ideas to help. They recently asked their franchisees to give marketing tips. Here are the top five tips for marketing a Mrs. Fields franchise.

1. Get Outside the Mall - Sponsor Local Events Local events are a great way to increase visibility for your franchise and build good will. Joining established local events means less work and bigger crowds than hosting an event solo.

Mrs. Fields franchisees Tim and Amanda Devries, from Rivertown Crossing. Michigan got involved with a local event in their town called Taste of Grandville. They served over 300 people samples of delicious cookie cakes and brownies, while handing out coupons and cookie cake brochures.

What a great way to build brand awareness outside of the mall and to support a local charitable organization! 2. Let Customers Personalize Their Mrs. Fields Cookies and Cakes People love to personalize cookies or cakes from Mrs. Fields cookies - especially near the holidays. It's a great way to add a name or message to a cookie and it's also a fun project for the family. Valentine's Day is especially popular and bringing in extra volunteers made a fun atmosphere.

Brian Piggott of the Fashion Place Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah set up a cookie cake decorating table in center court. Mrs. Fields Cookies corporate volunteers came to help staff the decorating table. Included in the corporate volunteers were Mrs. Fields CEO, Michael Ward, a Training Coordinator, legal assistants, Assistant Marketing Brand Managers, and even the Training Manager's mother. All volunteered their time on a Holiday weekend.

Customers were drawn to the lines around the tables where Valentine's Day shoppers were having cookie cakes, cookie cards, and heart shaped cookie cakes personalized for the Valentine in their life. Here are pictures from another similar event: http://picasaweb.google.com/gabrielle401/MrsFields?feat=email#5303776730241957682 Brian Piggot, the Mrs. Fields Franchisee, arranged radio spots with a local radio station who promoted the event by giving away free cookie cakes and cookie cake coupons encouraging listeners to do their Valentine's Day shopping at Mrs. Fields. The demand was so high that the volunteers couldn't keep up with the lines. This event was such a remarkable success; the store recorded its top sales days ever, 3. Car Wraps Get Mouths Watering for Mrs. Fields Cookies Ken & Nancy Miller, Mrs. Fields Franchisees from Lubbock, TX have put a car wrap on their car advertised advertising personalized cookie cakes available at Mrs. Fields. Sales are up 11.5% in year-over-year sales thru March 7. They thrive in a down economy by staying involved in the community. Going beyond the doors of the mall to advertise product with a car wrap is another great way to advertise in local communities.

4. Offer Tours of a Mrs. Field's Store Offering store tours is a great way to get the word out to children and their parents about your business.

Sean Falk a franchisee in Monroe, MI gives tours of his Mrs. Fields store to local schools in his area. The tours teach the school children all about the cookie making process and the history of Mrs. Fields. Falk is not just advertising, he's educating children on the process of cookie baking and the history of a well known brand. The students are charged a very small, flat rate and are given a tour of not only Falk's Mrs. Fields location, but his other franchised locations as well. They always end with the kids decorating their own Mrs. Fields cookie.

5. Advertise on the Radio and in Local Newspapers Radio ads reach the local area and can draw people to stores. Again, remember to advertise outside of the mall through media like the radio or newspapers.

"Cindy Rogers of Shreveport, LA has a cobranded Mrs. Fields/TCBY franchise. Cindy does a great job with radio promotion. Cindy does a lot of trade for promotion work with local radio stations promoting cookie cakes and her store. She also does the same for newspaper ads for her local newspaper. Both of these efforts have proven successful as Cindy does an amazing amount of cookie cake (the largest ticket item) sales every year," said Vanessa Hepworth, Franchise Marketing Manager at Mrs. Fields Famous Brands.

While these ideas come from Mrs. Field's franchise owners, they apply to many types of businesses. "Our most successful franchisees find creative ways to reach customers. It's especially important for franchisees to advertise - with mall traffic down in most cities, sales might be softer. These ideas can help get people to your Mrs. Fields store," said Hepworth.

About Mrs. Fields Franchise Mrs. Fields was launched in Palo Alto, California in 1977. Today Mrs. Fields is the most sought after -- premier cookie brand in the world. Mrs. Fields has over 30 years of brand success, and almost 20 years of franchising experience. Each Mrs. Fields franchise is prepared to become successful owners from their first day of business.

To learn more about cookies franchise Mrs. Fields, see www.mrsfieldsfranchise.com

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