Social Media and Franchise Recruitment

By: Franchise Update Media | 1,084 Reads | 3 Shares

Franchise Update Media has been researching franchise lead generation and franchise recruitment processes for more than a decade. An annual in-depth online survey queries franchise development professionals about a number of issues related to their lead generation and recruitment strategies. The results are presented each year in the Annual Franchise Development Report (AFDR).

The AFDR is a valuable resource that can provide crucial insights into franchise development, lead generation, and recruitment best practices. It’s the kind of information that can help brands assess what they are doing right, and what needs improvement.

The annual project seeks to identify what’s new and innovative in franchise lead generation, recognize the methods and approaches yielding the best results, and gain insights into franchisors’ perspectives on current and future business performance.

Survey participants were franchisors who completed an in-depth questionnaire online. Responses were aggregated and analyzed to produce a detailed view into the recruitment and development practices, budgets, spending allocations, and strategies of a wide cross-section of franchisors. The data along with accompanying commentary and analysis provided the basis for the 2025 AFDR.

The in-depth report features results from more than 110 organizations actively expanding their franchise systems. The thoroughly researched report spotlights the latest trends and reveals various franchise lead-generation and sales trends. The AFDR represents companies totaling more than 50,000 franchise units and 42 industry categories.

Franchise Update Media creates this report annually and shares its findings with franchise development teams to give them an edge in their lead generation and recruitment efforts.

Reaching franchise candidates through social media

Social media is perhaps the most popular and powerful communication tool in the country today. We use it to send and receive information and interact with others. Beyond connecting with friends and family members, social media is increasingly being used on the professional level. In addition to reaching customers, many organizations post job openings and find qualified candidates through social media.

Franchise Update asked executives how they are using social media for franchise recruitment and reviewed their responses in the latest AFDR. The primary question for this topic was if they have sold any franchises where social media was the lead source. The response was nearly split, with 46 percent saying they had. It may be important to note that this question asked if social media was the primary lead source of a franchise being sold rather than a contributing factor.

The most revealing information may have come when we asked where development teams were conducting advertising for franchise recruitment. Their responses showed the variety of platforms being used to reach candidates, with two standing out the most. Although they responded with seven different social media outlets used for franchise recruitment, LinkedIn (79 percent) and Facebook (77 percent) were far and away the most popular. Instagram (42 percent), YouTube (28 percent), and their company blog (28 percent) are the other channels that were used the most.

The financial numbers also corresponded to this chart when we asked franchisors about the social media channels they spend the most money on franchise recruitment. Facebook led the way with 64 percent, followed by LinkedIn (40 percent), and Instagram (25 percent).

Finally, we asked which social media sources produced the most sales. Only three outlets were included in the response. Facebook again led the results with 67 percent. That was followed by LinkedIn (35 percent) and Instagram (15 percent). However, no other channels, which included X/Twitter, YouTube, company blog, TikTok, or Threads, received a response to the question.