Question 1

What is the first step I should take when starting a multi-location advertising strategy?

Accepted Answer

The absolute first step is to establish your local SEO foundation. Before spending a single dollar on paid ads, you must claim, verify, and fully optimize the Google Business Profile (GBP) for every single location. At the same time, you must create unique, SEO-optimized, and content-rich landing pages on your website for each of those locations. This foundational work is critical because it directly improves the relevance and Quality Score of your future paid ads, which leads to lower costs and better performance.

Question 2

How should I structure my Google Ads account for 50+ locations?

Accepted Answer

For any business managing a large number of locations, especially 50 or more, the industry best practice is to use a Google Ads Manager Account (MCC). Under this MCC umbrella, you should create individual "child" accounts for each location or, at a minimum, for each distinct region. This hierarchical structure provides the ideal balance of centralized oversight and local autonomy. It is essential for scalability because it allows for separate billing, granular user permissions, and the ability to tailor campaign settings specifically to each market.

Question 3

How do I maintain brand consistency when local managers are running their own ads?

Accepted Answer

The most effective solution is to implement a multi-location marketing platform that functions as a "walled garden" for local execution. In this model, the corporate team uses the platform to create a library of brand-approved campaign templates, ad creatives, and messaging. Local managers are then given simplified access to launch these pre-approved campaigns. This approach ensures they are always operating within brand guidelines while still being able to activate marketing that is relevant to their local needs.

Question 4

What's the difference between geotargeting and geofencing, and when should I use each?

Accepted Answer

Geotargeting is a broader strategy used to deliver ads to a larger geographic area, like a city, state, or ZIP code. It is best used for raising general brand awareness or promoting regional offers. Geofencing is a more precise, tactical approach that creates a virtual perimeter around a very specific location, like a single building. It is best used for driving immediate action, such as targeting customers at a competitor's store (a tactic known as conquesting) or reaching attendees at a specific event.

Question 5

How can I prove the ROI of my digital ads for a specific store?

Accepted Answer

Proving return on investment at the store level requires implementing robust and granular conversion tracking. This means you must track not only online conversions like form fills and clicks on a call button, but also enable offline conversion tracking, such as Google's Store Visit conversions. Crucially, you must set up location-specific conversion actions. This allows you to attribute leads and revenue directly to the store that generated them, enabling a precise calculation of Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) for each business unit.

Question 6

What are the most important KPIs to track for multi-location campaigns?

Accepted Answer

While standard metrics like Click-Through Rate (CTR) and Cost-Per-Click (CPC) are important for campaign health, the most critical Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are those that measure business impact at the local level. These include: Cost per Lead per Location, Conversion Rate per Location, the number of Store Visit Conversions, and ultimately, ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) per Location. These are the metrics that demonstrate the program's value to the bottom line of each individual store.

Question 7

How much should I budget for each location?

Accepted Answer

There is no universal formula, and budgeting should be dynamic and data-driven, not a flat amount per store. The allocation for each location should be based on a combination of factors. These include the market size, the level of local competition, specific business goals for that market, and most importantly, the historical performance and ROI of that location's past campaigns.

Question 8

What kind of technology is essential for managing multi-location advertising?

Accepted Answer

The essential piece of technology is a centralized multi-location marketing platform. An ideal platform will integrate several key functions: managing online listings for local SEO, providing tools to automate and scale paid ad campaigns, and aggregating analytics from all channels into a single, unified dashboard.

Question 9

How do I get my franchisees or local managers to adopt the new marketing program?

Accepted Answer

Adoption hinges on two factors: simplicity and value. The program must be easy to use, providing "click-to-launch" tools that remove complexity for local operators who are not marketing experts. Second, you must demonstrate clear and undeniable value by using the platform's location-level reporting to show franchisees exactly how the program is generating tangible leads, calls, and revenue for their specific location. When they see the direct positive impact on their own bottom line, adoption and enthusiasm will follow.

813-421-5049

Allan McNabb

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Multi-Location Digital Advertising: PPC, Display & Geofencing

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813-421-5049

Allan McNabb

Take your digital marketing to the next level

Image Building Media

100 South Ashley DriveSuite 600-1929Tampa, FL 33602

813-421-5049

Write a Google Review

Support

Partners

Divisions

Company

Marketing Guides

Take your digital marketing to
the next level

100 South Ashley Drive
Suite 600-1929
Tampa, FL 33602