Zbra Studios – Franchise Consortium Webinar

Zoey Smith founded Zbra Studios in 2006 and has since led the firm’s growth into an award-winning and trusted marketing partner for franchise brands nationwide. She brings deep expertise in marketing, grounded in a unique background that blends UX with computer science.

She guides a team that works closely with clients to leverage data to make informed marketing decisions. Zoey’s ability to align technology, design and strategy ensures scalable, results-driven solutions, which support long-term franchise growth.

  • A clear framework for allocating a franchise development marketing budget using well-defined KPIs, including how to prioritize channels that drive real growth.
  • Practical strategies to overcome 2026’s biggest challenges, such as rising CPLs and tighter competition to declining organic traffic and zero-click search results.
  • A playbook for aligning franchise sales and marketing, using key data, feedback and storytelling elements to attract higher-quality candidates.
  • Actionable ways to use AI for persona-based marketing, CRM automation and campaign optimization.

Marketing Strategies for Success in 2026

  • Use smart metrics to understand and optimize the campaigns driving the strongest results
    • Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) vs Sales Qualified Leads (SQL)
  • Speak with authenticity using stories from your leadership team & franchise owners
  • Leverage AI tools for persona-based marketing

Challenges to Overcome in 2026

  • Drop in qualified leads
  • Increased competitor and higher cost-per-lead
  • Tricky economic climate
  • Drop in organic traffic due to the rise of zero-click searches on Google and other major search engines

What information does franchise sales need to share with marketing to help set up a campaign for success?

  • Essential:
    • Ideal candidate profile
    • Lead quality feedback
    • Geographic focus
    • Key goals and growth strategy
  • Helpful:
    • Sales process overview
    • Franchise owner testimonials

How do you choose which marketing platforms to focus on?

  • Review and discuss pros & cons of:
    • Paid Search
    • Paid Social
    • SEO & GEO
    • Social Media
    • Email Marketing
    • PR
    • Niche Advertising

How well does your marketing tell your franchise story?

  • Website should clearly establish the culture of your franchise and the support that franchise owners expect
  • Unit economics should be clearly communicated
  • Answer common questions through your FAQs
  • Use marketing capture form to also help pre-qualify leads

How can you work smarter through AI?

  • Persona-based marketing
  • CRM automation
  • Campaign optimization