Copy of 5 Strategic 2025 Business Goals for Franchise Owners

As the new year approaches, it's time to think about the goals that will drive your franchise business forward in 2025. To help you get started, we've compiled a list of strategic goals to consider as you plan for a successful year ahead. Get ideas and inspiration below!

5 Business Goals to Pursue in 2025

As you prepare for the year ahead, setting clear and impactful business goals can position your franchise for success. The following suggestions are designed to help you address challenges, seize opportunities, and create a stronger foundation for growth in 2025.

1. Improve Employee Retention

A recent article by Ramsey Solutions, published in August 2024, highlighted a persistent challenge for businesses: America is still facing a labor shortage. With 4.7 million more job positions available than people to fill them and about 1.7 open jobs per unemployed worker, the competition for talent is fierce. 

For franchise business owners, retaining employees can be a wise and proactive way to address the labor shortage. After all, the longer your employees stay, the less time and money you spend on hiring and training replacements.

If improving employee retention is one of your 2025 business goals, here are some strategies to focus on:

• Create a Positive Work Environment: Create a culture where employees feel valued, respected, and motivated to do their best work.
• Offer Growth Opportunities: Provide professional development options like training, mentorship, and pathways for promotion.
• Competitive Compensation and Benefits: Ensure wages, benefits, and perks are aligned with industry standards and reflect the value of your employees' work.
• Recognize and Reward Performance: Show appreciation for employee contributions with awards, bonuses, or even simple thank-you notes.
• Prioritize Wellness and Work-Life Balance: Things like flexibility in scheduling and wellness initiatives can go a long way to reduce burnout and make employees feel valued.

To add to this, we offer this advice from Ramsey Solutions, "Be a leader people want to work for. You won't attract and keep top people by bossing your team around instead of serving them. But you'll never go wrong by treating others the way you want to be treated and inviting them to be part of a mission that's bigger than them."

2. Adopt Business Texting

To thrive in today's fast-paced business world, you must meet customers where they are. For 91% of customers, that's via text. A recent Forbes article titled Unlock Business Growth With SMS: Why Texting Is Essential pointed out some benefits. For example, with an average open rate of 98% and a click-through rate of 19%, texting has become a powerful tool to engage customers, drive sales, and resolve customer service issues. 

Despite these benefits, 61% of businesses still don't use SMS in their marketing strategies. This gap presents a golden opportunity for franchise owners to stand out and capture attention. Could 2025 be the year you hop on this trend and take your business to the next level with text messaging?

If you're wondering where to get started and could use some guidance, Clarity Voice makes adopting business texting simple. Whether you're new to SMS or ready to enhance your existing communication strategy for 2025, our team is here to help.

3. Increase Customer Reviews

Customer reviews influence how potential customers perceive your business. Check out these eye-opening statistics from BrightLocal's 2024 Local Consumer Review Survey:

• 81% of customers use Google reviews to evaluate local businesses.
• 77% of consumers use at least two review platforms in their business research.
• 69% of consumers would feel positive about using a business if its written reviews describe positive experiences.
• 59% of consumers expect a business to have between 20-99 reviews.
• 27% of consumers expect to see business reviews as fresh as two weeks (up from 22% in 2022).

If your business lacks reviews, has outdated reviews, or struggles with negative feedback, increasing customer reviews should be a top 2025 business goal. The data shows that customers rely heavily on reviews when deciding where to take their business, and strong, fresh reviews can make all the difference.

You might think owning a franchise under a well-known national or regional chain means you don't need to worry about local reviews. However, BrightLocal found that 91% of consumers say local branch reviews impact their overall perceptions of big brands in some way. This means that your local reviews significantly influence how potential customers view your business and your overall franchise brand.

Given how vital reviews are to customer decision-making and brand perception, this is a topic we'll explore in greater depth in a future article. Stay tuned in 2025 for actionable strategies to boost customer reviews and strengthen your franchise's reputation!

4. Upgrade Business Technology

If upgrading your business technology is one of your 2025 business goals, now is the time to evaluate your current tools and systems. According to the Forbes article 3 Keys to Ensuring Your Technology Scales with Your Business, one way to evaluate your current technology and choose more flexible, scalable options is to consider the customer journey. With that in mind, we offer this guidance for upgrading business technology:  

• Start by making a list of all the technologies that play a role in your customer journey, from discovery and purchase to post-sale support. 
• Once you've identified these tools, assess how well each one is performing. Are there bottlenecks that frustrate customers or inefficiencies that slow down processes? 
• Look for opportunities to enhance or replace outdated systems with solutions that can better meet customer needs, streamline operations, and grow with your business. 

This proactive approach ensures your technology aligns with current demands and future scalability.

As you're thinking about technology, one essential area to consider is your business communication system, which directly impacts how your customers engage with your brand. Could your current system use an upgrade? Then maybe it's time to switch to the Clarity Voice Cloud Communications!

Our system is designed for franchise business owners and offers the flexibility to adapt to your needs with the scalability to grow alongside your business. To learn how our solutions can enhance your customer journey and support your business growth, reach out to our team.

5. Improve Local Visibility

For franchise business owners, standing out in your community is essential for attracting and retaining customers. Even if your franchise has a strong national or regional brand, local visibility can make or break your success in a specific area. Here are some effective strategies to boost local visibility:

• Local SEO: Optimize your website with location-specific keywords so your business appears in local search results. This includes creating location-specific landing pages if you operate in multiple areas.
• Google Business Profile: Claim and optimize your Google Business Profile. Add up-to-date information like your hours, contact details, and photos, and encourage happy customers to leave reviews.
• Local Advertising: Invest in local advertising channels, such as radio and newspapers, to reach customers in your immediate area.
• Community Involvement: Sponsor local events, participate in charity drives, or collaborate with nearby businesses to strengthen your reputation as an active community member.
• Geotargeting in Digital Ads: Use geotargeting features on platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, or Instagram to deliver your ads precisely to users in your local area.

When it comes to improving local visibility, don't try to do everything at once. Instead, choose a few strategies that align with your other 2025 business goals and seem most impactful for your franchise. Create a prioritized action plan and begin implementing these changes step by step. A focused approach will help you see results faster and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

2025 Business Goals

The goals you set for the new year can help shape where your franchise stands at the end of 2025. By choosing goals that align with your business's current needs and future aspirations, you'll be well on your way to a prosperous and productive year. 

We hope this list of 2025 business goals has sparked ideas and inspired you to take the next step. We wish you success in the year ahead!