Maria had just opened her senior care franchise. The walls were freshly painted, the phones were connected and the brand name above the door gave her comfort. But when she sat in her office on that first morning, no one walked through the door. The community did not know her yet. She had invested everything. Her savings, her time, her hope for the future. The franchisor’s marketing fund had promised support, but what arrived were glossy ads that looked like every other senior care business in the country. Not one of them told Maria’s story or explained why she left a corporate job to dedicate her life to caring for others.
This is the reality many franchisees face. They are visible in theory but invisible in practice.
Related: Considering franchise ownership? Get started now to find your personalized list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.
Why local video matters
A 2024 FTC spotlight found that many franchisees are dissatisfied with their franchisor’s marketing fees, often pointing to a lack of local impact. This lack of trust has real consequences. A new franchisee needs visibility in their own neighborhood, not national ads that skip over their zip code.
Video is one of the fastest ways to solve this. Research shows that 87% of marketers say video has directly increased sales and 91% use video as a critical tool. But generic corporate video is not enough. It has to be localized, authentic and human. People also remember stories far more than facts. Storytelling has even been shown to increase conversion rates by 30%. For a new franchisee fighting to get to revenue quickly, these numbers matter.
Related: I Walked Away From a Corporate Career to Start My Own Small Business — Here’s Why You Should Do the Same
Senior Care: Trust begins before the first visit
Imagine you are a family choosing a senior care center for your grandmother. Would you trust a national ad, or would you feel safer watching the local owner explain why they opened their doors, what values they believe in and how they treat people like family?
Maria’s 90-second video on her website was not about services. It was about her. She spoke about her parents, why she cared so deeply about aging with dignity and why she believed seniors deserved joy in every day. That one video reassured families more than any flyer could.
Related: He Had $75 When He Immigrated to the U.S. as a Refugee. Then He Started a Business — and Grew It to $1.2 Billion.
Plumbing: Urgency meets anxiety
Now picture a plumbing emergency. A homeowner has water spilling across their kitchen floor. They are panicked and searching online for help. They see ten options in their area — which one do they call?
Most listings look the same. But one has a short video where the owner speaks directly to the camera: “I live here too. I know what it feels like to have an emergency and we will treat your home like our own.” That is the business that gets the call. This is the difference between being another listing and being the trusted neighbor who shows up.
Related: As a First-Gen Immigrant Founder, My Business Is More Than Just Income — It’s a Legacy For My Kids. Here’s How I Balance Work and Family.
Education: Parents want reassurance
Think about where parents send their children to school. It is not just a business choice, it’s personal. Parents need to believe in the people leading the classrooms. For a new education franchise, a short, story-driven video gives parents that confidence. They get to see the owner, hear why they chose education and understand the values they bring to the community.
A 30-second cut on social media keeps the school in parents’ feeds during the weeks when they are making decisions.
Related: Fried, Fast and Franchised — These Are The Top 10 Chicken Franchises in 2025
A simple framework
Franchisors can help franchisees by building this into their launch process. It does not require complex strategy. It only requires commitment to telling real stories. Here is a simple playbook for you to follow.
Film a 90-second story video for every new franchisee that lives on their website.
Cut a 30-second version for remarketing ads and social media.
Keep it unscripted. The best videos are not scripted commercials but honest conversations.
This combination gives franchisees credibility on day one, instead of waiting months for word of mouth. It shortens the ramp-up time to revenue and makes the business owner visible immediately.
Related: This Is the Most Important Thing You Can Do to Improve Your Business, According to the Co-Founder of a $32 Billion Company
The emotional lift
Beyond sales, these videos provide something just as important: confidence. The first weeks of running a franchise are stressful. Bills arrive before customers do, owners question whether they made the right choice. Having a story out there changes that. Instead of waiting in silence, franchisees see comments, likes and messages from neighbors who now feel connected to them. They feel known and that reassurance carries them through the hardest part of the journey.
I remember my own first year as a business owner. What kept me going was not a perfect ad campaign but the people who told me they saw my story and wanted to support me. Those early connections became the foundation for everything that followed.
The greatest gift a franchisor can give its franchisees is not another banner or coupon. It is visibility rooted in trust. From senior care to plumbing to schools, the decision to buy is deeply personal. People are not choosing a logo, they are choosing the person behind it. When that person tells their story on video from the very first day, the path to trust, belonging and revenue gets shorter. Franchise success starts with being seen — and the fastest way to be seen is to be human.