petbar, a fast-growing pet grooming franchise with 30+ locations in the South and Southwest, partners with Flamel.ai as its central marketing hub to drive engagement and conversions through localized, on-brand, performant marketing. With Flamel.ai’s robust marketing automation and content creation support, its more than 20 petbar franchisees can effectively connect with their local audiences while maintaining a cohesive national brand presence.

The Challenge

As petbar expands, ensuring consistent yet locally relevant social media engagement across all franchise locations has become increasingly complex. As localized marketing triples engagement and drives 23% more revenue per location, creating consistent, on-brand, and personalized social media content is an investment petbar was eager to make. 

With growing engagement and revenue in mind, petbar Franchisees needed a way to:

• Increase each local audiences’ engagement and conversions 

• Grow unique location’s social presence, alongside the growth of petbar’s national brand

• Maintain brand integrity while allowing local social content customization

The Solution

Flamel.ai provided a full-scale marketing solution for petbar and its Franchisees. On the day-to-day level, Franchisees’ social media marketing workloads became significantly easier to manage and their engagement metrics grew, with help from:

• AI-Powered Social Media Management: Franchisees were delivered custom social post ideas and templates along with content scheduling strategies

• National & Local Content Strategy: Social content was centralized, ensuring that localized posts’ look, feel, offers, and more aligned with national petbar strategy

• Brand Consistency at Scale: Tools like BrandCheck AI ensure that all franchisee posts are on-brand and aligned with petbar’s voice and mission

• Email Marketing Support: National email campaigns drove customer loyalty, engagement and foot traffic to individual franchise locations

• Meta Ad Account Setup: Franchisees’ Meta ads accounts were set up to make the most of the social media advertising campaigns that Flamel created and launched in their local networks

The Results

Over 30 days, Flamel.ai significantly impacted petbar’s digital presence:

Network-Wide Growth

• Their total amount of social media followers grew +1.07%

• The total engagement on petbar socials grew +64.39%

• The total impressions delivered—aka the number of times a post was shown on Instagram and Facebook—grew +84.78%

Franchise-Level Performance

We saw that Franchisees who went all-in on using Flamel.ai for automating social media experienced significanÍt uplift. A few examples of these uplifts are: 

• Audience Growth

  • petbar Austin - Lakeline: +20.68%

  • petbar Fort Worth - Waterside: +16.55%

  • petbar Preston Trail: +5.26%
    
    
    

• Increase Posting Frequency 

  • petbar Dallas - Lakewood: +550% 

  • petbar Sugar Land: +333.33% 

  • petbar Colleyville: +150%
    
    
    

• Increased Impressions 

  • petbar Colleyville: +195%

  • petbar Katy: 174%

  • petbar Fort Worth - Waterside: +155%
    
    
    

• Increased Engagement 

  • petbar Dallas - Lakewood: +267% 

  • petbar Sugar Land: +198% 

  • petbar Devonshire: +100%

The Takeaways

Flamel.ai’s strategic social media automation and localized content approach have empowered petbar Franchisees to:

• Dramatically increase social media activity and audience growth

• Drive more impressions and brand awareness at both national and local levels

• Maintain brand integrity across locations while personalizing engagement

• Connect social media, social advertising and email marketing efforts to sales and an increase in foot traffic

"As petbar continues to grow, ensuring that each franchise location can build a strong, local presence while maintaining our brand’s integrity is critical. Flamel.ai has given our Franchisees the tools they need to create engaging, on-brand content effortlessly, " says Ashley O'Loughlin, who co-founded petbar with her husband Dan. "The results speak for themselves—more engagement, more impressions, and a stronger connection with our pet-loving communities."

By leveraging Flamel.ai’s powerful marketing tools and creative agency, petbar is successfully deepening local community engagement across its existing 30+ locations, effectively scaling its franchise marketing capability as the brand eyes continued growth. 

Interested in scaling your franchise’s digital presence? Let’s talk about how Flamel.ai can help.

If you’re looking to drive real, local results for your franchise marketing—because we all know that one single marketing approach doesn’t work for every single location—consider franchise influencer marketing.

Specifically, local influencer marketing.

In today’s social-media-first economy, consumers trust people more than they trust ads. In fact, 82% of consumers say they’re likely to follow a recommendation from a micro-influencer, and 60% of marketers say influencer-generated content performs better than branded posts. That’s a huge opportunity for franchise businesses looking to boost awareness and drive revenue at the local level.

Influencer marketing can feel overwhelming, if you don’t know where to start. That’s why we created the Influencer Marketing Guide for Franchisors & Franchisees, a free, comprehensive ebook that gives you a 360-degree strategy for launching, managing, and scaling local influencer campaigns that actually work.

How Is This Franchise Influencer Guide Helpful?

Unlike generic influencer playbooks, our guide is made specifically for franchises. Whether you're a franchisor looking to support multiple locations, or a franchisee wanting to grow within your community, this resource is your new go-to!

Here’s what you’ll learn . . .

How to Find the Right Franchise Influencers for Your Markets

From using Instagram geo-tags and TikTok’s localized algorithm, to tapping into your own customer base, we break down the most effective ways to find authentic, affordable, and hyper-local influencers who align with your brand . . . across any location of your business!

You’ll also get a helpful checklist of influencer characteristics. Master niche and localized engagement and content, so you can identify the perfect match for your audiences and services.

Master Influencer Marketing Outreach & Negotiation

Our guide includes an outreach email template, along with a detailed pricing breakdown so you know exactly what to offer and what to expect in return. Whether you're offering a free service, flat fee, or affiliate commission, our guide helps you find the right approach to negotiate deals with any franchise influencer you’ll potentially work with.

How to Craft Influencer Content That Maximizes Engagement & Conversions

It’s not just about negotiating deals. Franchisors and franchisees are given guides on how to develop their most effective social media content with influencers who have the exact right audiences they’re looking for. 

For example, micro-influencers boast 60% higher engagement rates than macro-influencers, so one or two of them within your city are more likely to have a profound impact on your business. Learn how to craft campaigns that drive clicks, foot traffic, bookings, and sales using Instagram Reels, giveaways, reviews, and more . . . with help from the right voices in your markets.

So don’t stress about blowing your budget on big names. We’ll show you how to run smart, high-ROI campaigns with manageable budgets, mixing-and-matching local influencers that your prospective customers resonate with.

How to Track & Measure Success of Local Influencer Marketing

How do you know if your influencer campaign is actually working? It all comes down to simple math. Our guide’s editable tracking template helps business owners more easily measure impressions, engagement, conversions, and ROI—so you can learn what works and replicate it across multiple locations.

Local Influencer Marketing is the Future of Franchise Growth

Answer honestly: Are you more likely to make a purchase or decision inspired by a traditional ad campaign . . . or from someone sharing their real life experiences? Most of today’s consumers opt for the latter. People crave authenticity, relatability, and personalized marketing, showing them amazing products and experiences that are within their own cities, towns, or areas. That’s exactly what local influencers deliver.

By building community-driven partnerships, your franchise marketing becomes more than a to-do item . . . it becomes a trusted local staple. With a local focus in franchise marketing, visibility increases 3-4x and revenue increases an average of 23%, and those metrics can grow even higher when marketing is done by voices that are trusted within your community.

Download the Influencer Marketing Guide for Franchisors & Franchisees here!

When The Peach Cobbler Factory's Cincinnati email program and social pages needed a breakthrough, Flamel.ai's Agency stepped in with a creative, data-driven strategy that delivered astounding results—including averages of 843% increase in clicks and 266% increase in reach on Facebook, and a 2,175% boost in Instagram engagement across their accounts. 

Here's how we partnered with The Peach Cobbler factory to leverage influencer campaigns, a refreshed social strategy, brand new email marketing initiatives, and a March Madness-inspired content strategy, the Cincy Sweet Showdown, to transform digital engagement.

The Strategy

Influencer Campaigns

Flamel.ai developed a strategy for The Peach Cobbler Factory to partner with local micro-influencers whose authentic voices resonated with Cincinnati's food lovers. These influencers showcased the irresistible offerings of Peach Cobbler Factory through compelling, shareable content, broadening the brand's reach and sparking organic interest.

The Cincy Sweets Showdown

Inspired by the upcoming excitement of March Madness, we launched the Cincy Sweets Showdown—a bracket-style contest inviting users to vote on their favorite desserts from the wide selection of Peach Cobbler Factory offerings. This competitive, interactive polling competition encouraged active participation multiple days per week, driving greater impressions and account engagement throughout the month.

A Robust Email Program

Starting from scratch, the Flamel.ai team created an email marketing program for Cincinnati’s locations of The Peach Cobbler Factory. These efforts included everything from setting up their email platform, list management and segmentation, newsletter creation, and specialized email journeys, such as giveaways and store-specific promotions.

The Results

• 266% Increase in Reach: An increase in regular content and cross-platform social promotions increased the average reach of their Facebook pages.

• 843% Increase in Clicks: Our strategy boosted engagement on their localized Facebook page’ interactions, converting interest into tangible actions.

• 2,175% Boost in Instagram Engagement: The interactive, competitive format of the Cincy Sweet Showdown spurred continuous audience involvement, fostering new levels of participation across Instagram accounts. Additionally, influencer reach and compelling content widened their engaged, local audiences.

• New Email Program that Grew 111% in CTR: After building and launching this email program, The Peach Cobbler Factory saw a 111% in clicks and 137% increase in opens, month over month.

Ready to Transform Your Franchise's Social Media, Email Program and More?

At Flamel.ai's Agency, we specialize in localized franchise marketing strategies that deliver real, measurable results. If you're a franchisee seeking strategic social media services from experts in franchise marketing, let's elevate your brand together! 

Contact us today and discover how our innovative strategies can drive growth for your business!

And if this case study has activated your sweet tooth, order from The Peach Cobbler Factory’s Hyde Park or Anderson Township locations now!

Ah, internet trolls—the digital mischief-makers who thrive on chaos and attention. Their power lies in provoking, upsetting, and confusing people, but there are ways to upend their mission. When you don't bite—or clap back effectively—they wither, left shouting into the void or slinking away in embarrassment. 

Businesses, even small businesses in the franchising world, all encounter their own internet trolls at some point. And in honor of Valentine’s Day, we suggest showing your haters a little bit of love. After all, if someone cares enough to make a nasty comment, they do care about your business. (It’s almost like they’re your #1 fan!) 😍 Their silver lining is that your brand is expanding!

In this guide, we’ll teach franchise social media marketing teams how to love their haters—aka how to deal with and defeat social media trolls that are bound to show up in their comments.

This is a preview of the trolls ahead.

Below, we examine 8 distinct internet troll types & how to defeat them:

• The Provocative Commenter

• The Attention Seeker

• The Repetitive Complainer

• The Sarcastic Expert

• The Excessive Critic 

• The False Information Troll

• The Guilt Tripper 

• The “Humorist”

Internet Troll #1: The Provocative Commenter

Trolling Strategy: This social media troll makes exaggerated or inflammatory statements to provoke an emotional reaction. These are often insults, hyperbolic claims, or baiting statements meant to spark controversy.

These people are always soooo edgy.

Example: “Your food is garbage and I can’t believe anyone buys this crap!” 

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Don’t engage emotionally: Acknowledge their commentary, but don’t escalate. Keep responses factual and calm.

• Redirect to solution: “We’re sorry you feel that way. Can you please DM us with details, so we can help resolve the issue?”

• Block or delete: If the troll continues, don’t hesitate to block or delete their comment to maintain a positive environment on your profile.

Internet Troll #2: The Attention Seeker

Trolling Strategy: Some internet trolls just want attention, whether through exaggerated praise, complaining, or simply getting a reaction. They may ask provocative questions or demand responses.

Yeah, this is basically what they're like.

Example: “Your always posting this stuff. So cringe!”

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Avoid feeding the troll: Sometimes, it’s best to simply ignore these people.

• Polite acknowledgment: A light, polite, carefree response can sometimes de-escalate a situation. “Thanks for your feedback, we appreciate your thoughts!”

• Redirect: Offer them an opportunity to engage in a meaningful conversation privately.

• Correct: Let them know that you do, in fact, offer variety in your content. Provide examples! And if there’s a grammatical error in their critique, correct them. 😉

Internet Troll #3: The Repetitive Complainer

Trolling Strategy: This type of social media troll keeps posting the same complaint over and over again to create frustration and drown out other voices. 

If you don't reply, they may ask to see a manager.

Example: “I’m STILL waiting for my refund, it's been 3 weeks!” repeated multiple times.

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Address the complaint directly: Provide a clear, concise update on the situation.

• Take the conversation offline: Invite them to reach out via direct message or email for better resolution.

• Use automated responses: If the same complaint is repeated often, set up an FAQ or automated response addressing common issues.

Internet Troll #4: The Sarcastic “Expert”

Trolling Strategy: These internet trolls position themselves as experts, often acting condescendingly to undermine your authority, services or products.

Their expertise outranks that of the real experts . . . so they think.

Example: “Yeah, that’s real cute. Maybe if you actually knew what you were doing, you wouldn’t need this ad.”

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Keep it real: While it might be challenging to remain polite, we suggest you do so while also keeping your response focused on facts.

• Invite constructive conversation: “We appreciate your expertise! Feel free to share suggestions on how we can improve.”

• Don’t lower yourself to sarcasm: Acknowledge your own expertise without getting drawn into their tone. You’ll be factually correct and your maturity may annoy them.

Internet Troll #5: The Obsessive Critic

Trolling Strategy: A wise woman once asked, “why you so obsessed with me?” 🎵Have you thought that yourself? That’s because these internet trolls continuously criticize your business, often going beyond simple complaints to undermine your credibility entirely.

Trolls are basically just mean girls. Or guys.

Example: “I had a horrible experience here last year, and I’ll never recommend you to anyone!”

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Respond professionally: Acknowledge their experience and offer to rectify it.

• Showcase social proof: Highlight positive reviews from other customers to balance the conversation.

Internet Troll #6: The False Information Troll

Trolling Strategy: These social media trolls spread false or misleading information, in order to confuse or mislead your potential customers.

They speak with absolute confidence.

Example: “They use low-quality ingredients in their products—do your own research!”

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Correct with facts: Gently correct the misinformation, providing facts and links to reliable sources so they can do their own research!

• Stay factual: Keep your tone neutral and avoid being defensive. Followers are more likely to side with straight facts here.

Internet Troll #7: The Guilt Tripper

Trolling Strategy: These social media trolls try to manipulate emotions by presenting themselves as morally superior, trying to shame the business into a certain response.

You should feel bad . . . Because I said so!

Example: “It’s really sad that you can’t even answer your customers. You should be ashamed of yourselves!”

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Stay calm: Acknowledge their concern when you can, but don’t let them guilt you into responding under pressure in the moment.

• State your position: “We’re sorry if we missed your message. We’re committed to providing great service and will respond as soon as we can!”

• Set expectations: Be transparent about your response times, products, services, and more.

Internet Troll #8: The Humorist/Troll with Memes

Trolling Strategy: They use humor, memes, or mocking to belittle your brand or business while fancying themselves comedians. This is often a tactic to make your brand seem out-of-touch or embarrassing.

Is it wrong to want to bring back the tradition of throwing tomatoes?

Example: Posting a meme mocking your logo or recent campaign.

Franchise Marketing Response:

• Play along carefully: If it’s lighthearted, sometimes responding with humor can humanize your brand. Duolingo pretty much sets the gold standard here!

• Don’t let it devolve: Avoid getting caught in a meme war or responding too much.

• Shift back to professionalism: “Glad you find it funny! We take customer feedback seriously and would love to help if there’s anything else we can assist with.”

Key Strategies When Getting Trolled on Social Media: 

Here’s a quick reference guide for franchise marketing teams when getting trolled on social media, so you can assess and understand how to handle things in the moment!

1. Don't engage immediately: If you sense a troll, take a moment to collect your thoughts. Responding out of frustration can escalate the situation.
   
   
   

2. Take the conversation offline: Whenever possible, move the conversation to private messages or emails.
   
   
   

3. Maintain a positive tone: Your response should always be professional and empathetic, even if the other person isn’t.
   
   
   

4. Encourage feedback: Invite genuine suggestions, and if the troll has a real issue, resolve it behind the scenes.
   
   
   

5. Leverage Positive Feedback: Highlight happy customers who leave genuine praise. This can counterbalance negative comments and promote positive social proof.
   
   
   

6. Use Humor (When Appropriate)
   Humor can defuse tension, but be cautious—it can easily backfire if not handled well. Know your brand’s voice and whether it’s appropriate to respond in kind.

When small businesses are empowered to recognize and respond to internet trolling effectively, they create a more positive, supportive online environment. Eventually, your trolls will leave you alone . . . Or who knows? 

They may come out to support you (publicly) as your brand’s #1 fan! 😍