For years, franchise marketing strategies have been built around a familiar funnel: search engines drive discovery, websites convert, and loyalty programs keep customers coming back. However, consumer behavior has changed. Discovery is no longer starting where many franchise brands are focusing the majority of their investment.
According to LT’s 2025 Franchise Report, 75% of consumers say they discover new brands on social platforms. That shift is fundamentally changing how people search, evaluate, and decide, causing major implications for franchise marketing.
Today, social platforms are doing more than just influencing purchase decisions. They’ve become search engines in their own right. And for franchise brands, the question is no longer whether social discovery matters – it’s whether your brand is showing up where consumers are actively looking.
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and even Snapchat are no longer just places to consume content. They are discovery tools where users search intentionally for inspiration, recommendations, reviews, and nearby options.
Consumers aren’t typing brand names. They’re searching phrases like:
Social algorithms reward content that answers those discovery-driven questions. Short-form video, authentic visuals, and real-world context help extend the reach of content from followers to entirely new audiences. In fact, based on LT’s recent study, 37% of consumers say they’ve discovered a new brand through short-form video content.
For franchise brands, this represents a major shift. Visibility is no longer owned solely through paid search or optimized websites. It’s earned through relevance, consistency, and presence within social discovery environments.
LT’s 2025 Franchise Report shows that while discovery behaviors vary by generation, social plays a role across all age groups.
For Gen Z, social platforms – particularly TikTok and Instagram – are often the first stop for discovery. This audience trusts peer content, creator perspectives, and real-world experiences far more than brand-owned websites. Visual proof, authenticity, and relatability matter most.
Millennials take a hybrid approach. While they still use traditional search engines for certain needs, they increasingly rely on social platforms to research brands, compare options, and validate decisions. Social content acts as a credibility check before conversion.
Older generations remain more search- and website-oriented, but social discovery is growing, particularly on Facebook and YouTube. Reviews, local content, and community-driven recommendations heavily influence decision-making.
The takeaway for franchise brands is clear: discovery today isn’t limited to one channel. Social media marketing plays a meaningful role across every generation, making it impossible to treat it as an optional or secondary tactic.
Despite shifting consumer behavior, many franchise systems remain heavily invested in channels designed for conversion rather than discovery.
Franchisors continue to prioritize:
These channels still matter – but they are no longer discovery-first.
LT’s 2025 Franchise Report highlights a recurring disconnect: while consumers increasingly discover brands through social platforms, franchise marketing investment remains heavily concentrated in owned and lower-funnel channels. These misaligned investments create limited visibility at the earliest stage of the journey.
When discovery happens elsewhere, even strong websites and apps struggle to perform.
Rather than abandoning foundational channels, this shift requires rebalancing them.
Franchise brands that win in social discovery:
At the same time, websites and apps should be positioned as what they do best: conversion, utility, and loyalty hubs. These are not primary discovery engines.
When discovery and conversion are aligned across channels, performance improves across the entire funnel.
Winning in social discovery doesn’t mean giving up brand control or overwhelming franchisees. It means building a system that empowers and equips operators while maintaining consistency.
Understand where your brand shows up today – and where it doesn’t. Are locations discoverable on TikTok or Instagram? Is local content visible when consumers search relevant terms?
Social platforms like TikTok and Instagram function like search engines—just with different ranking signals and content formats. The core principle is the same as SEO: match real intent with clear relevance. What changes is how you package and reinforce that relevance in a social-first environment:
Local operators bring authenticity that brand accounts can’t replicate. Empowering franchisees with tools, guidance, and guardrails allows brands to scale discovery without sacrificing consistency.
Strong franchise systems connect national strategy with local execution. National teams provide direction, messaging frameworks, and assets. Franchisees bring it to life in ways that resonate locally.
Success in social discovery is measured through visibility and engagement first, then downstream impact. Tracking how social drives traffic, awareness, and consideration helps refine strategy over time.
For example, brands often see social discovery influence traffic, branded search lift, location visits, or franchise inquiries, even when social isn’t the final conversion touchpoint.
Across every category, social discovery works best when content reflects real experiences, rather than polished brand messaging alone.
Franchise brands that fail to adapt risk more than missed impressions. According to LT’s 2025 Franchise Report, the gap between consumer expectations and franchise execution continues to widen.
Discovery is where brand perception begins, and increasingly, it’s happening on social.
Social-first search isn’t a trend. It’s a reflection of how consumers now search, evaluate, and choose brands.
Franchise systems that treat social platforms like search engines – and invest accordingly – position themselves for stronger visibility, relevance, and growth. Those that don’t risk falling behind, even with strong brand recognition.
At LT, we help franchise brands navigate these shifts by aligning strategy, channel investment, and system-wide execution. This allows for discovery, consistency, and performance to work together.
If you’re rethinking how your brand shows up in today’s discovery landscape, let’s talk. And for deeper insights into where franchise brands are losing ground – and how to close the gap – download LT’s 2025 Franchise Report.