Creating a Franchise Internet Marketing & Social Media Model

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1 Creating a Franchise Internet Marketing & Social Media Model In order to set your franchise system and your franchisees up for long-term online success, it s crucial to create a well-defined online marketing model that identifies how the Internet will be used in marketing and who is responsible for various components of that process. Unfortunately, this is an element that is often overlooked. It s important to consider the search engine marketing components as well as the social networking components. How will the Internet be used to ensure the franchise website lands on Page 1 for relevant searches in all of its local markets? Who will ensure that happens franchisor or franchisee? How will social networking be utilized? Only at the brand level or to help local franchises engage with their markets? How many pages and profiles are required to do this? Who is responsible for setting up and maintaining those social media networks? There are many options for creating a model that fits each franchise system s unique needs. Some franchisors prefer to control the use of online marketing and social media entirely. Some encourage their franchisees to engage online locally

2 using social networking, search marketing or both. Some franchisors control all of the content and customer services, whereas others leave that entirely to the franchisees. Many franchise systems utilize a mix of both. While we have our opinions as to what works best based on the franchises we ve worked with, what s important is to identify the system that works best for your franchise and then specify the ins and outs of how that s going to work, along with guidelines to make sure it all runs smoothly. Elements to consider include: How to maintain brand consistency How to monitoring and respond to customer feedback in a consistent and positive way How to implement a crisis media plan so everyone involves knows how to respond to serious online issues and prevent the rapid spreading of negative customer feedback In the event that the responsibility lies largely with franchisees, it is very important to specific y in advance the online expectations and boundaries by which those expectations should be achieved. Items to consider here include: Will social media participation be mandatory, and if so what measures of success will be put in place and what level of interaction would be required? How much time would franchisees be expected to spend on social media in order to accomplish necessary goals? What costs would be incurred to achieve these goals? Time or money or both? Would franchisors recommend outsourcing as an option, and if so how would that be funded? These are just some of the aspects to consider when designing an Internet Marketing model that meets the needs of your franchise. Each franchise is unique, and it s important to create a tailored model that benefits both franchisor and

3 franchisees. Also, remember that whether your franchise is a start-up or is well-established with many franchisees, it is never too late to implement a model that will support your online success. How to Handle Twitter: Some Quick Tips to Help You Engage Better Originally Published in the Winter 2013 Edition of Local Connections Halifax by Frances Leary The new year is here, and Haligonians everywhere started January with a bang and have been running ever since. Running from meeting to meeting, running to catch deadlines, running to networking events and doing everything they can to keep their business endeavors running successfully in the process. While most people are warming up to the idea that Social Media can be a huge benefit to business, the truth is that it often seems incredibly overwhelming. So, in an effort to help local

4 business people take a bite out of the social media apple, let s consider a few small Twitter practices that can have a big impact on business and not always in a good way. Consider the practice of return following users on Twitter. While there is an unspoken etiquette that most users will follow those who follow them, it is important to consider that the users you follow are a reflection of you. It is also crucial to note that there are many users that follow anyone and everyone in order to spam their promotion of one kind or another, including very bold members of the porn industry. Following someone back makes sense when you are truly interested in who they are and what they offer you and your audience. Following everyone back, while it may save time, could actually compromise you and the message you want to convey to your audience. Another practice is that of purchasing followers. While this has the ability to increase your numbers significantly, it is important to consider whether the followers you are buying are actually of benefit to you. Are they your audience? Will they engage with you? Perhaps the most important question to ask is this: is it the numbers that matter to you or the quality of your contacts? Often follower lists that are built over time and based on strong, relationship-building communications are more loyal and have a much larger ROI than large numbers of purchased followers. A third standard practice to consider is using an auto-reply to communicate with all your new followers. This tool sends your new followers a direct message to their Twitter inbox. While on one hand this seems like a great way to recognize and welcome new followers, consider that it may also be very impersonal. As more people get wise to the auto-reply, it may even seem self-serving and more like spam than a true welcome message. There may be other, more personalized alternatives.

5 While automated Twitter practices can save time, it is important for business people to consider how their audience views those practices and how it impacts the relationships they are using Twitter to build. The best rule to follow is that if you see it as effective and beneficial when others do it to you and if it feels right to you, then do it. If it doesn t, then don t. Consider creating your own set of Twitter standard practices that become standard because they work for you. Is Your Franchise Brand a Social Media Mess? In our line of business, we see this all the time. Countless Facebook pages and Twitter profiles, LinkedIn company pages and Google+ pages all representing different locations of the same brand but in completely different ways. Different logos.

6 Random images. Lack of consistency. Inappropriate messaging. Companies engaging like individuals. No engagement at all. Complaints not being dealt with properly. Customer questions being left unanswered. And the list goes on. In today s world, the social media space is relevant, current and, in most cases, necessary. However, if you don t know what you brand messaging looks like across the board, you may not be putting the power of social media to good use for your franchise system. In fact, it may be doing you harm. It s important that all franchisors know what their franchisees are doing online. This does not have to mean micro-managing it or taking away a franchise s independence. What it does mean is defining the rules of engagement so that all franchisees know how to use social internet space to their advantage and for the betterment of the brand as a whole. Take the time to find out what your franchisees are doing online. If, indeed, you find a bit of a social media mess, then start the process of defining what the ideal social space looks like for your franchise as a whole and for your franchisees. Make your franchisees part of that process, and put together a social media communication model that fits the unique needs of your franchise system.

7 Are You Where You Need to Be in Social Media? Everyone is hopping on the social media bandwagon these days, that is if they didn t start hopping some time ago. However, many business people are using the wrong platforms, so all the hopping in the world won t lead to business growth. How do you know what the right platform is? Some will say that if you re a business to business marketer, you should be on LinkedIn. If you re a business to consumer marketer you should be on Facebook. These are generalizations, nothing more. A more accurate answer is If your audience is there engaging with brands like yours, then you should be there, wherever that is. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are still the top three social media networks for business growth. Pinterest is climbing rapidly, and Google+ is gaining ground. And of course there are others. Must you participate in all of them? Definitely not. However, if your audience is there, you should strongly consider how your engagement could increase your brand awareness, your contacts, your website traffic and ultimately your revenue. Here are some questions to help you define where your target market is and whether you should be there, too. Go to each of the platforms above and answer these questions: Does my competition have a page/profile here? Are people talking about my field or the service/products my company offers?

8 Are any of my clients here? Are any of my potential clients here? If my clients/potential clients are here, are they engaging with brands like mine? If you answer YES to all the questions for any of the social networking platforms YOU SHOULD BE USING THAT PLATFORM!!! And if you answered yes to most of the questions, you should consider being there, too. If you still don t want to use it.that s up to you. At least you can make your decision based on the truth and not assumptions. And remember, there are always people who can help you if you just don t know where to start. Breaking the Link Between Facebook & Twitter If your company still has its Facebook and Twitter pages linked so that Facebook posts go to Twitter or Twitter posts go to Facebook. STOP IT!! Hashtags on Facebook are a clear sign that you haven t taken the time to think about how to communicate in a unique way with your Facebook fans, and tweets that are cut off and link back to Facebook indicate that you don t value your Twitter

9 followers enough to create unique content for them. Facebook and Twitter users want different things in different ways. Start paying attention to what information really gets them talking on each platform, and do more of that. Be present to engage with your audience in each space, and you ll learn more of what they are looking for. Identify Your Social Media Goals The world of social networking can seem like a vast timesucking black hole, and without a plan of action it is, indeed, just that. The first step to creating your organization s strategic social media plan is to identify the goals your company wants to accomplish using social media. Keep in mind that the ROI of social media is not simply about the dollars. The return of your time and financial investments into social media initiatives comes in many forms, including: A loyal audience Unsolicited testimonials A wider reach

10 More people telling more people about your company The opportunity to provide your audience with information that truly benefits them Becoming a trusted authority in your field A better understanding of who your audience is, what they want, and how you can serve them And that s just the beginning. Here are examples of potential goals to get you thinking. Consider which of the following are most important to you to accomplish using social media (try to choose three): Build relationships with your target market Increase contacts Educate your audience Establish yourself as an expert Generate newsletter/ list signups Increase visitors to website Increase brand awareness Sell Products Increase clients Post specials and discounts Increase revenue Give out coupons If you circled Sell Products, Post specials and discounts and Give out coupons stop now. Social media isn t for you. Okay, that might be a bit harsh, but those three were really in there to trick you. Social Media isn t about sales, at least not directly. Does it lead to sales? Absolutely! However, social networking works most effectively (and can lead to increased revenue) if you do not use it simply to push sales. It s about building relationships with people! Identifying your three primary goals is step one in creating

11 your comprehensive social media strategy. Step 2 is identifying where your audience is so that you have the right platform for achieving your goals. Wired Flare featured in Corey Poirier s Conversations with Nova Scotians Wired Flare and our President and Founder, Frances Leary, have been included in Corey Poirier s new book, Conversations with Nova Scotians. The book is a result of over 5 years of research on Poirier s part and 2000 personal interviews with individuals in Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada. Conversations with Nova Scotians shares the stories of Nova Scotia-based leaders in a wide range of industries, including entertainment and business. The conversation with our president Frances Leary tells about her background in folklore that led to the development of the unique marketing approach used at Wired Flare. It shares her passion for Atlantic Canada and reveals her get it done

12 attitude that has paved her road to success. It s such an honor to be included in this publication. The book features so many talented individuals who have made an impact in such diverse ways. It s very humbling to see my name and my company s story among so many great leaders. I m so grateful to Corey for the opportunity and for seeing the value that Wired Flare brings to Atlantic Canada. The book shares Leary s philosophies on challenges, successes, and remaining positive when faced with negativity, and it reveals her secrets to turning her dreams into reality. For more information about corey Poirier and Conversations with Nova Scotians, visit: