Category Archives: Franchising

How can franchisors convince their franchisees to adopt Social Media?

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Jennifer MacDonald| 6 Comments
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In celebration of Tasti D-Lite‘s 25th birthday, I went to NYC and met with the CEO, Jim Amos, and VP of Technology, BJ Emerson. I asked them to share some tips and advice on how other franchises can be successful by implementing social media into their franchise network.

BJ points out that the franchisor needs to be a curator, there are a ton of great stories happening online from your customers. The franchisor needs to capture those stories and get them out to the network. By pushing these stories/content down to the franchisees, it will help them see the opportunity and start using social media.

Jim addresses the fact that the C-Suite needs to drive the level of transparency that will allow this level of dialogue and conversation to take place, in order to be successful.

Do you have any other tips for implementing Social Media into a franchise?

 

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Posted in Community Manager Tips, Franchising, Franchising goes Social, Social Media Marketing

How can a Franchise be successful with Social Media Marketing?

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Jennifer MacDonald| Leave a comment
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Tasti D-Lite celebrated their 25th birthday last week in NYC. I joined BJ Emerson, VP Technology, and the CEO, Jim Amos, to celebrate.

Social Media has played a huge role in the growth of the Tasti D-Lite franchise and I wanted them to share some advice and tips for other franchisors or business owners on how they can be successful with Social Media.

BJ Emerson suggests that the content needs to come from the local level, not the corporate office, in order for your business to be relevant online for your customers. You need to get your franchisees involved, provide them with training and give them the tools to be successful.

Jim Amos says that the most important factor at the strategic level is that you want to be involved in the dialogue online. A company needs to be willing to be transparent and talk with the people who are already talking about your brand.

What advice do you have?

 

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Posted in Community Manager Tips, Franchising, Franchising goes Social, Social Media Marketing

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Franchisees & Social Media: Driving national brand standards to the local level

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Guest| Leave a comment
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Traditional wisdom says that consistency is the key to building a brand. But we’ve found that when it comes to franchising, maintaining consistency at the local level is an ongoing challenge.

True, in a national franchise model, there are many messages which just wouldn’t make sense coming from the brand at a national level, or from every affiliate in the network even at a local level. That is especially true in the real estate industry in which local market conditions drive the business.

But with the advent of social media, brands and franchisees have the best of both worlds, leveraging new platforms to deliver content that is both branded and local.

ERA Real Estate weighed in on this topic earlier this summer at the 2012 Consumer Business Relationship conference, which took place in Boston, Mass.  Historically an academic conference, this year the agenda featured a panel of practicing marketing professionals who brought to life many of the concepts studied and researched at the academic level.

The panel, which included ERA Real Estate’s brand and social media manager Carla Hayes, explored the dynamics of the consumer/brand relationship within a franchising model.  A portion of the discussion revolved around social media for its ability to amplify the brand experience at both the national and franchisee level.

In our experience, social media can help build brands because of its ability to penetrate at the hyper-local level with market-appropriate content, giving franchisees a chance to strengthen customer relationships, promote themselves as a local resource and establish their expertise. Consumers engage with information they need, on a platform that is accessible on their own time, and that maintains and increases brand loyalty by marrying the cache of a global franchise with the local expertise of our franchisees. 

So how do you get the right mix of brand and local content on individual franchise social media profiles? Providing brokers with access to a nationally managed content library as well as a scheduling tool that simplifies the process and saves time has allowed us to drive standards to a local level while giving brokers the chance to be unique to their local market.  We also have the ability to disseminate system-wide posts from the national office to augment local efforts and extend the brand into spaces we normally would not penetrate.

One of the great things about deploying a national social media strategy at ERA Real Estate is that social media by its very nature is consistent with the core values of the ERA community: from our founding, our franchisees have established a culture of collaboration like no other brand in the real estate industry. In addition to facilitating connections to customers, social media also allows our franchisees to connect and keep up with each other, further strengthening that which has served to distinguish us for more than 40 years.   From that perspective, what’s not to “Like”?

-Charlie Young, President & CEO, ERA Franchise Systems LLC

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Posted in Community Manager Tips, Engage121 Clients, Franchising, Franchising goes Social, Marketing, Social Media Marketing

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Why should I let my franchisees use Social Media?

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Jennifer MacDonald| 2 Comments
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Why wouldn’t you? I’m going to guess that your first thought is brand management. That is understandable. But, you let your franchisees market their business now and you have brand guidelines for them to follow. You provide training when they first join your franchise network, and maybe you show them how to use your email marketing system. Why not add a little training about using Facebook for business as well?

If you don’t have the manpower for training, then make sure to add some guidelines to your brand policy. Point your franchisees in the right direction for support, such as Facebook’s Help Center or Twitter’s support center. List a few good blogs for them to follow in order to learn Best Practices, such as Spin Sucks, SmartBrief on Social Media, and Mashable.

A social media policy for your franchise network would be a great addition, not only for risk management but also to keep you, the franchisor, out of trouble. There are many great templates online that you can use as a guideline, which are free to download. I would recommend having your lawyer look over the policy before you distribute it to your franchise network.

After you’ve created a ground base for your franchise system to use Social Media you will begin to see many benefits.

1. Your brand name starts showing up in search more. Social Networks are now crawled by Google, even Pinterest boards are appearing in Search.

2. You now have one more reason why someone should buy your franchise instead of your competitor’s. Not only do you provide marketing training and materials, but Social Media has provided a great network for all of your franchisees. You will have a few who are having great success, which you can use as Case Studies to grow adoption among your system. As for your competitor who doesn’t let their franchisees use social media, it shows that they are not innovative and cutting edge. It really makes you wonder where their business will be in the future.

3. Your franchisees grow their network and sales increase. Social Media allows your franchisees to become better known in their local market, more easily interact with their clients, and leverage their current clients for referrals.

4. At the International Franchise Association conference you are already on board with Social Media and you answer questions that other franchisors have since they have not yet jumped on the social train. You look like a successful, brand-focused franchise system, and are admired by other IFA members.

The real benefits of letting your franchisees use Social Media will start to show in the near future, depending on how active they are, and that is when you will see the true pay off for your time and services.

Are you still hesitant?

 

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Posted in Facebook, Franchising, Franchising goes Social, Pinterest, Social Media Marketing, Twitter, Uncategorized

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Social Media enables us to “tell a story” about our brands like no other platform can.

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Jennifer MacDonald| 2 Comments
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Guy Kawasaki (former executive for Apple) was “awe-inspiring” at IFA, driving “real” meaning to the Social Media discussion and debate over usability.  He explained social media “practically” and elaborated on how social media enables us to “tell a story” about our brands like no other platform can.

He began by explaining that to transform your brand into a masterpiece, such as Apple did, your brand must successfully accomplish three factors in the social media: Likeability, Trustworthiness and Quality.

Guy suggested that by using these three factors, you can add personality to your brand and emotionally touch your consumer. As all of us iPhone users know, we do not own an iPhone exclusively for its millions of apps that enhance our lives, but because of the sleek and elegant design. It’s sexy; it makes us feel sexy, intelligent, productive and successful. The aura around Apple products makes you feel that you will not live another day if you do not own one. As brand proprietors, we should all aspire to do this for our brands.

You might ask…How was that message conveyed when it is attached to a piece of technology? By putting a story behind the message and finding the right people to tell that story; not just twitter users with 10,000+ followers, but those with only fifteen.  They are the tweeps who have the time to write about your product and become passionate about your brand.

Guy also mentioned, “Solving problems”. Guy explains the Apple problem/solution… “You’ve created your computer company because the only way you could access a computer was to visit a library, you thought there must be a better way, so you launched Apple.” Your computer company has just solved an everyday problem.

Guy also explained the importance of input and reciprocation.  Start with asking your customers for their support, even if they’ve already given it to you. After they’ve re-tweeted you, proceed to say thank you, then tweet them a link to a customer survey. People want to help you; you just need to let them know how. They want to feel that their input matters and is valued.  After you’ve received their input, keep in mind, it’s CRITICAL to reciprocate… ask how you might help them; this becomes your opening to the continuing dialogue.

A few more takeaways:
ENGAGE & DO IT FAST: Each post lasts 2-3 hours, so hurry!
SELL YOUR DREAM: Enchant your customer; don’t focus on money/product dump; tell a STORY to sell your product.
REMOVE THE SPEED BUMPS: Make it easy for your customer to connect with you, especially online.

“Social Media is a means to an end; the end game is enchantment of your customer.  Social Media isn’t the only way, it’s ONE GREAT way.”

I would love to hear your takeaways, please post them below.

 

 

 
- Jennifer MacDonald, Director of Community & Client Engagement

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Posted in Community Manager Tips, Facebook, Franchising, Google+, Marketing, Social Media Management, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Monitoring, Twitter, What's new - Marketing

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How do I participate in a Twitter Chat?

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Jennifer MacDonald| 5 Comments
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Let me show you! I will be moderating a Twitter Chat on Thursday, 1.9.12, as a Q&A about the 52nd Annual IFA conference. Deb Evans, CEO Computer Explorers, will be our guest to answer any and all questions you may have regarding IFA. Deb has been involved with franchising for the last 16 years and has attended more IFA conventions/seminars than she can count!

Some of the questions you may have could be:
Will there by WiFi?
What should I wear?
What is the Taste of Franchising?

Please tweet any questions that you have regarding IFA or the IFA Tweetup. We will start at 11am EST and take the first 10 minutes to introduce ourselves and get settled in. An example of an introductory tweet is “@jennimacdonald Director of Community & Client Engagement 4 @Engage121. I have been in franchising for the last 3 years. #IFAtwtup”

We will wrap up the Twitter Chat at 11:55 am EST to leave a few minutes to say goodbye and thank Deb for sharing her experience and knowledge with us.

Please tweet any questions that you have. Once I see your tweet I will format the question as you see below. This is to make sure everyone sees the question and everyone sees Deb’s answer.

@jennimacdonald Q1. What should I wear while I am at IFA? #IFAtwtup
@debevans A1. Dress pants, a nice shirt and COMFY shoes. #IFAtwtup

DO NOT forget to include the hashtag, #IFAtwtup, in ALL of your tweets. This is the only way that your tweets will show up in the Twitter Chat stream.

Let’s get tweeting!

 

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Posted in Community Manager Tips, Franchising, Social Media Marketing, Twitter

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Consumers Check Review Sites Before Facebook

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Jack Serpa| Leave a comment
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Our friends at eMarketer posted a news article* that highlights the increasing importance of Review Sites in driving local store traffic.

We weren’t surprised that 70% of consumers search online sources before visiting a local business or restaurant.  Even my Mom does Google searches before heading out.

So after the common Google glance and other search results, can you guess what is the next most popular online resource for tips on where to spend your cash?  My first guess was Facebook.   Wrong!

Online Yellow pages are the next resource, followed by Review Sites….then Facebook.  (See chart of research results). 

At Engage121, we have integrated the top 41 (and counting) Rating and Reviewsites into our social media management application, along with 20 social platforms and publishing tools.

So if you need to “listen” to what’s being said about your local business or global brand, we’ve got you covered.  As important, Engage121 enables our clients to “engage” most of the conversations discovered through our application.    

 Article Excerpt: “Some 70% of consumers checked an online source before visiting a local business or restaurant, according to a survey from local content and advertising network CityGrid Media conducted by Harris Interactive in March 2011. Google was the top source, 13 percentage points ahead of online yellow pages. Consumers also checked review sites (13%) and Facebook (12%). “

For more information on rating and review sites and Engage121, please contact Jack Serpa, executive vice president of Engage121, at 203-849-7246, jserpa@engage121.com, or @jackserpa.

 * Source: eMarketer: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008679

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Posted in Community Manager Tips, Consumer Reviews, Engage121, Facebook, Franchising, Marketing Tools, Social Customer Service, Social Media Events, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Monitoring, Social Media Platforms, Social Media Revolution, Uncategorized, What's new - Marketing

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Franchising Equals Jobs

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Jack Serpa| Leave a comment
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If you believe that economic recovery is dependent on job creation, you’ll be both impressed and frustrated with the impact the franchise industry holds in the balance.   

I just returned from Washington DC where the International Franchise Association held their annual IFA Public Affairs Conference.   

Consider that one out of every eight jobs in the private sector is with a franchise company. When a local Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins opens in your area, 30 new jobs are created.  There are 828,000 franchise businesses in theUS, employing 9.1 million people who are paid $304.4 billion in direct payroll. That creates $468.5 billion to GDP.

It gets bigger.  Each franchise establishment needs supplies, services and professional support.  Roll that up nationwide and franchising fuels 17.4 million jobs,  $707.6 billion in payroll, which is 9.7% of all private/non-farm payroll, and $1.2 TRILLION to GDP

Now comes the frustration.   So jobs grow when Franchising grows, right?  To start a franchise business, a local business person (the employer) needs capital funding.  The funding is not coming through. No new lending means no new jobs.

Ken Walker, the Chairman and CEO of Driven Brands (owners of MAACO, Meineke and EconoLube) said his company has 100 people signed up to open new franchises. They can’t get funding.  Karen Powell, CEO and Founder of Décor For You, told me she has two new franchisees inPennsylvania, but the banks aren’t coming forth with the capital.

What’s being done? 

The IFA’s Public Affairs Conference is a well-orchestrated lobbying blitz where owners of both local franchisees and corporate franchisors meet with their US Senators and Representatives.  After great networking and instructional events at the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Avenue, the IFA literally buses this franchise army to the Capitol.  With pre-scheduled meetings in the office of senators and congressmen, the franchise army presses the case for easing capital lending to franchisees to fuel economic growth.

The power of the purse strings in our nation’s banks can stymie or stimulate our economy.  If you agree, send a tweet or post or a good ol’ fashion letter to your local congressional representative.  For contact information on your local congressman or senator, go to http://www.congress.org. They work for you and you pay them.  Be heard!

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Posted in Franchising