Franchise marketing isn’t easy, but these 4 tips can help you pull ahead of the competition.
Franchise marketing poses some unique challenges for franchisees. Not only are you forced to compete with industry rivals, but you have to contend with your franchise family members as well. Imagine how tough it would be to distinguish your Starbucks as “the place to be” when there’s a green-clad barista on every corner.
Don’t despair; franchise marketing companies can help you get ahead. Read on to learn 4 tips from our franchise marketing team.
Claim Local Business Listings
Have you staked your claim on popular platforms like Google, Yelp, Citysearch, and Bing? These directories matter in any industry, and are vital when trying to build your online presence.
Claiming business listings makes life easier for potential customers, which is always a good thing. It allows prospects to find your storefront location, hours, and promotions with a quick mobile search, which is the dominant form of user inquiry that we’re seeing these days.
Your franchise listing should be error-free, and include the following information:
- Business name (and consistent naming conventions across all business directories)
- Franchise address
- Phone number
- Finished local profile (categories, pictures, videos, coupons, and keywords)
Appeal to the Mobile Masses
Recognizing the overwhelming amount of user inquiries occurring on Smartphones, Google has embraced mobile search with an incentive program that rewards mobile-optimized sites. If you’re not appealing to mobile audiences, you’re missing out. Franchise marketing companies will be able to help you create a responsive site that gives users a good experience and gets the “juice” from Google’s present algorithms. You can learn more about mobile responsiveness with 360 here.
Hustle Up Reviews
Many franchise marketing companies advice a “damage control” approach to online reputation management, but as they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” You should be working towards securing positive reviews long before the bad ones start rolling in.
You shouldn’t ask for reviews flat-out, but you can encourage customers to report their experiences on platforms of your choosing. It’s generally recommended that you guide users towards privately-owned review platforms that you control so that you can pick and choose.
One of the most important aspects of reputation management is responsiveness. It doesn’t matter whether you got a glowing 5-star rating or a scathing 1-star rant – you have to reply to show your audience that you’re engaged. Thank reviewers for their kind words, and reach out with support options in cases where people have nothing nice to say.
Build a Social Media Community
Social media is the interactive platform of the future. Indeed, it feels like the only way some people communicate these days: if you’ve ever caught your teenager Tweeting at the dinner table or hustling for Facebook “Likes” at a holiday get-together, you know what we mean. Engaging these audiences and building a community is a great way to distinguish your franchise as an invested, interactive place to be.
When trying to connect with your social media following, make sure to:
- Prioritize conversations over promotion: when in doubt, follow the “20-to-1” rule
- Share special “insider information” to reward your loyal following
- Maintain a consistent posting schedule and don’t let your followers down
- Never engage in “flame wars” or arguments, even with people who are clearly asking for it!
Could your business benefit from more techniques that franchise marketing companies use to get ahead? Learn more at https://www.360businesslocal.com/services/online-franchise-marketing/