Marketing for Franchises: Best Practices for Branding

With 2+ Billion people use Facebook, and over 1.66+ billion doing so via mobile devices, social media is arguably one of the largest online platforms where businesses can connect directly with their target audiences, often in real-time and on the go.

Social media’s business value is also well established. Your brand’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, G+ and other platforms can help drive traffic to your site, showcase positive reviews, give you a direct line of communication to settle any customer care issues. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why branding through social media is so important when marketing for franchises.

In today’s post, we offer some proven best practices for social media marketing for franchises. Read on to learn some basic tips that franchisors can share with their franchisees, or get in touch with our social media marketing team to discuss specific solutions for your location.  

Consider Implementing A Style Guide For Brand Consistency

As you probably know, brand consistency is both a cornerstone and primary advantage of franchising. And in the same way that your customers should be able to get the same high-quality experience at any franchise location, they’ll also expect quality and consistency with every piece of online content and social media post that falls under your brand umbrella.  A digital library that houses all approved marketing materials is a great start.  FranchiseSoft.com has just the thing and it is completely mobile friendly at an affordable cost: http://franchisesoft.com/franchise-solutions/intranet/

Of course, this doesn’t mean that every franchisee’s website and social media account should be posting duplicate content. In fact, that’s a surefire way to attract ranking penalties and repel readers. Instead, consider putting together a style guide that outlines your franchise’s philosophy, image, and personality. It’s a good idea to create these guidelines collectively, so that all your current franchisees have their voices heard. Once completed, distribute these guidelines among your franchisees, then allow their creativity and passion for the brand to take the lead. You might also consider having all franchisees source their images and media content from the same provider, or even using the same social media marketing service for all of your franchises. This can save you time and money, while also acting as an added value point in the marketing package for prospects.

Keep Franchisees Up To Date About Social Media Changes

One thing that makes social media marketing for franchises tricky is the ever-evolving state of popular platforms; it seems like every day you log into Facebook to find some new feature, sidebar, or chat function, and Instagram is looking more and more like SnapChat every day. As new features are released, the onus falls on the franchisee to make the most of these opportunities for visibility and engagement. Not only are existing platforms changing, but new ones are popping up all the time, which makes it even harder for busy franchisees to stay on top of their social media game.

As a franchisor, it is your responsibility to keep your franchisees up to date with social media changes. Some prefer to send out monthly newsletters or updates via other internal communications channels, but since these only amount to more work and materials for the franchisee to sift through, they usually produce mixed results. There are franchise management software solutions that can assist in communicating with your franchisees via a communications dashboard.  Check out FranchiseSoft.com if you haven’t already done so. 

The best way to stay on top of social media’s mercurial culture is to find experts that live and breathe it. Hiring someone in corporate or outsourcing to social marketing specialists allows your franchisees to focus on growing their business, rather than burdening them with the backend technology race.

Social Media Marketing For Franchises Should Be Simple And Visual

You’ve heard the old expression that “content is king,” but don’t fall into the trap of overdoing it. Content performs best when it is simple, concise, and visually stimulating. Focus on getting your audience valuable information as quickly as possible – we love using custom infographics for this purpose.

Whatever You Choose, Be Sure To Stay Updated, Or Your Audience Will Assume Your Brand Is Out Of Touch!

Tell us some of the cools ways you are marketing your franchise on Facebook or in the comment section below!