PPC or SEO: What’s Best For Your Franchise?
Have you been attempting to reach out and present your franchise business to a wide audience of prospective clients? It doesn’t matter if you are a marketer or not, creating an online marketing strategy for your business can be a difficult decision if you do not know which path will give your company the results you are looking for. When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, otherwise known as SEO, and Pay per Click Advertising, known as PPC, many marketers have conflicting opinions as to which one is the most effective for particular businesses. Many believe that smaller franchises would be better off directing their marketing dollars towards PPC, while others indicate that this approach is pointless no matter the size of the business.
However, in many cases the answer to this ongoing debate between PPC and SEO varies case to case, and it is useless to give a blanket statement that makes one of the strategies as superior over the other. So how can you tell which marketing strategy is going to work for your franchise or business?
Pay Per Click Marketing Strategy Benefits
When considering your decision there are several factors that you have to consider. One of the most important is the type of keywords your business requires to rank in search engine results. These are keywords or key phrases that potential franchisees submit to Google in hope of finding the right franchise business for them. Researchers have found that searches for keywords that had high commercial intent have resulted in a larger amount of users clicking Pay per click ads, almost twice as many, over regular organic listings. This means for those franchises and businesses attempting to sell a certain topic, Pay per click can be a handy tool. However, with franchises this can be particularly effective for the products your franchisees will be selling to their customers, but its potential in growing your network of leads is not the same.
Search Engine Optimization Strategy Benefits
In contrast to simply selling a product, franchisors are selling an opportunity that requires investment and lengthy selling cycle. Prospective franchisees are not looking for a product page, they need a website dedicated to providing them a variety of resources to acquaint themselves with the brand, and any benefits that will come their way if they decide to open a franchise.
This plays in perfectly for a content oriented approach, which provides two distinct marketing advantages to franchisors. The first of these benefits is, with a strategic franchise content strategy you can create a website that is filled with what search engines such as Google and Yahoo! are looking for. When these content pieces are optimized for the keywords that your potential leads will be searching for, you can begin attracting prospects that are actively searching and trying to learn what your company is about and are more serious about making an investment with your franchise.
The second benefit, is that this gives franchises an advantage by creating an online environment that stands out from other franchises. Regularly updating your blog, providing potential leads with access to newsletters and a list of FAQ, and testimonials from real franchisees. This allows potential leads and visitors to get comfortable with the opportunity available to them from the first time they visit your site.
Therefore, in conclusion, if you are looking for an opportunity to take advantage of selling a particular product or focus on short term growth, pay per click marketing may be the best option for you. However, in today’s franchising environment, search engine optimization may be the option that is the best for your franchise. Franchises are consistently seeing long term success when they establish websites that are built to attract and make visitors comfortable. This is allowing them to convert leads that they would otherwise not have been able to.
About the Author : Jamshaid (Jam) Hashmi
A serial entrepreneur with extensive background in franchising and interests in multiple online business channels, Jamshaid (Jam) Hashmi has played an instrumental role in the franchise development and success of an international franchise company. His most recent entrepreneurial interests include launching ClickTecs, a Digital Marketing company specializing in Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing as well as Website and Mobile Application development. In 2007 he co-founded Search Result, an online marketing company that supplies services to Internet Marketing Consultants. A sought after public speaker, Jam has been the featured keynote at many franchise conferences and international summits. He regularly trains ‘C’ Level Executives and supports both new and seasoned business owners on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media Optimization, Mobile Marketing, Brand Reputation Management and Conversion & Measurement through web analytics. When he’s not scaling the heights of the Internet world, Jam ‘unwinds’ on extreme thrill-seeking adventures from the jungles of the Amazon to the highest summits. His passions include working with NGOs on humanitarian missions to areas around the world affected by disasters and poverty.
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