In every franchisee site, the vast majority of its visitors aren’t there to convert. If you want to improve lead generation in your franchise, you should target this group of people with premium content.
But first! Let’s take a step back. The fact is that not everybody is a sales ready lead, which means that you shouldn’t treat all of them the same way. Not all visitors are ready to convert, and while a “Buy Now” or a “Free Demo” call to action (CTA) may be effective for some, it can be kind of pushy and scary for others that aren’t ready to take that step yet.
Those visitors are on the first stages of the conversion process and will probably want to research your business first to get a good idea of who you are. You need to put yourself in their shoes! You can’t expect these people to immediately become leads. You need to give them a good reason to do it. What will they get out of it?
Premium content comes in to service this group of visitors. Think of it as a secondary CTA that eases those leads into the conversion process. Franchisors can use this premium content on their franchisee sites to provide valuable content for the visitor in exchange of their information (for example), which results in lead generation.
A “Sign up to Download this Content” approach is a win-win situation: they’ll get something worthy of their time and you’ll get a lead. Further down the road you’ll get a chance to nurture this leads so when they’re ready to buy, they go to you.
Keep in mind that these are the BIG majority of the visitors in your site! Close to 96% of them are just researching. Downloadable goods are a great way to hook them, keep their information at hand and build a strategy that will slowly but surely reel them in. If done right, most of them will probably convert in a couple of months.
Examples of Premium Content for Franchise Lead Generation
Premium content can be e-books, articles, audio, checklists, white papers, case studies, recipes, a video, among other things. Anything that gives valuable content to the visitor and that meets the middle ground where you talk about your business while giving them good information about the need they have.
Now, let’s go through some examples of premium content. I’ll show you some ideas of how you can include them in your business. Remember that these are just ideas of how to benefit on premium content and you can adapt any of them to fit your own franchise. Just make sure you’re taking full advantage of this great lead capture tool!
1. E-books
E-books (electronic books) are great way to share a bunch of information. This can be very helpful for any franchise that’s offering professional services. With an electronic book you can expand on one of your areas of expertise, which will show the visitors that you know what you’re talking about while giving them key information.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be long and technical. Remember that not all your visitors are experts in the area like you are (which is why they come to you). Going over basic concepts and elements can be a good idea.
For example, if you have a marketing consultant franchise, you can write up an e-book on “Facebook Marketing Strategies for Your Business”. It’s helpful for your clients, it’s current and it shows your capabilities and knowledge of the field.
2. Articles
Articles are texts that go over a specific topic. This can be of great value to the user because it’s presented in a more readable and friendly way. With the right information, you can transmit a clear message that will have the power to engage your leads with your business. Tips & tricks and tutorials are very sought after. They make for a great article because they give punctual information and inspiration about the problems people have.
In this example, you’ll see a restoration franchise that provides tips on how to take care of your home in the face of adversity. Again, this is helpful information that’s also customized to fit the local audience of Louisville.
Notice that, to download this helpful guide for free, you’d have to fill in the form to the right. And who wouldn’t want to know how to prepare against a tornado? It’s a great hook that can help with lead capture.
3. Checklists
Checklist are super helpful: you can provide a list that your visitors can go through to make sure they are on the right track (of course, about something related to your business). Plus, they can be very effective and are easy to write up.
For example, if you have an automotive franchise, you know that your potential clients are probably concerned about the components of their car (the battery, the breaks, lights, motor, etc.).
A good checklist for them would be “Is the battery of your car dying? Go through this checklist to find out!” It’s helpful and, if said customers happen to have a dying battery, they’ll probably go to you to fix it!
4. Recipes
Recipes can catch a visitor’s eye too. But you’re probably thinking, why would I give my recipes away? If you own a QSR, bakery, convenience store, or other franchise that handles food, you may keep your recipes under lock. And I’m not saying that you should give the key away but, by sharing SOME of your recipes, you engage your potential clients with your cooking style.They know it is valuable to you, which makes it valuable to them.
Plus, most people visit restaurants when they don’t feel like cooking, so there’s a chance for you to sweep in. Furthermore, a recipe may make them intrigued in wanting to try out the rest of your food! So don’t be afraid of spreading the love!
5. Video
People’s attention are captured with video and sound. This is because in this day and age, we are so used to watching movies, videos, sketches, TV, etc. People find it easier to watch a video than read an e-book, for example.
You can make a video about everything, including one on “How to Clean Up Your Roof”. With the right information, a video can be fun, helpful and entertaining. Make sure to keep it short so people aren’t bored with it (a big difference with text is that people won’t be able to skim through a video and they’ll probably just shut it off).
Plus, if you have the ability to show how it’s done on camera, you should take the chance; it’s better than just talking about it! Just make sure that you plan it out and that the quality is good and you’re set to go!
How to Go About It?
So now you know what is premium content, why you need it and you’ve even gone through some examples. The big question now is how should you implement premium content?
- Well, first of all, you should think about what your main topic will be. This may be a little bit tricky, since you have to think of something current, that fits with your business, that can be customized to fit local audiences and most importantly, that people would feel inclined to fill up a form just to download it.
- Next will be to pick one of the means of communication to transmit said information: will it be an audio track? a video? an e-book? Take into consideration what was mentioned above and go with the one that best suits your franchise.
- Then, corporate (be it you or your marketing team) should have to actually produce the content: research, write, edit, etc.
- It can be global (the same for all franchisees) or customized, that’s up to you.
- Verify your information so you don’t confuse the leads!
- Make it friendly and readable.
- Remember that it should have your company’s voice and approach to the customers.
- Be careful of making it too technical or patronizing because this can often be off-putting.
- Make sure it’s up to par before it’s published: typos, mistakes, links, among other things need to be checked.
- Finally, you’ll need to send it over to your franchisees (or to who’s running their site) so it can be customized if needed and published onto their sites. If it ends up being customized, make sure to double check before letting it out into the world!
Conclusion
No matter what path you choose, remember to include those no-yet-ready-to-buy visitor! They can make a huge difference in your revenue later on. So, at the end of the day, you should have about 2 CTAs in every page of your site to reach out to different type of visitors. A “sales ready” lead capture like “Buy Now” or “Schedule an Appointment” and a premium content hook for those in the first stages of the buying process.
Remember to do it about something informational and helpful, so they will feel inclined to download and fill the form. With good premium content, you’ll get a sure fire way to capture leads!
If you have any questions regarding this post or Empowerkit, feel free to ask!
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