What to Include in Franchisee Websites if They Have a Home-Based Business

Working from home has a lot of benefits: no commute to work, no annoying co-workers, better time management, among other great perks. Still, it may be a bit more difficult to gain new customers since your partners don’t have a physical location where they can go to. Plus, in a time when, according to The Internet Crime Complaint Center Report of 2012, there have been 289,874 complaints of Internet fraud, it’s normal that some people are skeptic about finding your company this way.

If your franchisees are having some trouble producing leads online, worry not! In this post I’ll go over some elements that they need in their site for it to be effective, especially when they don’t have a physical location to back their business up! These pieces of information will let visitors know who your company is and how your partners work so they feel at peace when trusting you with their money.

Keep in mind that Forrester Research estimates that about 50% of online sales are lost because of lack of information. So think of this post as a checklist of the information you should have your channel partners include in their franchisee website so potential leads see them as a trustworthy business and are engaged with your product or service!

The Information Basics: A Checklist

Contact Information

Phone number and/or email! This goes without saying but I’ll go ahead and mention it anyway. Of course your partners need this information in their franchisee website (especially your phone number so people can actually talk to you)! People want to find you so give them a way they can to get in contact with you.

As a quick design tip, the phone number and/or email should be in a prominent spot above the fold and present in every page in the site!

CTA

Aside from word of mouth, the franchisee websites are probably THE platform where customers come to find your company and/or learn about you. That’s why a Call To Action could be one of the most important things your site should have!

Like your contact information, the CTA should be visible and consistent in every page. Whether your goal is to get leads, lure people into downloading some goods, or to offer a free consultation, they should include a CTA to increase lead generation and, ultimately, your ROI.

Services / Products You Offer

Home-based businesses are a varied group! They all bring different products and services to the table which make each one unique. So let visitors know what makes your company different and what you can offer!

A lot of businesses miss this simple piece of information in their site but, by just including a list of how you can serve people’s need, you’re making it easier for them to decide whether they need your business or not! If not, they could get frustrated and take their money elsewhere (i.e. your competitors).

About Me

The “About Me” page gets a higher rank in the site since your partners don’t have a physical location to back up their business! As mentioned above, many may be dissuaded from working with your partners because of all the Internet related crimes out there. For people to trust them and your business, they need to let them know who you are.

By sharing credentials, education, experience, a bit of your business’ history, among other pieces of information, they can validate your business to new customers. If your partners provide key details about themselves, visitors will get a better idea of who you are as a business.

Testimonial

These could be overlooked but they’re actually essential to a home-based business! By getting customers to review your partners’ service and leave online testimonials to their experience, you give your business credibility.

This makes sense because people want to be sure of what they’re getting and if they can trust your company. So much so that, according to the Local Consumer Review Survey of 2012, 72% of consumers surveyed said that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. So get a couple of them on your partner sites ASAP!

Image Gallery

An image says more than 1,000 words and what better to prove to visitors that you’re a trustworthy business than images! Ask partners to share visuals of themselves, happy customers, among other content that will validate your business and be dynamic enough to engage customers.

Blog

Aside from the fact that a blog can enhance your franchise local SEO (about 7 times more traffic than a static page), it can also prove to visitors that they are committed to their work.

At the same time, it’s a great way to share stories and stay in touch with new and recurring customers. Plus, by sharing tips and tricks with them, you are showing that you care about their concerns!

Security

In a time where, as stated above, online scams are thriving, having your partner site and business verified will give visitors the information they need to keep browsing around in your franchisee website!

Conclusion

Information is powerful and, if done right, it can be a great tool to get your partners’ home-based business rolling! People are looking for your business but they want to find the information that will get them to convert. Give them ease of mind by letting them know that your partners are the one that can fulfill their needs! Go through this checklist and make sure your channel partners aren’t missing the mark!

Have any questions about Empowerkit or this post? Let us know!

September 26, 2013

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