Maximize Leads with Actionable Elements on Your Franchisee Sites

Every franchisee site has a purpose and a clear call to action(CTA) is a great way to fulfill them. Whether it’s to get visitors to sign up, convert or download a file, you need to have a strong call to action that can maximize lead generation in your franchise.

After all, everything you do for your site (SEO, content, design, etc.) is aimed at making your CTA stand out and get your potential customers to the finish line.

According to Hubspot, a person decides whether your site is what he/she wants or not in just a glance (3 to 5 seconds). So don’t waste your (and their) precious seconds and get to the point!

But first, let’s take a step back: what’s a Call- to Action, anyway? It more commonly refers to a button, but it can be any piece of text or information on your site that gets your leads to convert in essence maximizing lead generation. A phone number, a map, newsletter, a form, etc.

According to Hubspot, a person decides whether your site is what he/she wants or not in just a glance (3 to 5 seconds). So don’t waste your (and their) precious seconds and get to the point!

If you have a CTA on your site but aren’t sure if it’s got the elements it needs, go through this checklist to see the top 5 characteristics it should have:

The Checklist for the Perfect CTA in your Franchisee Sites

Lead Conversions WIFM Franchisor 1 Maximize Leads with Actionable Elements on Your Franchisee SitesCenter Stage

Placement and visibility are the most important things a CTA should have. Can you spot it easily? Is it placed in the top half of your layout so your potential customers don’t have to scroll down to get to it? Is there a lot of distractions or clutter around it that may take focus away from it? Is it lost somewhere on your site? Make sure your potential clients will be able to see it at a first glance!

Lead Conversions WIFM Franchisor 1 Maximize Leads with Actionable Elements on Your Franchisee SitesSparkle & Shine

Style may be a little bit tricky because it’s very different from site to site. With it we mean colors, size, typography, etc. Regardless of your site’s design, you should take this into consideration: does your CTA blend with the background to where you can’t really see it anymore? Is the typography readable? Are its colors attractive enough without being obnoxious? Is it big enough? Is it lost and camouflaged into other content and imagery? Again, make it noticeable without being annoying!

Lead Conversions WIFM Franchisor 11 Maximize Leads with Actionable Elements on Your Franchisee SitesLoud & Clear

Is it clear what you’re trying to achieve with this CTA? A concise, relevant and valuable message is what really makes a difference once your customers have found the call to action. Use keywords that create a sense of urgency in the lead but aren’t generic. Make them relatable and practical.

If you’re running a travel agency, you could include something like “Book your dream vacation”. It’s relatable, clear, concise, practical and valuable to the reader without being too generic.

Lead Conversions WIFM Franchisor 11 Maximize Leads with Actionable Elements on Your Franchisee SitesLimitation

How many CTA’s are in your site? Concentrate your efforts by including just one or two buttons or contact forms. Ask yourself, what is the purpose of my site? If you want customers to buy your products, focus on that. If you want them to sign up for a newsletter, make them go to that CTA instead of distracting them with other possibilities.

Lead Conversions WIFM Franchisor 11 Maximize Leads with Actionable Elements on Your Franchisee SitesQuick & Easy

Is your CTA easy? If you want them to call your phone number, be direct. If you want them to fill out a form, don’t make it long and overly complicated. Does it take a lot of steps to get through? That’s a sure fire way to lose some visitors.

You can print out this checklist and do a quick CTA audit on your website. Make sure you’re getting it right so leads feel more compelled to convert!

What are the CTAS for your franchise?

As mentioned above, a call to action can be anything that hooks your leads with your product or service: button, forms, maps, etc. Each serve a different purpose. So, depending on the type of business you own, it’s a good idea to include different types of CTAs:

QSR

Food service comes in two ways: you either have take out or you go out to eat. Either way, a map is your best bet. People want to know where you are (be it to call the franchise closer to them or to go to your location).

It’s also a good idea to include a phone number and service hours. Make it convenient for them to find you. People rather look you up on the internet than call you up so give them the information right there and include a telephone just in case you missed something or if they want to place an order.

Professional or Financial Services

If you have a franchise that provides some kind of professional or financial service, a great way to get your leads to click or use that CTA is to include a button with a free quote offer (or maybe even the first hour of consultation free of charge). This way, your potential customers will get to know first hand how you work and the effectiveness of your job will make them more compelled or more sure of converting into a lead. A phone number where they can address one of your workers is always a good idea.

Education or Health

A phone number is required here. In case of an emergency, a “click to call” (an optimized feature for mobile devices) may also be in order.

Let them know your location: be it by including your address or a map. More often than not, these types of businesses need the customer to visit the physical franchise. So you wouldn’t want to miss the mark here.

If, on the other hand, you provide care to people’s homes, a phone number and a list of the areas you serve should be enough. If you want to go an extra mile, add a button or form that your potential clients can fill in to get the estimated cost for your services.

Travel or Hospitality

When people are looking to travel or for a hotel, they want to know how much that will cost them. A button or a form that will let them know of an estimate cost for their trip is a great way to get them engaged to your service.

If you’re running some kind of hotel, you may want to include a map so people know where you’re located (if you’re near downtown, the airport, etc. – specially to tourists who don’t know much about your city or town. Furthermore, if a tourist is driving into town and he/she booked a night at your business, a map app in your site can help them get here from where they’re in.

A newsletter can be another opportunity that you can tackle. Since traveling or booking hotels can get a bit expensive, people are always looking for good deals. With a weekly or monthly newsletter, you can share sales, tips, and other kind of information that may suit your customers’ needs.

Retail or E-commerce

Selling products? As you may know, e-commerce is increasingly popular. Many people prefer shopping online rather than going to an actual store. Buttons will be your best friend, use them wisely. If you have a physical store, include your service hours and a map so that potential customers know where and when to find you.

Either way, a phone number is always a good Call to Action. Plus, it makes your customers feel safe because they know they have the option to talk to real people if they need to.

A newsletter can work in your benefit too. This way you’ll let people know when new merchandise comes in, the sales you’re having, etc.!

Beauty or Fitness

Do you own a spa or gym franchise? Are you the franchisor for a nail salon? Then you want people to know how to get to where your business is at. A map, a phone number and your service hours are a clear calls to action that you should use.

If you own a fitness club or a gym, you can include a form where you can invite people to fill it out in exchange for a free 7 day pass. At the same time, you can send out a newsletter for those who signed up where you tell them all about the specials of your business. You could even send out some tips and tricks to stay fit and healthy.

Home Restoration or House Cleaning

Home restoration is often needed in case of an emergency. Imagine this scenario: a house suffered some water damage due to a flood. The family is devastated and want means to fix the problem as soon as possible. If they have a mobile device with internet reception, they’ll most probably reach out for help from there. They won’t have time to go sit in front of a computer.

An optimized site for mobile devices with a “click to call” feature is what they need and what you should incorporate.

These are services that go to the customer’s home so a map won’t be necessary (since people don’t usually need to know your location). Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to include the areas of the city you serve. A phone number is imperative for these kinds of services. If you don’t include it, you won’t have any leads.

A button or form can also be a good answer for the house cleaning franchise. Add a form where a potential lead can fill in what kind of service they need from you and offer a free estimate of the costs. In this case, it’s also a good idea to include the service hours.

Entertainment

As you may know by now, you can’t miss with a phone number. It makes the customer feel safe and that the business is real and not just some kind of scam. If you want customers to find you (your physical store or business), including your address or a map is an easy but effective way to do it.

Of course, these are just some ideas. Think outside the box and put yourself in your customer’s shoes. What would they want to find in your site to make the conversion easier?

Do I have to?

I know that as a franchisor, you probably don’t have the time to re-design your site. But look at it this way: you have spent some money trying to get it up and running, so why don’t you take full advantage of this franchise marketing opportunity?

If you don’t want to go back to that web developing company just to change a button, a product like Empowerkit may be the one for you. It is a franchise cms that enables you to intuitively move around, add, remove and customize your buttons, content, forms, etc. Plus, you can make this changes to all of your franchisee’s websites right from the master site.

Remember that a CTA can be your best friend or your biggest enemy. If done right, it can help you maximize conversions. Capture your leads and make it easier for them to be your customers with a clear and friendly CTA!

If you have any questions regarding this post or Empowerkit, don’t be afraid to ask!

January 22, 2013

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