As a franchisor, you’re always looking for ways to improve your marketing strategy. As you know, a presence in the virtual world is no longer a trend, it’s a must: the oncoming generations live through their gadgets and devices.
But are you taking full advantage of it? Some franchisors choose to go the social media way and while this can help your business, an online strategy that combines social media and a site is the way to go and here are some of the reasons why:
1. Integration:
First and foremost, social media and your site can complement each other. Think about it this way: your site is the base from which your social media feeds. This is because, while social media’s premise is to engage and connect people, a site is the hub where your main content is (be it videos, blog posts, news, images, etc.).
The way to take advantage of this and to combine your online efforts is to relate each other: your existing customers can learn more about your product or service right in their news feed with social media. There, you could include a link back to your site, where the conversion from visitor to client happens.
On the other hand, think about adding a way for your existing or new customers to “like” or “follow” you in any social media, directly from your franchisee site.
2. Traffic:
At the end of the day, you want conversions. A way to measure them is by the amount of traffic or visitors your site has. With better traffic (and the help of SEO), you have more potential clients coming into your site, where they can buy your product or book an appointment and learn more about your company.
At the same time, more traffic means better positioning in the search pages: if a potential customer searches for a topic related to your business, you are more likely to be found.
An integrated effort can be a great way for your audience to connect with you through social media and bring more traffic back to your site. When in your site, it’s easier to get your audience to relate with your product or service and to convert into a customer.
3. Compliance:
If done right, an integrated online strategy that includes both social media and a site, can help you be consistent with the branding and positioning of your business.
Just as there are rogue (or unofficial) sites, there are rogue Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and LinkedIn profiles, etc., which can be hurting your credibility. Having a site that’s in consistency with social media, makes the customer feel safe and that the company is trustworthy.
4. Feedback:
Discussion and feedback are easily achieved through social media: your contacts can comment right in your posts or share your information. Which, in return, can help your clients be more engaged with your business and lets you know what they think about it.
Get Social in Your Franchisee Sites with Empowerkit
Here at Empowerkit, we know that social media is catching the eye of more and more franchisors. We try to enable this union with apps that can integrate social media right into your sites.
For example, we have the Facebook Fan Page app that displays posts from your fan page and a “Like” button that your customers can click on to be connected with you through that social media site.
Furthermore, there’s the Social Icons app, where you can include the buttons of whatever social media you manage so your customers can go to your social media site and look around.
Lastly, there’s the Social Sharing Buttons app, that your customers can use to tweet, like, etc., your site.
Conclusion
A very important thing to remember is that content is king, so your social media and your site should be updated constantly with relevant and compelling information. Each franchise should have its own social media pages so that customers can find local information about your company (you may need some external management to integrate social media into your online marketing strategy).
However you choose to go about it, take into consideration that as a franchise nowadays, a virtual presence is imperative. People want to find you and you need to be available to them. Social media can be the hook, and your site, the way you reel them in.
If you have any questions about how to take full advantage of the apps mentioned in this article, feel free to ask. At the end of the day, we’re here to help your franchise succeed!
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