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New technological advances in the past year have ushered in a plethora of opportunities for franchises looking to extend their brand into the digital age, as localized marketing and social media strategies once considered cost-prohibitive have since become more possible. Until recently, implementing local search engine optimization, email/mobile marketing campaigns and social media simultaneously seemed logistically and financially unfeasible for franchisors. But now, intelligent new software platforms such as ElementsLocal offer online marketing solutions that are easily manageable, comprehensive and cost-effective.
As recently as a year ago, it was simply impossible for a franchise to affordably launch hundreds of autonomous, optimized web sites for each of its franchises, not to mention monitor each of them for brand compliance. Today, technological developments allow franchises to effectively leverage and maintain control of their brand marketing online, in email and on mobile devices, without costly oversight
So, just what is the digital age for franchises and why can more companies now participate? LaDuque explains the key components and why they’re now more affordable to implement:
Local Search
Why it’s relevant: A strong, localized search-marketing strategy is now considered one of the most critical components of an overall web marketing approach for companies with franchises in distributed markets. To compete in the digital age, it’s vital for a franchise to have unique web sites, optimized with key, regional words in the domain name for every location it serves, as this will result in a higher search engine ranking and increase the company’s relevance for that service in that community.
Why it’s now affordable: In the past, it was not cost-effective for a franchisor to launch web sites for each franchise location because of the manpower required to effectively monitor and manage the brand. Now, with new technology like ElementsLocal, which can create a large network of interconnected web sites linked to search engines, a franchise can affordably launch fully-autonomous web sites – not just microsites – for each of its locations. And through embedded BrandSecurity publishing tools that protect the national brand and ensure web standards are followed, franchisors can confidently outfit each franchisee with a locally-owned and controlled web site.
Email/SMS
Why it’s relevant: Email and mobile-driven strategies are a critical component within any marketing mix, as consumers today rely primarily on the Internet and their mobile phones as a means to seek out information on products and services. To sustain in the digital age, it is imperative that franchises target brand messaging to these mushrooming mediums.
Why it’s now affordable: Until recently, franchisors had no cost-effective options to provide franchisees with simple email software to manage their email and SMS-based marketing strategies and lists. Today, ElementsLocal can offer franchises software similar to the larger, more expensive providers at an affordable price by leveraging franchise buying power through bulk email/SMS purchase. Additionally, ElementsLocal alleviates the need for cost-prohibitive franchisor oversight of local email/SMS marketing campaigns by providing a template-based platform though which:
1. Franchisors can launch a broad-scale campaign to all franchise lists for a nationwide promotion
2. Franchisors can create a template that franchisees can customize and send to their respective local lists
3. Franchisees can launch micro-scale campaigns by selecting an approved template to send to their respective local lists
ElementsLocal also allows franchisors to efficiently maintain brand control over the simultaneous marketing efforts of the entire franchise network by putting email caps and blackout dates into place.
Social Media
Why it’s relevant: Participation in social media will not only help franchise web sites rank higher in search engines, but it can also help establish the company as a trusted resource for consumers.
Why it’s now affordable: Again, the cost-effectiveness of a franchise marketing strategy is determined by the franchisor’s ability to manage messaging. One franchisee’s social media mishap could result in swift degradation of the brand. ElementsLocal puts a structure around social media by establishing a corporate Facebook, Twitter account or blog that allows franchisees to contribute in a controlled manner that won’t compromise the national brand.
New technological innovations have significantly reduced the need for costly franchisor management, monitoring and maintenance of localized marketing strategies. This has really opened the door for franchises to participate and become competitive in the digital age.
