The following excerpt is from Rick Grossmann’s bookFranchise Bible. Buy it now fromAmazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
The internet has become a pillar of franchise marketing, leveling the playing field for new franchisors because the barriers of entry are lower, giving creativity and not big marketing budgets, the advantage. Consider the following eight ways you can grow your internet marketing efforts:
Websites
Having a professional-looking website is a must these days. Here are some tips for creating a strong franchise website:
- Your site should have simple content and a clear call to action that’s on the first page, visible without having to scroll down.
- Your site should be built on a search engine optimization (SEO)-friendly platform. Some of the older platforms can hurt your SEO rankings.
Your site should be rich with keyword phrases — combinations of words that people enter into the search engines to find information. Insert keywords in your titles, headings and page titles.
Related: The 23 Items That Make Up the Heart and Soul of the Franchise Disclosure Document
Include a blog on your website and add new articles every week. Fresh, informative content will increase your site’s ranking.
Include social media icons (for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and so forth) that link directly to your social media pages.
Email is now commonplace and allows you to communicate much faster than traditional mail. The following are some tips for your email efforts:
- Your email addresses should be connected to a dedicated URL. Rick@XYZautorepairfranchise.com is much better than XYZautorepairfranchise@freeemail.com.
- Include a “professional signature.” It should contain your picture, logo, contact information and social media links along with your name.
- Include a legal disclosure that specifies that your correspondence does not imply an offer to sell a franchise. Have a competent, experienced franchise attorney provide you with this language.
- Be sure to comply with the email rules when sending “email blast” campaigns, including opt-out options and approved recipients.
- Always return emails within 24 hours of receipt. Sooner is better.
- Have all company email messages proofread to ensure correct spelling, grammar and punctuation are used.
Blogs
You can think of blogs for your business in two ways. The first is one that should be part of your website. You will want keyword-rich articles on your website blog to rank higher on organic searches. The second category is what some call the “blogosphere.” There are thousands of great blog sites that already have tons of readership and rank high, and your company can gain exposure by submitting relevant articles to blogs that prospective franchisees may frequent. Including your website link creates a backlink, which increases your organic ranking and directs traffic to your site.
Apply the following tips for your blog efforts:
- Research your industry niche to find the top blog sites.
- Choose a specific keyword phrase for each article. Use it once in the title and…