Tips for an Effective Franchise Social Media Strategy | Franchwire

In Part I of this discussion we looked at why local content is more effective and why equipping franchisees can be a great way to scale social media efforts.

When it comes to the execution of these strategies, many franchisors will have cultural and organizational issues to address. One of the macro trends resulting from our global economic issues as well as the impact of social media is greater flexibility in franchising operating models. What remains is strong adherence to things like branding, products and services. Everything else remains open for discussion.

When it comes to control, we see many franchisors taking a hard look at existing policies and procedures, and as a result, they are opening up in a spirit of partnership to comanage the brand.

Jack Monson is vice president of Engage121, a company that specializes in social CRM and social media management software for the franchise industry. Jack says, ?Many more franchise systems are changing the posture from that of control to empowering the system to take advantage of the franchise model. This fits extremely well with the needs of the social consumer.?

Jack offers three ways to empower franchisees:

1. Having policies in place will help define relationships and establish guidelines.

2. Training and education will show franchisees how to be good comanagers of the brand while embracing the local audience.

3. Giving them the right tools, content, and controls will help them meet their customers where they are online.

While each location can have a unique voice and provide a personal touch to its online presence, the overall experience is consistent if brand standards are valued and implemented. Legal policies and guidelines are another shared resource to which franchisees have access.

As the curator of the digital content library, the franchisor can serve as the manager and distributor of the social knowledge base. Case studies can help franchisees understand the opportunities within the various social channels and how they might consider running a campaign similar to one done in the past by others.

Having a network of similar business units pooling information provides the individual owner with more content to draw on to engage customers. Best practices can be shared as to what works with respect to contests and promotions. Also, if the franchisor can centralize the expertise and provide it to the local franchisee business, it is more likely to be competitive. Independent businesses each have to find those resources on their own, which can be costly.

Again, business models of all kinds are being challenged in this new environment. A unique franchise may be an oxymoron to some, but is it the future? Whatever those models look like, relevance in the marketplace means having the infrastructure to support authentic relationships with consumers. What will it take in your organization to move the needle in this direction?

For more actionable strategies related to franchising and social media, check out?The Tasti D-Lite Way: Social Media Marketing Lessons for Building Loyalty and a Brand Customers Crave.

Source: http://www.franchwire.com/franchise-social-media-part-2/

donald driver robin thicke mariana trench transcendental meditation trayvon martin obama care miss universe canada