By Al Moore
Marathon Consulting
Website and Internet marketing strategies for franchisees are typically defined and managed by the franchisor. Websites are usually major components of the franchisor brand and, as such, generate a great deal of attention and are tightly controlled.
However, if you are considering purchasing a franchise whose future is largely dependent on an effective Internet presence, you need to understand how that presence will contribute to your success. If potential customers reach your business through the Internet, that website must be able to make the most positive first impression possible.
While discussing franchisor operations with John Hewitt of Liberty Tax Service, one of the most successful franchisors in the country, he talked about the importance of a franchisor’s ability to offer “systems better than anyone’s.” This applies to websites as much as it applies to management systems such as procedures, guide books, and operating budgets.
For the franchisee, there are a couple of website-related rules that will probably be non-negotiable:
1. The overall designs and functionality of the websites are going to be totally controlled by the franchisor.
2. As the franchisee, your ability to create independent websites describing your franchise will be extremely limited or non-existent.
Controlling the brand’s appearance and use in all conceivable media is a key element in the protection of the brand.
This can even extend to the registration of company information on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. The rigidity of these rules makes it extremely important for the franchisee to understand them and the manner in which they might be interpreted later.
Using the rules expressed in the Franchising Agreement as the background, it is important for the franchisee to understand how the websites will be used to benefit the franchisee. All rules governing the websites should be documented in the Franchise Agreement.
Items for exploration include the following:
Effectiveness — How easy is it for potential customers to find your store using the Internet? How well will the site represent your business? People cannot buy from you if they cannot find you. Regardless of the sales mode – physical store or Internet store – buyers need to know who you are, where you are, and what you’re selling.
We are overrun with statistics proving that an increasing number of buyers find sellers using Internet search engines such as Google, Bing, and Ask.com. Effective sites are designed for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Well designed sites consistently enable buyers to find sellers because the sellers’ sites appear high on the list of search results. SEO makes that happen.
Another technique to market the business is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. These are the “sponsored links” that always appear at the top or side of a Google results page.
PPC campaigns are typically established and funded by the franchisor and they are typically most often limited in duration and managed similarly to other advertising campaigns using print, TV, or radio.
For the franchisee, both methods are easy to evaluate and compare. Franchisors can measure exactly how many Internet searchers are finding their sites, what search terms are used, and how the searcher navigates the site.
This is universal, regardless if the franchisor is using SEO, PPC, or both. Understanding how the franchisor utilizes search engine technology can be critical to the success of some franchises.
Another measure of effectiveness is how well the site represents the business. Does it make a lasting, positive impression? Does it reflect a modern design? Is the look and feel appropriate for the type of business? Does it tell “the story” in a manner that leads to sales? Does the corporate site include an effective “Store Locator” with a map, directions, and contact info?
This is an essential component for franchises operating in brick-and-mortar facilities.
Flexibility – This is a very important characteristic of the site, from the franchisee’s perspective. Does the franchisor provide location-specific sites for the franchisee? While local sites might provide a degree of local maintainability, the franchisee must understand exactly what that means.
Franchisees often need to create specific messaging for their stores. Photos of local events and staff listings or bios are good candidates for site content.
Sales promotions, celebrity appearances, extended hours, and community sponsorships are items that should be maintained at the local level. The ability to present these on the Internet has a considerable impact on how effective the site will be.
Even when a local site exists, if these items are maintained by the franchisor, timely updates might be difficult to achieve.
Sites often include templates — page space dedicated to certain uses: the “Announcements go here,” “this goes there” approach. By understanding the capabilities and constraints that control site maintenance, the franchisee has a higher probability of avoiding future frustration.
Specialization – How many company websites exist and what functions do they perform? The franchisor might have several sites designed for specific use.
For instance, if participating in the retail business, there might be separate sites for visitors, regular customers, and employees of the company.
Sites restricted to customers and suppliers are often referred to as Extranet sites.
Sites restricted to company use are often referred to as Intranet sites and may be used for stock replenishment, time entry, etc. Specialty Intranet sites might be maintained by third-party entities who provide services to the franchisees.
When exploring the use of multiple sites made available to franchisees, evaluate the sites for consistency of design and performance.
Highly consistent sites often indicate the franchisor’s commitment to keeping their technology up to date.
Websites are becoming more important to business every day. Understanding the franchisor’s website strategy will be important to you at some point, whether it’s now or later.
