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Why DIY Social Media Management Can Work For Your Franchise – Some Tips

Regardless of what type of franchise you have, online marketing is something you are bound to need. Today, social media is a very important component of any online marketing strategy and it’s not something you can avoid. Hiring someone to handle this for you isn’t always an option, especially if you are operating on a modest budget when you start out on your franchise venture.

Back in the 1980s & the 1990s, mass marketing was the in-thing, but that’s not the case today. Ironically, when it comes to marketing, some age old concepts such as building closer relationships with your customers, is what marketing is all about. Potential customers will be looking for you on FourSquare, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Google Places and more; and this is where you should try to engage with them in a more meaningful way.

Some Useful Tips

As you can see, social media marketing isn’t something you can cold-shoulder when you are planning your marketing strategy. So, if you don’t have the budget to actually outsource this, and want to stay ahead of your competitors in the franchise industry, it makes a lot of business sense to learn a little more about social media and how you can leverage it to boost your profitability. Here are some tips we have put together that will help you get started on the right foot:

• Understand what the purpose of networking via social media is. Do you want to reach out to a larger number of potential customers or are you looking to get a bigger share of the market? The latter is important as that will add to your revenue.
• Be in-sync with the methodologies of the franchise and understand the core values you are working on. This will help you define your voice on social media.
• Plan your steps well as that will help you bring your purpose & voice to the fore. Ascertain which platforms will work best for your franchise. It doesn’t really make sense to spend money, time and effort on platforms where there aren’t going to be any potential customers
• One of the first things to do is to incorporate your corporate identity into your platform profiles. Ensure that consistency in name and contact details has been maintained across the board.
• Research your target market and understand how your audience like to engage – do they prefer direct communication or do they just prefer that you be more proactive with answering questions they throw at you.
• Be consistent and regular with checking all your social media accounts and make it a point to respond to every concern, complaint or question you get. Focus on providing an outstanding customer experience to all your customers. The other thing is to ensure that all the information you post is relevant and updated.
• When you send out coupons and discounts, ensure that you don’t overdo them. That sends out the wrong message to your customers and they start feeling that all your standard pricing is inflated. Keep in mind that you want them to be loyal to the brand and not the discount.

Consistency Matters

And so, if you put in some time and consistent effort into your social media marketing strategy, you will find it pays off rich dividends. It’s also important that you use the right mix of social media marketing and traditional marketing methods to get the right results.

For any more tips on social media marketing for your franchise or any other information related to franchising and how to make a success of it, contact us via this number – 1300 855 435. If you like, you can also send us your queries via this online form.

Thanks for reading,
The Franchise Institute Team
1300 855 435