Tag Archives: 2009 trends

What Do Your Analytics Say About Your Brand

Are people visiting your Web site? Where are they coming from? How long are they staying on your site? Are they visiting multiple pages on your franchise site? Do you have a franchise site rich of SEO content?

If, for any reason, you said either “no” or “I have no idea what he is talking about” to any of those questions, then you need some help and some consulting.

Many franchise companies are spending way, way too much on their analytics programs. There are some great free ones out there, such as Google or Clicky. These analytics programs will provide you a ton of information on your visitors and help you lead a technology advanced campaign toward turning those visits into leads and turning the leads into closed deals.

Who are your typical leads? Are there any correlations between leads and time spent on your franchise site? Are you providing your prospects with the right tools to educate them on your concept and the right technologies to keep them there?

2009 will be a big year for analytics and technology in general. Franchisors must be creative in lead generation. It is important to understand the value of your Web site and to make sure your Web site has value.

2009 Trend – Boomers

Oh how the trends are looking good for the Franchise Industry.

In the December 2008 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine, baby boomers are one of the hottest trends of 2009 – and for many years to come.

In the past, when working with franchisors, I have often found them asking me to get them in AARP, or other publications boomers read. The reason? Perhaps because the smart franchisors saw changes in our economy coming and knew they needed to focus their lead generation campaigns toward this generation as companies looking to downsizing are often eliminating the “older” folks with inflated salaries. However, those inflated salaries can also help support self employment through the route of franchising.

With lending options tight, younger folks are having trouble manipulating cash to open franchises, however, the smarter boomers have money stashed away – perhaps for retirement. For those concepts looking for qualified candidates, boomers seem to be the way to go.

In the Entrepreneur Magazine trend story, MetLife Mature Market Institute states that boomers born in 1946 don’t think they will be “old” until about the age of 78. This means prospects in their 60s just may be a viable option for franchisors, as they don’t plan on retiring until their late 70s. This also means if they will their franchise to their children, their children will be older and much more prepared to take on the time consuming responsibilities of being a franchise owner.

The IFA has VetFran and MinorityFran, but what about an organization that gives benefits to boomers? In essence, they have the cash to buy a franchise, but if there are incentives, perhaps this could open a whole new realm of media coverage and push from boomers to jump into the industry.