Franchise Social Networking | No Limit

Last week at the IFA Convention, I took a very competitive approach to the roundtable discussions. I sat back and waited for my PR firm competition to step in and sell their Social Media strategies. After letting them preach their methods, I chimed in and questioned their approaches. I challenged them to deliver stronger strategies for their clients, especially if those clients play in the arena I support and love: Franchising.

For all of you franchisors who haven’t jumped into the Social Media playground: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? You are losing out on a prime opportunity to drive not only consumer leads, but franchise leads. When looking for a firm to run your program, I highly recommend that they understand the ins and outs of franchising so that you can utilize the features correctly.

Frankly, you cannot afford not to be connected in this playground.

Just yesterday I had lunch with a good friend who was amazed with Social Media capabilities and what they mean for business owners.

Social Media is not rocket science. It’s quite simple. But, simplicity can be misleading. Simplicity doesn’t mean quick.

In one of the sessions at the IFA Convention, I heard a so-called Social Media expert push franchisors to have their franchisees create Facebook and MySpace pages for their businesses. ARE YOU CRAZY? Consumers are perfectly happy that businesses are crossing into the grey area of personal and business. But they are not perfectly happy when you ignore them in their personal space. Do you really think your franchisees will pay close attention to their sites when they are charged with protecting their life savings that was invested into your concept? NO WAY. They are focused on one thing and one thing only: Money. And making more of it.

Well, Social Media can make money for businesses. That’s been proven. But your franchisees should not be the ambassador for your brand’s consistency. YOU SHOULD.

Social Media for franchising is heating up. Before you do anything, make sure you are doing it right. What is right, though? That’s up to you as the master of your brand to figure out. I can provide advice though – email me at nick@nolimitmediaconsulting.com, not only if you want to work with our company, but also if you need some advice prior to investing into the Social Universe.

Obviously my blogging has been sporadic as of late – preparing for the IFA Convention and of course ensuring client work is maintained took priority.

But I wanted to squeeze in a quick blog – especially designed for those of you still at the IFA Convention!

Did anyone have a chance to sit in on the Social Media/Social Networking round tables yesterday? Or the breakout session? It amazed me how popular the session is – and how stoked the community is to jump into these networks.

POINT ONE: In this economy, business owners have to be creative. Consumers have limited spending. That cash is going to go to the best marketed concepts. Social Media/Social Networking is a great way to engage your audiences – but a few things to keep in mind when diving head first into Social Media/Social Networking:

POINT TWO: It takes time. Don’t think you can just pop up a MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, etc. If you create them, they will come. But if you don’t interact in them, they will get frustrated. Social Media can work in two ways – either GREAT or HORRIBLE. It is important to maintain consistency when entering the virtual universe.

POINT THREE: Remember, you are interacting in your audience’s personal space! When you have someone come to your home and solicit you for business, how do you respond? Not well. But now, we can blur the lines of personal and business by interacting in these spaces. Don’t just sell your audience – interact with them! Be very careful and strategic in your interactions.

POINT FOUR: USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR FRANCHISE LEAD GENERATION. Yes, it can be done. And if done properly, it can eliminate the need to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on other tactics.

POINT FIVE: Fix the bad. If someone writes something horrible about your concept – don’t freak out. Mend the issue. Ask the consumer what the problem is and how you can fix it. Show them your concern – remember, you are in their personal space. You are virtually sitting on their couch, offering them a cup of Joe and giving them a venue to vent.

Don’t let your franchisees run wild. You must take control of your Social Networks. If franchisees jump out there, create their own pages, ignore their consumers, and get blasted for it – it doesn’t just look horrible for their one location in the middle of nowhere, it looks bad for your brand as a whole. In this economic climate, brand bumps must be avoided.

More on this topic when I return from the IFA. For all of you attending, be sure to attend the #IFA Tweet-up this afternoon, 3 p.m. at the Hyatt bar.