Many people are aware that owning a franchise is different than owning your own businesses; however what many do not realize is that there are certain aspects of franchise ownership that require you to make a different decision than you would normally make. In other words, things you may have never considered before might be put on the table simply because of the type of business you own. Plain and simple, there are certain things that work better for a franchise company than if you were starting your very own startup.
Unfortunately, many franchise owners are still doing things their own way. While this might work for a while or for certain franchises, it’s a good idea for most to take a step back and consider what works best for their type of business. You have to ask yourself: Is this really the right decision for a franchise?
How to Run a Franchise and Revise Your SEO Plans
When it comes to SEO and social media, franchises still require the basics—link building, landing page optimization, social promotion, etc.—but they might require them to be completed in a different way. Below are a few aspects of online marketing and things that are specific to franchise owners, as well as what you can do to make sure you’re adjusting and revising your plans accordingly:
- Landing Page. According to Oli Gardner of Unbounce, there are three different categories of landing pages: standalone pages, microsites, and internal website pages. Within these categories there are other factors that can play into a landing page, so a company should analyze each type and determine which works best.
How to Adapt. Microsites often work well for franchises because it allows each branch to have its own small section where it can post deals and announcements. If you’re a franchise and you have your own website, you might want to consider a microsite as a way to get users back to the main site for more basic information.
- SEO Services. Every individual franchise requires some type of SEO, and in most cases this involves some type of SEO service. Whether that be an in-house expert or an SEO agency, there are quite a few decisions that need to be made. The difference here is that your franchise is not the only franchise needing SEO—you have other locations and a nation branch to deal with. This then poses the question about whether or not it is the job of the franchise owner or the national branch to make SEO decisions.
How to Adapt. As a startup owner, you would likely want to make the SEO decisions for your company. However, this isn’t always the best choice when it comes to franchise ownership (and often your national branch will let you know it). So that the brand remains consistent throughout and different branches aren’t competing with each other, most advise franchises to let the national branch make the SEO decisions. It’s more organized this way, and you can still remain in the loop without being in charge.
- Social Media Promotion. Social media promotion is social media promotion, right? Most people don’t realize that even this simple task has a lot of different layers that differ based on whether you own a franchise or a startup company. The biggest difference is determining whether or not you should have your own social media channels or share with the other branches.
How to Adapt. This is the exact same situation as your SEO decisions. You don’t want too many hands controlling social media because social media can spread so fast. One wrong step or one wrong word on a social channel and your franchise could be the one to hurt the brand in the blink of an eye. Once again, it makes sense to allow the national branch to take control. One thing you can do, however, to help is offer assistance. The national branch might give you the password and permission to post on things specific to your branch.
If you haven’t noticed, the theme here seems to be this idea of control. As a franchise owner, you will likely have to give up a bit of control over your business, which can be incredibly tough for some. In most of the cases discussed above, it’s not up to you so much as it is up to your national branch (but it’s still important to understand!). However, it’s important to remember that there are many benefits to franchise ownership that you just don’t get when you’re starting a traditional startup. You can read more about these benefits here.
Have you found that any of these things are true when it came time to run your franchise? Anything you disagree with? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
