Social Media Strategy for Local Retail Franchises

By Tracy DiMarino | Posted June 24, 2010 | 6 Comment(s) | Filed in: Internet Marketing, Social Media

When it comes to franchise marketing, each franchise location typically lacks their own unique online presence. This is because online corporate websites and social networking initiatives are usually targeted at a general consumer audience — not any specific geographic area.

There is an opportunity for franchise owners to increase awareness in their own markets through social networks as a means to:

• Create an online destination to publish local information, such as promotions, coupons and community involvement activities.
• Connect with local audiences in a more personal, authentic way.
• Attract new customers through heightened online awareness.
• Retain existing clientele through increased communications and local incentives.

Below I’ve outlined strategies and sample tactics for local retail franchises interested in becoming more active online. I’ve concentrated in particular on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Foursquare because as a general rule these sites pose the most opportunities for local businesses, as they are the most used and fastest growing.

Facebook Strategy

Franchisees should create a Facebook page for their business to establish a direct outlet for customers to get location-specific information, ask the franchise questions, write reviews and share their experiences with the local brand.

Sample Facebook Tactics

• Create and optimize a franchise business page that includes a photo, complete contact information, and information on your business, products and services. Facebook offers a step-by-step guide for setting up your page.
• Get everyone involved. As a means to increase exposure, encourage employees to set up personal Facebook profiles (if they do not already have them), be active on the franchise’s Facebook page and build relationships with customers.
• Use the News Feed. Update your profile status often, as this is one way to push information onto the News Feeds of your fans and maximize your visibility on Facebook. Sample status updates may include: links to franchise news coverage and events, information on promotions and coupon codes, and community involvement activities.
• Monitor page activity and participate in conversations. Be an active participant on your page by answering people’s questions, responding to comments and sharing information.
• Offer incentives. Examples include choosing a fan of the week at random and sending them a voucher for free products or services, or posting special coupon codes only on Facebook.
• Use “Notes” to develop blog posts, or launch a blog in Wordpress or Blogger and pull it in to your Facebook page via RSS.

Twitter Strategy

Create a Twitter Page for your franchise location to provide an outlet for real-time communication with your local supporters, and establish your franchise as a resource for industry-specific articles and tips, and local news and events.

Sample Twitter Tactics

• Create a franchise Twitter page by following Twitter’s step-by-step guide. Be sure to include a photo, link to the corporate website or local Facebook page, and a keyword-rich descriptive bio. Consider uploading a custom background.
• Build followers and establish a monitoring and participation system that works for you. See our “Twitter Strategy: The Incomplete Guide for Beginners” post for more information.
• Be an active participant by answering people’s questions, responding to comments and sharing information. Also, connect with, engage and support other local brands on Twitter. By working together you can increase each others’ online brand awareness.
• Monitor regularly for comments about your franchise, brand and products, and be prepared to address concerns, offer customer service or thank people for praise. Twitter can be a great tool for gathering realtime feedback from customers to enhance your customer service initiatives.
• Reward your followers. Examples include awarding the followers that help you reach certain milestones on Twitter (i.e. 100th follower, 500th follower, etc.) or posting special coupon codes only on Twitter.

Yelp Strategy

Register a Yelp page for your franchise location and use it to share promotional information, coupons and company news with current and prospective customers, as well as to respond to customer reviews.

Sample Yelp Tactics

• Unlock your franchise’s Yelp page by following this step-by-step guide.
• Fill out the business information completely, including business hours, photos, product offerings, contact information and more. Include relevant keywords to increase your chances of getting found.
• Proactively monitor reviews, and respond to them appropriately.
• Offer incentives to increase your visibility on Yelp and reward customers. Regularly post offers and coupons.

Foursquare Strategy

Create a profile on Foursquare to identify and reward frequent franchise visitors, and to capitalize on mobile marketing trends.

Sample Foursquare Tactics

• Add your franchise location as a venue on Foursquare. To do so, register for an account at Foursquare.com. Click on “Add Things” in the menu at the top right, and then click “Add a new venue.” From here, you can add company information such as name, address, phone number and Twitter handle. If your venue already exists, Click on “Are you the manager of this business?” and follow the guide to confirm and create specials.
• Offer specials. Provide offers to frequent customers of your franchise, as well as those of complementary or nearby businesses. See this Foursquare article on creating and promoting specials.

What are you doing?

Diving into social media may seem overwhelming to franchise owners. However, by starting small and mastering each social network one at a time, you can gain confidence, see which outlets work best for you, and tweak your strategy from there.

For a great example of a local company using social media well, check out the social media success story of Northeastern Ohio’s Heinen's. Though not a franchise, this local grocery store uses social media to expand its customer service, share helpful information and create deeper connections with its customer base. Its story offers a great example for local businesses looking to get started.

• How have you embraced social media to promote your local retail franchise?
• What businesses in your area are really great at engaging with their local fan base?

Image Note: Yes, that’s a picture of me in the Oven Mitt costume back when I used to work at my favorite Arby’s franchise in high school; and no, I’m not embarrassed...

Tracy DiMarino is an associate consultant at PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. Follow Tracy on Twitter @TracyDiMarino.

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