Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

As A Franchisee I'm Not Allowed My Own Website

Posted by Anonymous on 4/2/2011 at 5:02 PM ET 125 Points
I used to have access to the mini-site attached to the franchisor's website. It was great. I updated it weekly, had affiliate links on there, hidden pages which I used for specific ads, Google Analytics, etc. It was very effective because I could tell which ads were working best, which weren't; I could interact with prospective customers and used to get lots of business from people who had read things I had written on the site.

The franchisor took this facility away 12 months ago and you can see the effect of this in my accounts and enquiry levels.

We have tried to promote ourselves through local print advertising but it hasn't proved to be cost-effective - especially as two of our key customer groups are young and unlikely to buy newspapers.

The worst thing is that some franchisees are big enough to have their own websites and fight the franchisor legally - we're not.

Does anyone have any advice on how we can promote ourselves without a website (or at least without an official one!)?

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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 4/2/2011 at 5:29 PM Accepted
    It depends a lot on what the franchise rules and requirements are, and how familiar you are with creating and maintaining a website. The cost should not be a major consideration, as you can get a domain name and a shared-hosting website very inexpensively (i.e., less than $10 US per month).

    My approach would probably be to build and host your own website, and then use paid local search advertising to drive traffic to the site initially. You could even do this without identifying yourself as a franchisee.

    But of course it depends on many factors, so we'd need a lot more information to understand the specifics and offer appropriate suggestions.
  • Posted on 4/2/2011 at 5:34 PM Author
    Thank you for your response.

    My own website would be GREAT, but the franchisor does not allow it. They are actively closing down independent sites run by the franchisees and only the larger ones can afford to fight them.

    I need to find ways to market my business offline. Stupid in this era, I know (especially as I have built and promoted websites successfully before!), but they are the rules.

    It feels very restrictive and old-fashioned.
  • Posted on 4/2/2011 at 5:52 PM Author
    No. We don't have access to the mini-site and can't use online advertising as the franchisor says it would be competing with theirs.
  • Posted on 4/2/2011 at 6:20 PM Moderator
    Can you have a personal blog that just discusses industry topics without representing the franchisor in any way? It would be a start, though obviously not a total (or ideal) solution.

    If so, you could then promote your blog and, indirectly, your business.

    As for offline approaches, it again depends on your industry and the availability of suitable local media. In some places the cost of local cable tv is quite reasonable. In others radio is really inexpensive. But those are not appropriate for all businesses.

    Where are you located? Can you tell us the industry segment?
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 4/3/2011 at 9:09 AM Accepted
    Are people searching for your brand or for a solution to a problem (or benefit)? If they're searching for your brand, then whatever you do to get noticed online will likewise be easily be seen by your franchisor. However, if they're searching for a solution to a problem, then you can create an online presence around that.
  • Posted on 4/3/2011 at 9:50 AM Author
    I do have a personal blog. They don't like it but haven't asked me to take it down as long as I don't use their logo.

    I hadn't considered cable TV. Radio is rather expensive, as are buses and street advertising.

    The industry is training (I'd better not say which country or the franchisor could spot me on here).

    Good point about people searching for a solution. They are. I think some people search for the brand itself but more are looking for solutions. We are a bit more expensive than other solutions though (although a lot better and more effective).
  • Posted by herb on 4/4/2011 at 2:07 PM Accepted
    Hmmm. This certainly sounds like a very frustrating situation. Does the franchisor compete directly with you? Is their business selling franchises and selling the training as well?

    "No online ads" is significantly limiting and could cover Google, Facebook, Twitter, and so on.

    Who is your target Customer? Where do they hang out?

    Mobile text messaging might work quite well to get the word out. People seem to be programmed to whip out the smartphone and read that text message. Much higher open rate than e-mail.

    I hope the company comes around to the idea that their strength in the franchise system.
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 4/4/2011 at 2:23 PM Accepted
    Unfortunately, it goes back to what mgoodman said - you need to look at the franchise rules and requirements. if they don't allow it, you pretty much have 3 options:

    1) follow the rules. So no web site, but work on finding alternate ways to get business.

    2) get them to change the rules and allow them. Seems like going back to their old system would be good for you - work with your contact there to make sure they understand the benefit. They likely had some franchisee cause problems with the mini-site, an you need to offset the problems they see with doing a mini-site with the problems you are seeing by not having the site.

    3) give up your franchise

    You've actually mentioned a 4th - break the rules and fight them, but have said that isn't possible for you.
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