Posted on

Franchise SEO & Website Design – The Big Fix

Everyone in America is familiar with franchises. They are represented on street corners coast to coast; McDonalds, 7-Eleven, Dunkin’, Great Clips, and hundreds more. From fast food to haircuts, and commercial cleaning to glass repair, franchises help meet a need for almost everyone at one time or another throughout each year. Their economic impact is fantastic, with those in the United States alone producing an output of nearly 800 billion dollars annually. In fact, franchises made up 10.5 percent of all US businesses in 2020 and employed over 8.5 million Americans.

Among businesses, franchise organizations have a unique component structure; a central licensing organization – the franchiser, often a large company with an entrenched corporate mentality, which supplies, supports, and collects fees from much smaller local businesses – the franchisees. The success of franchises across 295 industries attests to the benefits of this structure. In at least one area of the franchise world, however, there is an intractable struggle between franchiser and franchisee that often leads to marketing issues and lost opportunities.

That’s where we come in. At MLT Group, we have spent the last decade specializing in website design for franchise organizations and have become franchise SEO experts. In the process, we have assisted several national franchise companies to improve their digital marketing and have achieved outstanding ranking results for a plethora of franchisee sites. Now, for the first time, I’m about to tell you what we’ve learned, the not-so-secret problem in franchise SEO and marketing and the Big Fix that’s needed.

Number One: It’s important to recognize that franchise organizations want their franchisees to be successful. This desire is driven by economics and pride. Successful franchisees pay more fees to the franchiser and promote more interest among other potential franchisees. It is equally important to recognize that franchisers and franchisees don’t always share the same priorities. A franchisee sees business success as primarily defined by profit. The more business the better. A franchiser considers both profit and brand image to be paramount concerns. Which makes sense– the brand they have built is the foundation of their entire franchise organization.

Number Two: This misalignment in priorities frequently leads to problems for both franchisees and franchisers in the realm of digital marketing, with both groups struggling against one another rather than working in cohesive and collaborative harmony.

Concerns of the franchiser:

  • We need everyone to represent the brand consistently and accurately across all digital platforms. This is important to consumer confidence in the brand.
  • We worry that some of our franchisees lack the expertise in digital marketing to deliver our brand and messaging appropriately on their websites or on social media.
  • Even though digital marketing is most effective for service businesses when geo-targeted to the appropriate service area, our ability to assist hundreds of franchisees in producing digital marketing unique to their area and offerings is limited by budget and time.
  • Digital is more complicated and changeable than print, radio, or TV ads, making it harder to control from one central source.
  • Even though unique content is essential to search engine optimization, it is not feasible for corporate to write unique content for 400 or 1,500 separate sites, all explaining the same services.

Due to these concerns, franchise organizations often take the following actions which directly harm the digital marketing of their franchisees:

  • To control brand and messaging, they do not allow each franchise to have a unique “local” website and/or social media presence.
  • They do not allow each franchise to have its own unique domain name, preferring to house information about the franchise under the corporate “our locations” page or a URL like Bigfranchiseco.com/location_2463.
  • They may insist on franchisees using duplicate “boiler plate” marketing text for their websites, which is an SEO killer.
  • They do not accurately inform franchisees that the most effective way to rank on search engines is to have a unique local website with original content that is SEO’d and updated regularly.

Concerns of the franchisee:

  • Our local franchise needs to rank highly in search engines for the services we offer within our service area.
  • We need help to design, build, and populate a professional website and/or create an effective social media marketing campaign.
  • Our digital marketing efforts are limited by budget, available time, and lack of expertise in digital marketing.
  • We need a local web presence that is not owned by corporate.
  • Even though regularly posting unique website content is essential to search engine optimization, we do not have the time or expertise to create this content.
  • We want a robust social media campaign but do not have time to maintain it.
  • We want leads to come directly to us when potential cu犀利士
    stomers find us online, not directed to us by corporate with fees or strings attached.

“Due to these concerns, franchise owners need their own unique local websites.”

Due to these concerns, franchise owners need their own unique, local websites. Many would also benefit from independent social media campaigns as well. Corporate can do a lot when it comes to buying online ad space for multiple locations or establishing a robust social media presence for the whole organization. Many franchise organizations maintain impressive social media campaigns, and for some, it can be enough for a franchisee to piggyback on these efforts. However, in terms of traffic and lead generation from Google and other search engines, there is no substitute for a robust local website for each franchise or major franchise market.

There are exceptions. Fast-food franchises, rapid oil change locations, car washes, and similar businesses do not need local websites. Due to the nature of their offerings, a central corporate website with locations pages is sufficient for these sorts of businesses.

“It is imperative for businesses to be  easy to find and easy to do business with.”

Companies providing services in people’s homes and businesses (cleaning, repair, remodeling, lawn care, pest control, etc.) need independent, local websites optimized effectively for Google and other search engines in order to achieve the best rankings possible. Solid rankings on search engines are the gold standard for being found, and the surest way to drive relevant traffic and leads. With an increasingly savvy consumer market, it is imperative for businesses to be easy to find and easy to do business with.

There are multiple benefits of an independent local website for a franchise. These include:

  • A unique domain name – important to franchise SEO and local marketing
  • A platform for unique content specific to the franchise’s services and service area
  • Ownership of the website for both control and as a valuable business asset
  • Results – a well-built and optimized local website will get better rankings and more traffic, leading to more leads and better ROI

“Corporate franchise organizations want their franchisees to succeed, however they have legitimate concerns about brand image and control.”

The Big Fix: Corporate franchise organizations want their franchisees to succeed, however they have legitimate concerns about brand image and control. The fix is to allow individual franchise owners to have their own local websites and to offer them trusted vendors who can provide quality digital marketing services that meet corporate brand expectations. Moreover, putting some money into the solution via co-pays helps the franchisees feel they are not bearing the burden alone. Additionally, the big corporate sites often have a good reputation with the search engines, so making sure to link from the corporate site to each independent franchise site provides powerful link juice. All of which lends itself to better franchise SEO, better Google rankings, more traffic, more leads, and better ROI. It’s a win-win that corporate franchise organizations need to understand and implement in the increasingly competitive world of digital marketing.

To learn more about professional franchise SEO services, contact MLT Group at (507) 281-3490 or sales@mltgroup.com today.

About the Author

Theo St. Mane is a partner and director of operations for MLT Group – Creative Solutions in Rochester, Minnesota. He has over 30 years of marketing experience and has spoken at national and regional conventions of franchise groups. He has also consulted on digital marketing for a variety of national franchise organizations since 2012.

 

Posted on

MLT Group Donates Designs for Rochester Theater Show

MLT Group recently donated design work to help market a theater production from the Rochester Repertory Theater. As active members of the Rochester arts and business communities, we love pitching in to support local art!

Check out one of the posters we designed for the show Wandaleria:

 

 

Wandaleria is about the homebody Wanda who one day answers the door to find her prison pen pal, Rocky. The director describes it as a comic-drama, a “working-class, female-focused riff on the Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” See it this fall in Rochester, MN!

 

Posted on

Twitter Doubles its Character Count- What it Means for Your Social Media Strategy

Twitter has always been a great marketing tool for businesses to use for communicating brief messages. Now the popular social media platform has announced it’s doubling its character count to 280. Whether you love or hate it, the controversial move has left small businesses wondering how this affects their social media strategies.

Well we have good news. This shouldn’t hurt your current social media strategy in any way, but it’s a great chance to take a step back and reevaluate how you can use the expanded character count to your advantage.

Remember Your Multi-Lingual Audiences:

One of the leading factors behind Twitter’s character expansion was user’s difficulty communicating based on their language. Twitter cited that users tweeting in English, Spanish, or French aren’t able to express as much per character as users tweeting in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean. If you have a multi-lingual customer base, this means tweeting just got easier!

Keep Content Strong:

It can be tempting to max out each tweet, but instead of making your tweets longer, make them more detailed. One of the biggest fears about this change is that it will clog users’ feed with wordy posts. With  strong, relevant content, your audience won’t get sick of your tweets, even if you do max out your character limit.

If It’s Not Broke, Don’t Fix It:

Are you killing it on Twitter? Then don’t worry about redesigning your social media strategy. That being said, if your strategy on Twitter isn’t garnering the results you want, you’ll want to reexamine it, regardless of the character expansion.

Don’t Forget the Basics:

While the new character limit offers more opportunity, don’t forget what has made your social media strategy successful. Continue to include strong visuals, properly utilize hashtags, and maintain your business’ voice. Whenever you make a change to your social media strategy, first ask yourself, ‘how does this help me achieve my business goals?’

Regardless of how you feel about the character expansion, it seems its here to stay. As with any change, it’s those who adapt that survive.

Do you have a social media strategy? Is it garnering the results you need? If not, contact the experts at MLT Group. We’ll help you develop and implement a comprehensive social media strategy that will help you see real world results. We also provide other importance services like search engine optimization and search engine marketing.

Schedule your free consultation today at sales@mltgroup.com or 507.281.3490!

Posted on

5 Lessons Your Business Can Learn From Dollar Shave Club’s Viral Video & How to Use Them in Your Own Commercial Video

Every business would love their commercial video to go viral and that’s exactly what happened with Dollar Shave Club’s first online commercial. Video is a great channel to use for either organic or paid marketing. While your next video may not go viral, there is still a lot we can learn from DSC’s video that will benefit your business’ next production.commercial video

1. Brand Consistency: Dollar Shave Club’s first video set the tone of their brand. They are to the point, aimed at younger people, and don’t take themselves too seriously. This tone is consistent throughout all of their subsequent videos. When producing videos for your business, first, determine your brand’s persona. Second, don’t deviate from that persona. If one video is over-the-top and outrageous while the next is serious and somber, viewers will have difficulty getting a read on your business and understanding who you are.

2. Don’t Get Lost in Your Own Video: Do you remember the commercial about the WWI Christmas Truce? The commercial had plenty of people tearing up and the message is clear- Christmas is for sharing. But do you remember who the commercial was promoting? Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s is a U.K. based grocery chain, so perhaps U.S. viewers are at a disadvantage, but it’s hard to remember when the business’ name only appears briefly at the end. If you’re a small business promoting yourself through video, you can’t afford to get lost in your own video. Dollar Shave Club tells viewers who they are and what they do in the first 10 seconds of their video and keeps the focus on themselves, so there’s no mistake. This is especially important as they were just starting out and didn’t have the same brand recognition they do now.

3. Hook You Audience: In the first 17 seconds of their video, Dollar Shave Club hooks viewers. “Are our razors any good? No.” Instantly, viewers are intrigued, with the real hook coming as the founder drops an F bomb. From there on, the video gets progressively more outrageous until it climaxes with dancing with a bear in a money shower. Audiences’ attention spans are only shrinking, but hooking their audience right away ensured that viewers would stick around for the whole minute and a half video. You don’t have to be crude or over-the-top to hook your audience. Learn what’s important to them and address that right away.

4. Have a Clear Message: The beauty of Dollar Shave Club’s video is that, even with all of its eccentricities, their message is clear and consistent. The focus is always on the founder speaking about the service’s benefits and why you should switch. Identifying your commercial video’s message early on will help you remain consistent and clear throughout.

5. Know Your Audience: Dollar Shave Club’s videos appeal to a younger audience that spends a lot of time online, enjoys funny videos, and are likely to share content with their social networks. This style of video wouldn’t be as effective with an older audience, who might see it as absurd or may not see it at all if they aren’t spending time online. Knowing your target audience is key to producing a commercial video that will appeal to them and choosing where to broadcast it.

Are you ready to produce a commercial video promoting your business? MLT Group offers professional videography services and is licensed for commercial drone use. Contact us at sales@mltgroup.com or (507) 281-3490 to get started today!

 

 

 

 

Posted on

4 Industries Benefiting From Drone Videography

Drone videography has quickly become a staple in big budget films and it’s not surprising as to why. Drone videography makes getting aerial shots quicker, easier, and cheaper than traditional methods. This isn’t just good news for Hollywood, but for other commercial industries! Commercial drone video is being used in a variety of industries in some creative ways. Learn how these 4 industries are utilizing drone videography and how you can too!

1. Real Estate

When looking at residential or commercial real estate, it can be difficult to get an accurate picture of a property from a few pictures online. Drone videography allows real estate agents and sellers to present a property in an entirely new way. Aerial shots can give potential buyers a better picture of large plots of land or the layout of a property.

2. Outdoor Attractions

If you have an outdoor attraction, such as an amusement park or nature park, there’s probably a lot to see! Drone video can give you the eye-in-the-sky shots you need to really show off what your attraction has to offer. A drone can fly above the trees or to the tops of rides, giving viewers a unique perspective.

3. Special Events

Are you looking for a unique way to promote your fair or festival? Drone videography may be the solution. Drones can cover a wide area in a short amount of time. If you have a reoccurring event, you can reuse footage for future promotions. You can even use drone videography to live stream events!

4. Farming

Farmers have been quick to adapt to the growing capabilities of drone videography. It has proved particularly useful in surveying the land, checking on the growth of otherwise inaccessible crops, and monitoring for disease. This doesn’t only save farmers time and money, it helps them be more efficient in their growing.

The commercial applications of drone videography are wide reaching and only growing as drone technology advances. For fully licensed drone videography, rely on the experts at MLT Group. Our drone videographers are certified by the FAA and Minnesota Department of Transportation to fly for commercial use.

We also provide other expert marketing services like SEO and PPC. 

Contact us at sales@mltgroup.com or (507) 281-3490 to schedule your shoot today!

Posted on

We’re All Smiles About Gentling Dental’s New Banner

Dr. Melissa in front of Gentling Dental Banner
Dr. Melissa doing a ‘Vanna White’ with the new Gentling Dental banner.

MLT Group recently designed a banner for one of our favorite clients, Gentling Dental. The big beautiful banner, featuring the company’s four partners and promoting “smiles and savings” at gentlingdental.com, was a fun project that will be seen by motorists traveling a busy Rochester roadway. Our team loves these kinds of projects because they represent a challenge in conveying a meaningful message with just the right imagery and very few words. After all, the experienced writer will say, “I’d have written less if I’d had more time”. Brevity is a beautiful thing, and a necessity when it comes to signage, banners and billboards.

Posted on

MLT Group Unveils New Digital Marketing Scorecard

Website Design and Development in Rochester, MN by MLT Group

 

MLT Digital Marketing Scorecard
MLT Digital Marketing Scorecard

MLT Group – Creative Solutions has been hard at work developing a new reporting system for our clients. Throughout the brutal Polar Vortex(es) and countless parade of blizzards, the talent at MLT has been hunkered down in our brain-storming creativity bunker crafting and fine-tuning our newest quarterly report; the Digital Marketing Scorecard. We are very excited to offer our clients this new digital marketing service in Rochester and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and throughout the country.

The scorecard provides a score from 0 to 100 that can be assessed for both current and potential clients. With an assessment of 6 different aspects of digital marketing, MLT’s new scorecard is a simple, streamlined way to determine what else your company could do to improve its digital marketing, online presence, and rankings.

A look at the details:

Web Presence – This section deals specifically with the set-up of your current website and reviews it based on both user experience and digital marketing expectations (read: Google’s algorithms).

On Site SEO – When you work with MLT Group to SEO your website, we ensure that nothing is left undone, and that the site is thoroughly optimized as it should be from the biggest picture on the home page to the smallest link in the footer.

SEO Building – SEO is a process that continues long after the content is optimized and the site has been launched. We focus much of our energy on consistent blog posting and backlink building. Page Two of the scorecard also lists examples of your search engine rankings at the time of the report.

Social Media – Now more than ever, it’s important that your business be found through a variety of platforms. In addition to ensuring all information is consistent and correct, it’s also important to continually post fresh content to your social media sites.

Other Digital – In the world of smart phones and tablets, your site must work on all platforms of technology, or you miss out on business. To optimize your presence in the digital realm, no form of communication should be left untapped.

Stats – We want to make sure you have quantitative evidence of your successes with MLT Group. We provide stats information so you can see your quarterly progress, all in one convenient document.

MLT Group is very excited about our newest digital marketing scorecard and how it will help us better serve our clients. We hope that this will be a great resource for both those that currently work with us and those that may be considering MLT Group.

Contact us today for assistance with your digital marketing and web design. From Rochester, MN, to the rest of the world, MLT Group – Creative Solutions is prepared to help advance your business and digital presence in our ever-expanding local and global marketplace!