I have written several posts about social media and franchising. I’ve discussed topics such as: what to do if your franchisees are venting their anger via social media and what to do to catch up with your franchisees if you are coming late to the party and your franchisees start using social media before you. A different, yet just as important angle about social media in franchising, is to know when your franchisees are using it to promote the brand; and, when they do, make sure you reward them and thank them for it.
It’s true that franchisees benefit from a stronger brand, so anything they do to strengthen it creates a direct advantage for them; but, their efforts also benefit the franchisor and all other franchisees. In my opinion, franchisors shouldn’t take for granted these efforts. Goodwill and brand building is all about relationships and positive experiences. This all translates to Twitter as follows:
- Are your franchisees active in Twitter?
- Are they regular contributors?
- Are they engaging with others in a positive way?
- Are they watching what their customers say and responding quickly?
- Are they supportive of others?
- Do they Retweet others and do they get Retweeted?
- Are they using Twitter to share, and not just to sell?
- Are they sharing useful information about the business that increases awareness of the brand?
- Are they friendly and approachable in their communications?
- Do they share why they love the business they are in?
A new feature in Twitter allows you to easily know what your franchisees are doing and how they are building relationships in Twitter. SEO Komodo has written a great blog post about how you can use this feature to keep track of your franchisees activity in Twitter. Make sure to read this great article (http://bit.ly/1lshzj).
Once you know what your franchisees are doing to build the brand, make sure to thank them publicly. Use your Twitter account to send more followers to franchisees who are doing a good job building the brand. Public messages such as “Glad to have you in the team;” “Your contribution to (name of your company) is appreciated;” and, #followfriday mentioning your franchisees are all sounds strategies to thank your franchisees for their efforts and reward their good work.
It is quite simple, if your franchisees are doing a good job, let them know and be grateful. If they are using social media innapropriately, let them know and train them.
