Franchisors know that a lot of work goes into creating a franchise opportunity capable of attracting the right partners. Opting to structure and support a program by investing in the ideal franchise software is a good start. Here are some examples of the type of features that need to be a part of that software package.
Website and Landing Page Building Tools
Building a local online presence is important. That’s because many people turn to the Internet when they are looking for everything from a place to eat to a career opportunity. Your goal is to ensure that every franchisee can create an online presence that receives plenty of positive attention.
To that end, you want the software to include resources that make it easy to create websites, landing pages, and even to tie into a WordPress blog. Given the quality of the tools and the related resources that you make available, your franchisees won’t need to be IT experts in order to create a favorable presence in their areas.
An Integrated Solution for Communication Between You and your Franchisees
Communication is key to any successful business arrangement. If the software includes tools that make it easier for you and your franchisees to communicate securely and without delays, both parties will benefit. Remember that the solution must allow for free communication from either party; anything less will only meet part of the need.
For example, an established tool for distributing product updates or a monthly newsletter would be great. Being able to use the same tool for submitting content to use in the newsletter or to reach out for help is just as important.
Robust Review Management System
Reviews are found in many places, but there are a few that deserve special attention. One is them is business reviews provided by search engines like Google or Bing. This is often the go-to for people who have something to share about a recent transaction with a service provider.
Social media is another primary source of reviews that reach a wide audience. If a review management system is included in the franchise software, it’s easier to identify and respond to those reviews in whatever way would help to enhance the franchisee’s reputation.
Tools to Improve Local SEO Utilization
Search engine optimization matters to you in terms of reaching interested parties who show interest in becoming franchisees. Once they are on board, they will also need to use SEO in order to build an audience and begin to gather customers. It would be great if your choice of a software package could help them with that.
The best options make it easy to adapt keywords that are in common use in the area. This in turn helps potential customers to find the franchisee websites, know how to make contact, and hopefully end up doing business with the franchise.
These are only some of the resources that should be included in the software that you choose to structure and operate your franchise. Look closely at any program that seems to be good fit and make the best use of any trial periods that are offered. The right choice will be a true asset for you and for your franchises in the years to come.
