Cloud computing is rapidly becoming the best way to do business, because it takes full advantage of the “everywhere, all the time” nature of the internet itself. With cloud-based applications, there are no worries about whether one of your company’s computers is running at the moment, or how to log into one of your data servers. There’s no more looking for application installation disks, or upgrade codes. All of these time consuming tasks can be handled automatically for you, freeing you to do what you do best- offering great products and services to your customers.

That’s exactly what the ElementsLocal platform can do for your franchising business. Our completely web-based software service can project your national brand directly into every market in which you do business. You can trust that your brand, with its unique look and feel, and its unique products, services, and message, will be a click away from anyone, anywhere, any time that they are looking for what you provide.

From the start, ElementsLocal was built as a cloud-based software-as-a-service product, designed to enable a franchising business to attract customers to its existing locations, and to attract new franchisees to open new locations. ElementsLocal gives you the power to create and manage an entire fleet of websites that look and work exactly the way you want them to. Combined with our proven Search Engine Optimization and localized marketing expertise, ElementsLocal can help you rest assure that your franchise brand will truly be “everywhere, all the time.”

One way franchises are getting local is by having websites for each franchise location.  Using localized websites, franchise marketers are driving more and more traffic from local searches directly to the franchise locations their customers prefer.

However, large franchise systems run into “territory conflict” when they have multiple franchise locations in one densely populated metro area. This can cause confusion with consumers when they type in ‘hair cut Austin TX’ and find five locations near them. And what could be worse is if the first listing they find in the search engine is the furthest from them.

Elements, Inc., developers of the ElementsLocal™ software platform for franchise online marketing, has developed a new concept called “Metro Pages” to help avoid territory conflict.  By placing all of the neighboring franchise locations on a “Metro Page”, and placing a Google Map on that page, it allows customers to select the franchise location of their choice.  This drives more online leads to every franchise location, unveils more options   and simplifies the customer experience.

“One of the great things about our Metro Pages is that our system automatically creates the listings based on the pre-defined metro areas, or regions, of a franchise system.  This is just another example of our platform creating automated ways to increase organic, natural listings”, stated Jeremy La Duque, CEO Elements, Inc.  “Ultimately, we’re always looking for new ways to improve the expansion of a brand through online marketing while deepening customer engagement with that brand.”

Metro Pages will be released this month  as another valuable component of the ElementsLocal™ software platform.

Increasingly instrumental to the company’s further expansion, however, is its ability to appear local to its potential customers, which is why Always Best Care has teamed up with ElementsLocal™ – an innovative new solution designed specifically for franchises that helps increase web traffic and online leads by creating local web sites for each franchise location.

“We are a relationship-based business, so it is very important for our franchises to have a local presence on the Internet,” said Michael Newman, founder, president and chief executive officer of Always Best Care. “Our clients want to know that we are in their local community and that we are there when they need us.”

Research company eMarketeer recently found that local search is now more popular and relevant than regular search for people looking for a local product or service, so it’s not surprising that a strong, localized search-marketing strategy is now considered one of the most critical components of an overall web marketing approach for companies with franchises in distributed markets.

And according to an article by ElementsLocal CEO Jeremy LaDuque published in the current issue of Franchising World, companies not leveraging a local online presence are fast losing customers to competitors who are.

Before signing on with ElementsLocal in late 2008, Newman became aware that his franchisees were no longer satisfied with having just a location-specific landing page on the franchisor web site. However, in an effort to protect brand integrity, Always Best Care policy prevented franchisees from creating their own, independent sites.

“We were looking for a solution that would empower our franchisees and give them the right tools to reach out to their local markets, yet we also wanted to make sure our company message was the same across the board,” said Newman. “Essentially, we needed a platform that enabled them to have their own web sites that would comply with the national brand.”

ElementsLocal offered just that solution. The San Luis Obispo, CA-based company provided each Always Best Care franchise location with its own web site – fully optimized to get the best results in search engines like Google – that can be regularly updated with content specific to that franchise location while still maintaining the corporate brand.

These location-specific updates, which can range from video testimonials of local clients to the franchise owner’s involvement in various local organizations, increase the company’s organic search engine rankings when potential customers perform local searches.

Consumers put considerably more stock in local and organic search engine listings, so although paid search campaigns such as Pay-Per-Click advertising can still add value, a franchise’s opportunity for greater return on investment really lies in influencing where it shows up in the organic results.

In addition, people better identify with information local to their community and gain peace of mind that the business is run by their neighbor – not a national corporation. Franchisees also benefit by saving on marketing expenditures, not only due to increased organic search rankings, but also because they’re able to target additional marketing efforts, such as paid search, to a smaller, local radius.

Bill Mathis, owner of the San Diego, CA, Always Best Care franchise, could not be happier with the services ElementsLocal has provided.
“It’s perfect. I was able to create a web page that reflected my business in San Diego, not that of the franchisor’s location,” Mathis said. “The site has the look and feel of the corporate office, but also the look and feel of my community.”

Taking advantage of the many ElementsLocal components available, Mathis has uploaded videos to his site, posted emblems of his local Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce, provided link-backs to other local service agencies relevant to the senior population, and even posted pictures of himself and his wife so that clients can see who they’re talking to when they call.

“ElementsLocal has given me so much more of a presence on the Internet, which is increasingly important, because I know that in the very near future, the majority of my business referrals will be generated through this medium,” he said. “I’ve worked with a lot of different web page programs, and this is by far the easiest to operate. After just 15 minutes of training with the ElementsLocal staff, I was ready to go.”

Always Best Care franchisees are also pleased with the fact that the local web sites have helped attract more potential local employees, which keeps application numbers for open positions up and recruitment costs down.

“Across the board, everyone is noticing an improvement,” said Newman. “Signing on with ElementsLocal has been a good move and it’s been the right move. They are one of the few companies that actually get it and understand what we are trying to achieve at a local level without compromising the brand.”

After extensive analysis it became increasingly clear that franchisees believe the local independent competitors are significantly beating them at obtaining on line leads. The graphic below shows that over 75% of the respondents feel that local independents are doing a better job.

77%  Local Independents are dominating Local Market

13%  Franchisees lack budget or time

10%  Franchisees lack expertise

Local competitors can be better positioned because of many reasons. Chief among these reasons is the fact that Google can now discern when a franchisee is really a micro site on a corporate web site. Some forward looking franchisors are actually creating brand controlled, fully autonomous web sites for their franchisees.

With a fully autonomous site (meaning it has it’s own domain name) Franchisees obtain a much higher Google ranking and significantly increase leads. These entrepreneurial companies are harnessing the power of the ‘network effect’ and combined power of their franchisees through cross links and local content to not only increase leads for their franchisees but to also increase leads for future franchise sales.

Reasons Local Competitors Win:

·         Google Knows They are Local

o    Independent URLs

o    Contains Local Content

·         Shoppers Feel They Are Buying Local

Solutions:

·         Allow Franchisees to add local content

·         Create Corporate Controlled Autonomous web sites

·         Cross-link all Franchisees and Corporate sites

Results:

·         Higher Search Ranking

·         Lower Pay per Click Costs

·         Increased Leads/Sales

·         Happier Franchisees

                Jeremy LaDuque is the president and CEO of Elements Inc., an interactive web agency that assists businesses in solving critical challenges through forward-thinking implementation of web strategies and business solutions. Elements is the creator of ElementsLocal, an innovative software solution for franchises that helps increase company leads by maximizing search engine results. For more information on ElementsLocal, visit www.elementslocal.com and take the Tour. For additional tips from Jeremy or to set up an interview, editorial media can contact Jordan at On the Horizon Communications at (805) 773-1000 or jordan@thepressroom.com.

 In a world where marketing messages abound in nearly every aspect of daily life, a new, discerning consumer has evolved – one adept at filtering and tuning out information irrelevant to personal interests. Rightly so, franchise marketing tactics need to also undergo a major shift, since traditional outbound techniques such as advertising and unsolicited email blasts are increasingly becoming blocked or ignored.

                “Franchises should focus the majority of their marketing budget on inbound, not outbound initiatives,” said Jeremy LaDuque, CEO of Elements Inc., creator of ElementsLocal™, a new software solution for franchises that increases company leads through maximized search engine results. “When you push your message out far and wide with little discretion, you’re essentially crossing your fingers that it will resonate with a few individuals. Inbound marketing generates leads that are more abundant and credible, as potential customers seeking your services have been attracted organically through search engines, blogs and social media.”

• Get Local. Instead of relying on just one national web site for the entire franchise network, provide cross-linked autonomous and brand-compliant web sites for each location. As the franchisor, you benefit from:

o    A “network effect” of hundreds of web sites, each displaying relevant content about the company, being seen by search engines, which increases rankings and visibility

o    An ability to leverage each franchise by allowing franchisees to customize (according to franchisor specifications)  their web site with local content and local e-marketing campaigns

• Get Optimized. Some simple ways to get started with search engine optimization:

1)       Focus the attention of each webpage to just a few keywords

2)       Add relevant content about those select key words to that webpage

3)       Add those keywords to the title and meta tags of that webpage

Get Social. Social media is the fastest-growing segment of the Internet, and best of all, it’s much less expensive than most other marketing tactics. Get your franchise on board by:

o    Participating in social media sites such as Facebook and You Tube. Start a corporate Facebook profile and seek out fans or upload informative – or even humorous – videos that have “pass-along” potential, such as an engaging company story or client testimonials. This will help attract more visitors to your web site, increase your exposure within a larger audience and boost your search engine ranking.

o    Using a blog and/or Twitter to publish information about your business. Gaining “followers” or subscribers not only increases the audience for your company message, but also helps you gain valuable insight from the comments consumers leave on your posts.

• Get Efficient. Inbound marketing efforts are highly track-able, so employ various strategies to monitor the efficiency of your efforts. This will allow you to repeat what’s working, discontinue what’s not, and gauge what’s providing you with the best return on investment (ROI). Some helpful hints:

o    First, establish exactly what it is you want to track and make sure you have a way to measure what you want to track

o    Use statistical programs like Google Analytics to monitor web site traffic behavior – from number of pages viewed to length of time on the site

o    Use landing pages to track specific ad campaigns and/or marketing initiatives

o    Track throughout – from campaign to conversion to sale!

                “As franchises start to ‘think inbound’ in their marketing strategies, they’ll attract customers who are appropriate for and receptive to the company message,” said LaDuque. “This competitive advantage will not only save franchises money, but will also help them build lasting and loyal relationships with clients.”

Immediate follow through is one of the most powerful things franchisors said will help generate more leads and create more closed sales from those leads.

1. 24-Hour follow up

The number one most effective strategy is to follow up with in 24 hours of the initial contact with your potential client. Statistics show that the success of following up on a lead increases by 70 percent if you follow up within this critical time. The consensus at the Internet Marketing Roundtable showed that immediate follow up is the most effective way to guarantee positive results from internet leads.

2. Automate your response to customers

Use an auto-responder program. This program or function is usually offered by your email provider and sends an automated response when a specific email address receives an email., You may already use this for an automated reply when you’re on vacation. However, you can employ the same automated response system with your sales force. When a potential client emails sales@yourfranchise.com, they receive an automatic response thanking them for their inquiry. This provides your client with immediate assurance that you are interested in their business and will contact them soon.

3. Use a drip campaign

By putting together a drip campaign, your franchise will send out emails on a predetermined schedule automatically. For example, you may send out an email every two weeks for several months. Your email topics would provide your target audience with more in-depth information about your franchise; then a customer testimonial; followed with news or an update on your products, its use or your community participation. There are several great reasons for a drip campaign:

• You keep your name fresh with your users, prospects and clients
• You proactively provide news and updates to your users
• Your target audience continually sees that good things are happening with your company.

One franchise owner said that he has used drip campaigns for many years and swears by them. He referred to recently closing a deal with a client who had submitted an inquiry on their website four years ago!

4. Spend time on those that matter

In order to use your time efficiently, invest in some type of sales automation software to qualify leads from the internet. Automating the first few steps to qualify prospects is key. For example, if your automated reply asks a question or prompts the user for more information and they respond, you can qualify that person as a more serious prospect than someone who does not follow up with you.

5. Think like a buyer, not a seller

One of the main issues discussed throughout the IFA convention was that marketers typically think as sellers of their products and services. The consensus solution was by thinking creatively, sales and marketing need to think as buyers of their products and services. This manifests itself in many ways. One primary example is focusing on your benefits instead of your features.

6. Social Media

Social Media…one of the hottest topics everywhere. We discussed obvious heavyweights such as Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn and concepts like blogging (with WordPress or BlogSpot, for example) and micro-blogging with Twitter. Taking the time to participate in this huge and growing phenomenon seems to be universally beneficial, both for your website and for business. Ideas about social media include

• Starting or investing time in your Linked In profile to connect with others
• Starting a corporate Facebook account; creating a Myspace account.
• Upload videos about your company story, or client testimonials to You Tube.

By doing this you can provide links to these rich and engaging videos in your auto-responders and create drip campaigns from any social media sites.  And most importantly was to provide links to your social media and networking accounts on your website, email and any other forms of electronic communications.

7. Start your own blog

One of the easiest ways to get involved with social media that seemed to be prevalent amongst franchises was blogging. There are many services that will allow you to create your own blog. An even easier way to participate without maintaining your own blog is to comment on other blogs and include links back to your site.

8. Per Click Advertising

Pay per click (PPC) advertising is an Internet Marketing strategy that everyone has obviously been using for several years now. The advantages are that you can control it, measure your return and track everything. However, as more and more people use PPC it gets more competitive, thus more costly. The most frequently asked question was ‘how do we continue to use PPC and get the most return from this strategy?’ We had the opportunity to discuss how to optimize marketing dollars with a few franchises and suggested a simple but more effective way of devising pay per click terms.

First, use what are called ‘geographic’ and ‘long tail’ terms. Start with geographic terms. For example, ‘closets san diego.’ This will cost less than ‘closets california’ or ‘closets new york’. Then, as geographic terms become more competitive start to look for ‘long tail’ terms. A long tail term is one that takes advantage of the 80/20 rule. This rule suggests that 80 percent of people look at 20 percent of search terms. This leaves 80 percent of search terms available and the other 20 percent searching them. Another way of putting this is to devise longer keyword phrases, like ‘closest installers san diego’  because they cost less. Research also suggests that the more people think about the terms they type in the more serious they are about buying and not just shopping.

9. Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to the fullest

Research shows that over 70 percent of people on search engines such as Google will chose an organic listing, or one that shows up naturally, that’s not listed under ‘sponsored links’ over paid-for links in the sponsored areas. So, logically getting your website ranked organically using SEO techniques is one of the best methods of online marketing. The challenge most franchises face is understanding SEO is laborious and confusing and often they don’t know where to turn for help. Our ElementsLocal software provides our clients with a solution that helps them take full advantage of natural SEO. Let us know if we can provide you with SEO services.

10. And always track

The saying is ‘you can’t manage what you don’t measure.’ You can rinse and repeat what is working, what’s not and what’s getting you the best return on investment (ROI) if you track your online marketing. There are many different, yet effective, methods of tracking their online marketing. Solutions ranged from: Google Analytics, custom in-house solutions, fully outsourced solution providers who deliver reporting monthly and systems that leverage off-the-shelf software like SalesForce.com.

Use these techniques to boost your marketing campaigns and online marketing strategies. All marketing programs take time and effort, but your work will be rewarded when you can measure that investment and see a return. Employing even a few of these strategies should help decrease your costs and increase your success.

As we spoke with franchisors we discovered these invaluable strategies for increasing franchise sales:

1. Market within your own franchisee network:

Using what you have at your immediate disposal is always the most efficient and cost effective way of marketing amid an economic downturn.  Contact your franchisees to discuss any possible marketing opportunities that you may have in their respective regions.  This type of marketing can be a sensitive matter as you would need your franchisees’ cooperation and possibly customer lists. Make any campaigns of this nature symbiotic; it is essential to initiate a “win-win” scenario for both the franchisor and the franchisee.

A simple but effective example of this would be to arrange a marketing plan in which you send postcards or coupons to customers of the franchisee.  Your coupon offering could say “Franchise opportunities in your area” on the back. This type of initiative will not only promote the brand, but will provide customers with motivation and incentive to visit the franchise location as well.

A secondary benefit of this type of marketing is that you are establishing an “exit plan” for franchise owners. By courting interested parties looking to purchase franchises you are providing opportunities for franchises looking to exit. This also helps create a level of trust between the franchisor and the franchisee. This method of marketing was brought up time and again at IFA this year as one of the first and foremost ways to increase franchise sales.

2. In Store Advertising:

You can gain great advertising opportunities by harnessing the popularity and frequency of visitors to your franchise locations.  Again, find “win-win” scenarios for you and your franchisees and work with them to expand your lead generation opportunities.

3. Networking:

Networking is still one of the most important marketing solutions available in your arsenal. As the saying goes, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”  There are several ways that you can use this method sell more.  Anything from opening up the old-school rolodex to email marketing, and social networking sites (LinkedIn) are all effective strategies proven to lead to more franchise sales.

4. Local Media:

Local press is an important tool for creating lead generation.  In today’s precarious economical state, any publication of new business is hailed as a positive step for the economy and will be welcomed by all factions of media.  Be sure to announce that your franchise is interested in expanding locally, but emphasize the benefits and positive impact that a franchise will have on local consumers and economy.

5. National Media:

If you have the means, national press will provide your franchise with the highest exposure possible, however this is something that only a few franchises at the IFA convention were able to leverage. One innovative example of this case is the 10 Till 2 Part Time Placement Service company, which was able to attract national attention with their novel idea of providing part time work to people whose family obligations do not allow for a full time position. This type of creative thinking can lead to exciting results.

6. Internet Marketing:

The internet is an obvious and powerful tool which can be used in a myriad of ways to promote your franchise.  In fact, everyone at IFA attested to owning a website while working aggressively to refine their internet marketing strategies.  The majority of internet marketing strategies for franchises involved pay-per-click advertising scenarios. Pay-per-click marketing strategies are favored because advertising with the most popular search engines directly (Google, Yahoo, MSN…etc), still provides faster positive results while also supplying detailed and track-able information to help you optimize your marketing campaigns.

Yet another important aspect of internet marketing is catering to organic or natural search results, and many franchise companies were interested in further developing their organic marketing campaigns.  We introduced our ElementsLocal solution that directly addresses this growing need for organic results. ELEMENTS launched the ElementsLocal software last year to answer the three-fold need franchises have:

• Reduce pay-per-click costs
• Increase leads
• Protect brand identity

Simply put, the ElementsLocal software does all three of these by providing each franchisee with their own unique website. This larger network increases organic search results and provides the franchisor with BrandSecure tools to protect the brand.

7. Portal Websites:

Web portals present information from diverse sources in a unified, streamlined fashion and provide yet another powerful lead generation tool at your disposal.  Portal websites such as Franchise Gator or MatchPoint provide prospective franchises with multitudes of information about franchising as well as powerful search capabilities to further explore potential franchising opportunities.  These systems have been specifically designed to help franchisers, overcome many marketing hurdles.

8. Tradeshows

Tradeshows are a great way for current or prospective franchise owners to learn a great deal about the industry through face to face interactions with many other franchise owners.  Tradeshows also provide a significant opportunity for existing franchise owners to enhance brand and product visibility, promote new and existing products, generate leads, and drive sales.

These strategies and techniques should help you give you some ideas for marketing your franchise and franchisees. Attending the IFA Convention opened our eyes to the exciting opportunities we have to better market your businesses online. We truly enjoyed the time we spent with franchises, discussing what works and what does not work for them. Remember that significant results to your online marketing and advertising takes time and energy, but it’s worth the effort when you can measure that investment and see a return. Employing even a few of these strategies should help decrease your costs and increase your success.

A natural search assumes that you may not yet have other strategies in place, or if you do, you are still trying to optimize this type of search. Other strategies you can pay for include SEO/Search Engine Marketing (SEM) analysis services, pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, linkbuilding services and trend analysis.

It Happens Overnight?

Not exactly, it takes a few months, maybe as many as 4-6 or 7 after you’ve put these strategies in place for you to see good results. One source sites “over 200 SEO factors that Google uses to rank pages in the Google search results.” So a working understanding of how search engines (SE) do their magic will help increase the chances of your site appearing high in a list of thousands or more search results.

Certain keywords and/or keyword phrases are highly competitive – meaning they describe and are used for a wide array of businesses with websites offering those products or services. “Cooking” and “appliances” describe a huge variety of products and services and keywords like these are competitive. So, logically, there are hundreds and hundreds of websites using these as keywords; it would be an uphill battle to achieve a Top 10 search result with natural searches.

Most internet users know what they want and often know specific details about what they want. One of the keys through this Labyrinth is to understand what specific goal or target users have when they search. For example, after a home fire, a user may know they want to find a “residential restoration” service or they may know they want to find a “residential restoration fire water damage” service or even more specifically “paul davis residential fire water damage  restoration theirtown.”

The last two sets are much more specific and competition for these is probably lower – they are applicable to fewer companies offering those products or services. Using more specific keywords and phrases can help better optimization and search rankings, providing there are enough numbers of people searching on those terms. Choosing keywords that are specific but not popular with users won’t necessarily deliver better results.

A Good Foundation

Doing some keyword research will help you build a good foundation for choosing keywords for your website. Doing some marketing research for your geographic area or your own target audience will give you even more ammunition. And trust yourself. You are the expert in your industry and your local area…how would your target audience search for you?  There are several free keyword search tools online. They give you an indication of how popular certain words or phrases are based on current databases from companies such as Google and Nielsen. Keep in mind, the results provide good indicator – not the end all of keyword results. Your industry, vertical market, product and geographic location are among the things that affect the outcome, not to mention results from automated traffic (you guess it, another Labyrinth path).

Cross check your word search with various free tools. We found a few:

• http://www.keyworddiscovery.com
• http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com
• http://www.seocompany.ca/tool/keyword-research-tools.html

Improving Your Search Results Ranking

When a user enters words into a search field, the search engines go to work and in seconds, have wound their way through countless number of websites and web pages looking for the combination of keywords the user entered.  By using some smart content strategies you can help increase your search results ranking. The following are some factors that affect page ranking and most are things you can put into place yourself.

So there are a few important “on-page” items and “off-page” factors that we look at:

Things to do On-Page:

• Include one or more keywords in your site domain name.
• Use keywords in your directory paths or folders on your site.
• Include keywords in your Title Tag.
• Use the keywords in your Title Tag in several variations that mirror your product or service and get a lot of searches as well:

  Home Fire Water Damage Repair – Fire Water Damage Mitigation – Residential Reconstruction and Restoration

• Include keywords in your H1 Tag (first header tag).
• Make your content keyword-dense; include your keywords often in the body content.
• You need to incorporate your keywords and phrases logically in your content; you cannot merely repeat these words over and over. Use your keywords in your content in a logical and relevant way.
• Create a customized keyword set for each section of your site, or better, each page.

Things that affect your site ranking Off-Page:

• Length of time your site has been live.
• How popular your website links are.
• Link popularity within the site’s internal link structure.
  ~ Whether others linking to your site are relevant to the topic of your site.
• Topical relevance of inbound links to site.
  ~ Whether the inbound links to your site are well-worded and use your keywords.
• Anchor text of inbound links
• The quality of sites who link to your site.
  ~ Whether your site links are popular overall and draw users to your site.
• Global link popularity of site

Several off-page items are dependent on other websites’ awareness of your website and content. There are strategies you can employ on your site that can influence this, especially when they involve other sites linking to your site. Since this is yet another path in the Labyrinth, we will save this topic for another discussion.

Search Engines Are Your Friends

These days there are so many metrics that add value to search rankings, but keywords still provide the foundation of attracting search traffic. Search engines, depending on how many (or few) words the user queries, return a list of relevant sites that is ordered by relevancy or importance to the keywords. Again – searching through what could be thousands of websites and thousands and thousands of webpages, almost in a blink of an eye. As the web designer and/or content author, you can help your search engines friends by making your sites and content more SE “compliant” – by getting with their program and using keywords in the same key positions on the webpage.

Page Construction to Optimize Keywords

Once you’ve determined your keywords and phrases that users most often use to find your company, product and/or service, you’ll need to incorporate them into your webpages. The days of hiding keywords with white text (stealthy invisible), or using them repetitively in every html tag are gone. Keywords must now be incorporated logically into your content and add to the usability of your page and content from a users’ standpoint. Using the stealth strategy will actually cost you SE ranking as the SEs will realize the tactic and penalize your site accordingly. Search engines and their algorithms don’t like when we webmortals think we can outsmart them.

On-Page Factors

Again, the goal is to place your keywords in positions on the page that SEs can find them easily. Search engines interpret how important the keywords are to the user by the keywords’ placement on the page. Roll up your sleeves and revamp your pages and content:

Title Tag. Place a keyword phrase in the title tag; the title tag is about the most important factor when SEs rank webpages. Including keywords in the title tag shows the SEs the page’s focus. It is important to have a title tag on pages such as special interest, product, and services pages.

Header – H1 Tag. In HTML-speak, your “H1 tag” is the “header” or “headline” – generally, the large one liner at the top of your page. Bigger is better in this case: SEs consider larger type to be more important because it is more visible and easily read.  HTML header codes go from largest to smallest, H1 to H6. Your H1 Tag should contain your keywords for that page.

Other Header Tags – H2 to H6. The H-Tags specify a text hierarchy for headlines or subheads on your page. The higher the H-Tag number the smaller the text size. Generally, H1 is the only headline on the page, appearing at the top of the page. H2 tags are slightly smaller and can appear as subheads for the page. H3 tags are even smaller and may serve as a header for a bulleted list. H6 is the smallest text size and you may want to use this tag for image captions.

You don’t need to use all of the H-Tags, but their hierarchy should stay in tact. Again, part of the SE search involves keywords in the H1 tag, so remember to use a keyword or two in the headline of the page. In this way, you are optimizing the relevance of the keywords on the page as well as providing reinforcement to your users. They’ll see the Title Tag and the page headline (H1) with the same words they’ve searched for and know that they’ve come to the right website.

Keyword-rich Content. This may be “logical” but it is still worth mentioning. Your page content should contain your keywords and phrases several times. If you have target keywords per page, each page should mirror the unique set of key words. The content should be relevant and different for each page.

Creating extra pages on your site with duplicate content is another strategy that SEs don’t like; they will recognize the duplicate page content and give your site a lower rating. Also, if you mindlessly repeat your content, SE filters would catch it and not rank your site.  Unique content using your keywords is critical when you are dependent on natural search results.

There are a few ways to increase unique keyword-rich content that make SEs happy:

• Break up your content by using subheads containing keywords.
• Include keywords in the first sentence of your content and tie it up nicely with a summary sentence containing keywords.
• Depending on the page design, bold your keywords now and then for emphasis. Create visual interest by pulling out important aspects of content as a bulleted list – keywords should also appear in this list.
• Attribute images with a caption containing keywords.
• Give your images and links Alt-Tags (or a Title Tag) using keywords.
• Also, provide a way for your users or solicit your users to send you testimonials about your product, service or company (for example, a blog that users may participate in by submitting comments)
  ~ Content from your users is highly coveted because it can provide relevant and unique content without you having to generate it.

Keyword-rich Links

Search engines also looks at your internal links (page containing a link and the page the link goes to within your website). By making some text a link, you create “anchor text.” When you use keywords in your “anchor text” search engines consider the page it links to important to that keyword.

Meta Description Tags.

Meta Description Tags summarize the page “in 25 words or so” and are put into a “hidden” or background part of the webpage. When search engines display search results, they typically display the Meta Description Tag under the title of the page in the results. Again, include your keywords and keyword phrases. Use the most important keywords for that specific webpage.

If you feel as if the Tasmanian Devil has just whirled around your head a few times, you’re not alone. Search Engine Optimization is logical, but its logic contains many, many variables. These variables must be in place for the SEs to find your site among possibly thousands in a natural search query. Some of the variables are more difficult to control (mainly the age of your site). But by following these key strategies, you increase your search result rankings within the SEO Labyrinth.

Let’s review:

• Update your site often – with photos and content. Activity on your site always verifies to SEs that your site is authentic.
• Generate key words and phrases for each page of your site. You can do this just by sections of your site as well.
• Include keywords in your Title Tag. Make sure your keywords are also in your Headline (H1) of the page; use the H1 to H6 tag hierarchy giving relative importance to text on your webpage.
• Mirror your key words and key phrases in your content at least 3 or 4 times. Use the terms logically – you cannot just type your key word over and over and over.
• Use bullet point lists containing keywords as a way to break up the page content and add key words w/out having to write longer sentences.
• Bold at least one of your keywords within your content – it gives importance to that word. If you can do this to several keywords without making the content awkward, this is even better.
• Use keywords in your text links to your own site pages.
• Give your images captions and alternative text – this is an opportunity for you to get more key words on the page.
• Acquire user-generated content.

Website Optimization and Marketing Consulting
ELEMENTS Inc. | 805-547-1160 x205

The primary objective of any focused marketing initiative is to drive qualified leads, which convert into users, customers and clients. ELEMENTS specializes in creating business results for franchise and mid-size companies using integrated website optimization and internet marketing strategies, with a firm belief that success can not be obtained with a singular focus on one small portion of “Search Engine Optimization”.

Successful website optimization requires holistic planning and management of all aspects of search engine marketing (SEM) including public relations, website content, keyword buys and search engine optimization, as well as most aspects of information architecture, user-interface and online community best practices. ELEMENTS applies both marketing sensibility and technical expertise for campaigns that focus on customer acquisition and retention.

John Quelch, a professor at Harvard Business School and known worldwide for his expertise in global marketing, branding and communications, discusses this issue in the Harvard Business Review. His original blog was posted in February 2008 and outlines some excellent ways to address marketing revisions.

Quelch was one of ten marketing experts profiled in Conversations with Marketing Masters, (Laura Mazur and Louella Miles). He also co-authored Greater Good: How Good Marketing Makes for Better Democracy (Quelch and Katherine Jocz). Additionally is a non-executive director of WPP Group plc, the world’s second largest marketing services company, and of Pepsi Bottling Group. He served previously as a director of Reebok International.

Please read the full article at the HBR, John Quelch, Marketing KnowHow: How to Market in a Recession.

The ripples of our nation’s recession have gotten wider and more far-reaching, touching everyone. Effects from the subprime mortgage crisis have stretched consumer confidence and spending (on credit) to its limit, both of which have been keeping our economy afloat.

Your 2008 marketing strategies are probably already updated this late in the year. We’ve distilled Quelch’s eight factors here. Give yourself some flexibility and consider these principles for your 2009 plans.

1. Know your target customer.
The economy has left consumers with less diposable income and everyone is now more frugal and savvy at finding the good deal. We will spend more time searching for goods and services, drive a harder bargain at the counter, or will trade off: put off purchases until a better deal comes along, settle for less, or buy less. We weigh: want vs. need more heavily. Although brand loyalty is high and those brands can pull off a new product launch, think about limiting new product lines and new brands – they may not be so successful in this market.

2. Home sweet home.
It’s human nature to retreat to the hearth-and-home in stressful times. Rethink and gear your advertising images from action-packed, extreme, and fear factors toward warm-and-fuzzy family images. We spend less by staying in, but still want to be connected, therefore, we will still spend on things that make our homes more comfortable (furnishing and entertainment), as well as greeting cards, telephone and internet use.

3. Maintain marketing spending.
As competitors cut their advertising budget, companies increasing their advertising during a recession experience a high level of success. They improve their market share and lower their return-on-investment. As more consumers stay in, television watching increases and lowers the rate of cost-per-thousand impressions. If you need to reduce your marketing, maintain your frequency of exposure by shifting to shorter advertisements; incorporate radio and direct marketing, possibly giving you more immediate impact on new sales.

4. Keep product line essentials.
Companies need to re-evaluate their product lines and trim the weaker products. Consumers look for good values now more than ever and opt for multi-purpose over specialized products; private label/store brands over more expensive national brands; goods and services a la carte rather than bundled. If you’re launching a new product that puts pressure on competitors by addressing current consumer needs, focus your advertising on a high level of price performance rather than trying to extend your corporate image.

5. Support distributors.
Give your distributors added incentive to stock your full product line by offering early-buy allowances, financing and flexible return policies. Acquiring some strong distribution channels that have been let go by other company and phasing out your own weaker ones may also be good way to beef up your sales force. Beware of damaging the strength of your existing distributors and brand image by expanding into lower-priced channels.

6. Make the price right.
Consumers are hungry for the best deal in tough times. Sweepstakes, mail-in rebates and other promotions requiring a customer’s time and effort are not very attractive. Offer temporary price reductions, lower quantities for bulk discounts, extended credit (trusted customers) and better pricing for smaller pack sizes.

7. Protect your market share.
In this present economy, market share can be a matter of survival, not just a battle for a share. Before implementing cuts or consolidations, make sure you know your cost structure to avoid adversely impacting your customers. Strong national companies with productive cost structures have the best chance at a possible gain in market share. Smaller, but still profitable companies can also vie for a bigger share by acquiring weaker competitors.

8. Put people first.
Companies have had to implement different cost saving strategies, including letting employees go, closing facilities and the like. Executives need to maintain employee and customer morale and confidence by focusing on quality products and services and continuing to provide these to their clients. In a recession when concerns are redirected toward profit and loss, it’s easy to concentrate on balance sheets and managing company capital instead of managing relationships with people – internal and external.

Our ElementsLocal™ online solution provides franchise systems an unmatched ability to give franchise leaders BrandSecure™ online marketing tools. ElementsLocal puts the power of online marketing in your franchisees’ hands, while consistently driving your brand across all web properties.
For more information, call us at 805-547-1160 x205 or visit us at http://www.elementslocal.com/cm/Home.html.

As a franchisee, are you interested in evaluating these new marketplaces? Great! You’re still here! You’re in the right place.

You currently have a website, right? (Just nod.)…

And your website is a microsite of the franchisor’s website with a single page for each franchise? (Still nodding?)

As a franchisor, are franchisees dissatisfied with your corporate website solution that you’ve paid a lot of money to develop? From that dissatisfaction, franchisees violate brand agreements by creating their own websites to improve their local presence in their local market? (Nodding again?…)

****Because of this, your brand control is compromised because franchisee owners are impatient with what you’re offering them to print news in their local markets, capture local Google search results with local content. As a result they create their own website…accurate, so far?

What about marketing? Are you doing pay-per-click (PPC) or Adwords campaigns? If not, why not? You know your competitors are spending money to capture PPC results, right?

If you are spending on PPC, is the expense across all franchisees or just a limited number? If it’s across all franchisees, you’re probably spending thousands on AdWords campaigns; it’s a pricey solution.

Consider this: research indicates most users will IGNORE the Adwords ad in the right sidebar when they can find RELEVANT search results organically in the regular top 10-20 searches. Do you really think your Ad Words campaign is working efficiently and effectively for you?

How sophisticated is your lead distribution and tracking mechanism? You collect an email and redirect it to the franchise. Is there any way to track what happens from there? What level of ROI on leads can you establish for each franchise? Would you like a better approach?

With the typical web marketing system, each of these problems has its own independent solution, costing you and your franchisees thousands to set-up, maintain, and – if lucky – control. Most likely, you’re company and brand is STILL FAILING to show up in Google and still failing to satisfy the problem of creating localized content for franchisees to display awards, portfolios, case studies, local club memberships, etc.

THE CHALLENGES FOR FRANCHISE WEB MARKETING

• ~The Franchisor:
  • ~Must control their most valuable asset – their brand
  • ~Must be able to track changes and performance
  • ~Must facilitate local marketing to and for franchisees

  ~The Franchisee:

  • ~Must have a highly professional and easy to update website
  • ~Must show up in search engines to compete with locally business
  • ~Must be able to easily choose to participate in Franchisor sponsored marketing or initiate their own local marketing campaigns

Can your existing website, SEO expert, AdWords campaign, or single-page website provide affordable and effective solutions to these challenges? Unless you’re passing the Google tests we run, we can tell you it’s likely you need some better strategies so you’re not FAILING in areas where you should be WINNING.

OUR SOLUTION:

• ~ElementsLocalTM
  • ~Provides family of fully autonomous, networked websites for all franchisees while providing Franchisor control
• ~Client Example
  • ~Manage brand look and feel of websites and local marketing campaigns
  • ~Manage brand messaging and content
  • ~Initiate national email campaigns with advanced tracking

REAL RESULTS:

We’re getting real-world results in record time.

Dig deeper into the ElementsLocal software platform and learn how to use the POWER of your FRANCHISE NETWORK to DOMINATE YOUR INDUSTRY.