Social media trends like ASMR videos and Australian Olympic breakdancers may come and go, but your franchise brand’s online presence needs to have staying power. Although it’s fine to have some fun with the Facebook meme or Instagram hashtag of the moment, remember that if it’s “trending,” then by definition, it won’t last long. That’s why it’s more important than ever to keep up with social media best practices and protect your brand on any platform your franchise is posting on.
The most successful franchise brands on social media are:
- Consistently sharing branded, recognizable content across platforms.
- Routinely posting dynamic content.
- Engaging with customers to build community.
Consistent & Recognizable
Do: Establish a steady cadence of social posts that are both branded and relevant. Determine the buckets of content that are relevant to your brand and ensure that the brand voice and look uphold the brand standards you’ve established for other marketing collateral. Ideally, users’ online experience should be perfectly aligned with your franchise brand’s real-life experience.
Don’t: Post 10 times a day one week and none the next. Instead, stick to your social media calendar and strategy.
Dynamic Content
Do: Research relevant content buckets. “Thumb-stopping” content is timely, relevant and visually engaging. Consider algorithmic trends and consumer behavior to inform content.
Social media holidays are a great starting point to find content relevant to your franchise. For example, a franchise that helps homeowners maintain their property may want to plan content around “Spring Cleaning Day.”
Be sure you are using diverse types of content, including video, carousels, animation, user-generated content, etc. Solicit before-and-after photos, time-lapse videos or photos of teams in the field from your franchisees to keep your images and content authentic.
The channels you are posting on are extremely important. Ensure the channels you choose are right for your target audience; for instance, if your franchise is a B2B company that wants to engage operations directors, you probably would have better luck on LinkedIn than Instagram. Be aware of the specs for each channel and make sure what you’re posting is appropriate to the channel.
Don’t: Overuse hashtags. Current best practice is to use three to five on Instagram, zero to three on Facebook and LinkedIn. Too many – especially on LinkedIn, a business-oriented platform – makes you look spammy.
Community Building and Engagement
Do: Engage in proactive community building and engagement by commenting on other relevant brands or franchisee posts and responding to direct messages. The transformative power of social media lies in being able to build strong communities. It’s what sets the most successful brands apart.
You might look for opportunities to comment on franchisee posts or respond to direct messages.
To encourage engagement, make sure most posts include strong calls-to-action, such as a link click. Or take a poll related to your business, perhaps asking users to respond with a photo or fun emoji. Be sure to respond in a similar way!
In the digital age, customers expect instantaneous responses from companies when they ask a question, have an issue or want to sing your praises – whether on your social page or through a DM. If a customer messages you on Saturday morning about doing work at their home, you can bet they are ready to hire you TODAY! You may want to create an auto-response to ensure you don’t miss authentic queries from a customer, potential customer or franchise prospect.
And remember that when you like, comment on or share your franchisees’ posts, or they engage with the brand’s content, social media sites begin to prioritize that content in followers’ feeds. This simple action can lead to increased awareness and interest in your business.
Don’t: Ignore reviews, good or bad. Always respond politely and promptly, thanking the person for their feedback.