This document discusses developing a digital strategy for franchisors from a top-down vs bottom-up approach. It outlines some common challenges franchisors face with digital including varying levels of tech savviness among franchisees and demands for quick results. The document provides considerations and recommendations for key areas of a digital presence including websites, social media, marketing, technology choices and testing strategies. It emphasizes starting quickly while continuing to learn and adapt through testing and measurement.

2. THE FRANCHISOR’S DIGITAL BLUEPRINT
Developing Your Strategy from Top Down vs. Bottom Up
Dan Monaghan – dmonaghan@wsiworld.com

3. Franchisor’s Reality
• Some franchisees are tech savvy
• Some franchisees demanding – want results
now
• Competition requires a response
• Market demands response

4. It used to be simple…

7. But…
Franchisors often choose Action before Strategy

8. The digital
equivalent to this in
the offline world

9. Or this…

10. Or this…

11. Or this…

12. • Great resources available
for research
• Appoint 1 person to own
the strategy (one of your
smartest)
• Its as much about the
questions as the answers

13. Required Digital Assets
• Franchisor website – must speak to:
– End customers – the expression of your brand in
the market
– Potential franchisees
– Employees and potential employees (including
those of the franchisee)

14. Required Digital Assets
• Franchisee websites?
– Yes
• Profile page?
• Microsite?
• Integration into the franchisor’s brand, strategy
• URL strategy – virtual, subdomain, unique domain
• Will you provide them the site? Direct them to a
vendor partner? Provide them skins?
• Call tracking – an absolute must!

15. Required Digital Assets
• Franchisee websites?
– No
• How will you handle location finder? Google Maps API
• How will you address local presence?
– Google+
– Facebook
• How will you police this? Fragmentation!

16. Required Digital Assets
• Franchise Development site
– Part of your corporate site?
– Separate site in FD CRM? (Captivate, Process Peak etc.)
• International Strategy
– Extension of corporate site? Master sites?
– Lock down domains (.ca, .co.uk, .mx, .com.au)
– How will you handle languages?
– Who controls the sites? You? Masters?

17. Required Digital Assets
• Social Properties – 1 listing or thousands?
– Facebook – franchisee pages?
– LinkedIn – people joining “wrong company”
– Twitter – monitoring twittersphere
– Google+
– Pinterest
• Impact of social proof

18. Marketing Considerations
• Driving traffic
– PPC – enhanced campaigns – device, location, time
– Remarketing – 15% increase in cost, 50% in results
– SEO – AdaptiveSEO
– Content marketing – inbound marketing
• Marketing automation platform
– Eloqua, Hubspot, Marketo

19. Technology Decisions
• Platform choices – pros and cons
– Open source - WordPress, DNN, Joomla, Drupal
– Proprietary CMS systems
– Let the vendor choose?

20. “to the man with a hammer,
everything looks like a nail”

21. Mobile
• Responsive or Adaptive site
• User Interaction Analysis (vs. same site, different
devices)
• Native apps

22. Testing
• Landing Page Optimization
• Digital Alchemy
– Traffic costs don’t change,
but results do!
• Multivariate analysis

23. CRM/ERP
• Zoho, Salesforce, Netsuite
– Workflow automation
– Ticketing/Support center
– Integration with Google Apps
• How will you choose an implementer?

24. Resources to Help
• Digital Blueprint Checklist
• Digital Minds book
• www.wsiworld.com/frantech
email me: dmonaghan@wsiworld.com

25. THE FRANCHISOR’S DIGITAL BLUEPRINT
Developing Your Strategy from Top Down vs. Bottom Up
Stefania Sigurdson – ssigurdson@tutordoctor.com

26. Tutor Doctor Experience
• 215 locations running 390 units in 15 countries
• Rapid sales growth and rapid internationalization
• Rapid unit growth
• 700 visitors/day to corporate sites
• 11,000 followers on Facebook
• Franchisees run their own PPC on their own
approved domain
• Multi-vendor system
• Social media content strategy for social and
newsletters

27. Core Challenges
-Variety
-Lack of “one Tutor
Doctor voice”
-Franchisees not online
marketing experts
-Not gaining economies
of scale

28. Phases
Goals Checklist
Test It
Measure It
Map It
Phased Rollout Plan

29. THE FRANCHISOR’S DIGITAL BLUEPRINT
Developing Your Strategy from Top Down vs. Bottom Up
Shayne Mehringer – shayne.mehringer@dwyergroup.com

30. Digital Presence = Rocket Surgery
• Strategic Partners are key to Digital Marketing
• They provide the Push, You provide the Pull

31. A/B Testing
• These tests aren’t graded on a curve!
• Make it fun for the team.

32. A/B Testing
• If you’re not A/B Testing…

33. Act Fast, React Faster
• Do something, NOW!
• The $10MILLION Website
– You cannot afford the price of perfection
– Launch and Learn

34. Act Fast, React Faster
PERFECTION IS NOT ATTAINABLE,
BUT IF WE CHASE PERFECTION
WE CAN CATCH EXCELLENCE!
-Vince Lombardi

35. Outrunning the Bear
KNOW YOUR
COMPETITION…
AND OUTRUN THEM!