The Importance Of Words in Franchising


importance of words

The importance of words can’t be understated when you’re trying to attract today’s would-be most profitable franchise business owners. People looking into franchising have many (3,000+) choices along with many different ways to find out about them. Some of them include:

  • Franchise and business opportunity publications
  • Franchise opportunity portals and directories
  • Local franchise expos
  • Local franchise seminars
  • Franchise brokers

There are others, but you get the idea. The trick is to get them interested in your franchise offering. And, you need to do it skillfully. Bombarding today’s consumers with message after message doesn’t cut it anymore.

So, how do you do it?

With words. Rudyard Kipling said, “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” Are you using them for maximum advantage? Do the words on your franchise website (and in your literature) take readers where they want to go? Or, are you simply listing features and benefits…hoping they’ll be enough to entice readers to request more information about your amazing opportunity?

Your readers want (and need) to be able “see” themselves in your business…to see themselves as owners. Are you helping them do that?

You Need A Good Writer

Who’s been writing your web copy? Who’s in charge of writing your sales literature? Is it someone from your marketing department? Is it an outside agency? Is it a freelancer? Is it you?

The real question is this: Is your copy being written by the best writer you have – or, is it just being written?

A Future Entrepreneur

A couple of weeks ago, my “little” cousin from Florida was in town. Noah is 15 years old, stands 6’3 and throws a mean fastball. Sources within my family told me that he had “a few questions about business for me,” on this trip, so I made sure to set aside some time for him.

He asked some questions about franchising-like which ones are the hottest now, how much they cost etc. Next, came a few career questions. We talked about college and the kinds of courses he may want to consider taking as they relate to business…entrepreneurship.

I ended our conversation with a tip – the same one I gave his older brother who’s in the process of selecting a college this year – learn how to write. I told both of my cousins about the importance of writing these days. That’s because if you can write, a lot of doors can open up for you. Then I encouraged them to start a blog about something they’re interested in to get ahead of the game…to hone their talents. And I hope they do.

Speaking Of Blogs

Creating a blog for your franchise opportunity website can be a great way to get the word out (pun intended) about your offering.

If you already have a blog setup on your franchise website, are you updating it weekly? If not, you need to. If you can’t, hire someone to help you keep fresh and relevant content front and center. There are several good companies around that specialize in providing blog content. If you don’t have a blog, you need to consider starting one.

While it’s true that there are lots of blogs around these days, millions of them actually, most of them aren’t very good and a large number of them aren’t even active.

Having an active blog attached to your current website can help visitors get to know your concept and your brand. With a blog, you can write about your opportunity, as well as the products and services your franchisees offer, in a super-conversational style, allowing readers to feel like you’re talking to them.

For example, if you offer a healthy-food franchise, you can write about the specific things you do to keep your menu healthy. If you offer a franchise that does disaster cleanup and restoration, you can share individual stories about some of the people you helped. If you offer pet-related services, maybe you can share some cute stories about the pets your franchisees have worked with. Better yet, feature some adoptable pets on your blog, and their stories.

Can you think of specific topics you can write about as they pertain to your opportunity?

I hope I succeeded in getting you thinking about the words you’re using to promote your opportunity and how you’re using them. Take some time to look over your website. Does it need some freshening up? Is it finally time for you to start a blog? Is the right person doing your writing?

 

Burger King Photo via Shutterstock

7 Comments ▼

Joel Libava Joel Libava is the Franchise Expert for Small Business Trends. Joel, The Franchise King®, equips today’s prospective franchise owners with time-tested, proven techniques designed to increase odds of success. He does this through one-on-one coaching, and gobs of useful content that can be found on places like Small Business Trends, SBA.Gov, and his award-winning franchise blog, The Franchise King Blog . He’s been featured in Entrepreneur® magazine, and is frequently called upon by national media outlets and publications for his no-spin insights into the world of franchising.

7 Reactions
  1. Martin Lindeskog

    Joel: How many franchising brands have active blog today? Do you think that have a social media policy included in the franchise documentation?

    • Great questions, Martin.

      More and more franchisors are starting to get on board with social media policies-formal manuals, as a matter of fact.

      As for the # of blogs around- I estimate around 10-15% of franchisors have them setup.

      The Franchise King®

      • Joel,

        Thanks for your input!

        I see the potential for social media activities in the field of franchising! 🙂

        Have you seen any special brand / company that is taking the leader position regarding new media?

  2. More than a writer, you need someone who knows how to market products to a consumer. This will let them design an advertisement that will appeal to potential franchisers.

  3. Martin,

    I can only name one-and they’re doing it old school and it’s working:

    http://www.laquintafranchise.com/

    They are producing funny and high-quality TV commercials.

    The Franchise King®