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From time-to-time, we decide to use celebrity talent at re:group. Celebrities are great: they're fun, they're well spoken...and, hey, we'd be lying if we said we overlooked the fact that they're usually good looking.

But, although celebrities do a great job satisfying your shiny object syndrome, we want to warn you that committing to use them in marketing or advertising must be a strategic decision.

The "Biggest Loser's" Pete Thomas as HealthPlus of Michigan's Health & Wellness Expert

There must be a connection between the celebrity and the brand. The Martha Stewart Collection at Kmart was a perfect example. It made complete sense to have Martha talk about her products in a store that supplied her premium selection of home goods. Similarly, if a celebrity has a charitable connection with an organization, it is an obvious extension to have someone with such a wide reach be the brand spokesperson or at least provide a testimonial. Think Marlo Thomas and her relationship with St Jude Children's Research Hospital. It also makes sense to consider using a celebrity when he has performed a role so many times that he is an 'expert' on subject or industry, like Dennis Haysbert as the "authority" for Allstate.

One of the cautions about celebrity talent is that their presence can sometimes overpower the message you're trying to convey. This can happen when people are so distracted by the talent that they aren't paying attention to the communication, or when a seemingly nice celebrity turns out to be not such a great a guy after all. When you have tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line, you need to weigh the risk of a potential temperamental personality disrupting your carefully planned production with the value that they can add to the execution.

Fortunately, we were extremely lucky with a recent production that used celebrity talent. Strategically, he was selected because he was an expert in the role we needed him to play. And, to our good fortune, was an absolute pleasure to work with--someone who cared about giving us his best work and was a genuinely nice person to have on the set.

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I have talked about User Generated Content(UGC) videos and touched on Do-It-Yourself (DIY) videos that got a few of my colleagues discussing the pros and cons.

Of course a lot of us would be happy if everyone who needed a video would just hire a professional!

After all, that is how a lot of us make a living and I don't want to discourage anyone from using a professional. However there are times when a DIY video is just what you need. I've touched on what are the best types of video to use online in the past and different occasions call for different types of video.

My friend Jack Brumm of Pixel Wire Media pointed out that if your business strategy involves being "high-end" then producing substandard videos doesn't help your strategy. He then went on to say that he was talking to Steve Garfield, the online video expert from Boston, who talked about his concept of "business casual" videos.

The idea is that a lot of people are becoming accustomed to DIY videos on YouTube and if the information is compelling then just do it and make the video. This makes a lot of sense in a lot of instances.

For example a lot of business is not conducted in formal settings or corporate board rooms. A lot of business is conducted at informal networking events in khaki slacks with an open collar or out in the field in work boots and jeans. There is no reason why some of your videos can't be the same way.

Perhaps you are on the run, on the plant floor or at a conference and a quick video blog on your flip phone is the way to quickly and efficiently get content out. That gives the video a bit of urgency, immediacy and a bit of personal connection that is not found in many online videos. I would say experiment with this and try it.

I would caution against a one-size-fits-all approach to business videos online. There are times when you have to put on the white shirt, red tie and black wing-tipped shoes for that professional look. And by professional I don't mean stuffy business look, I mean a well-crafted, effective message.

Take a look at your marketing strategy. Where do style, content and professionalism count? Where is it appropriate to loosen your tie and be more casual? Who is your audience? What are you trying to accomplish? What will they respond to? Where does this fit into your online and social media strategy? Match your online video to match your business marketing strategy.

When do you think a "business casual" video would work? Is anyone trying it?

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Your website sells products, gives timely information, provides help, shows locations, answers frequently asked questions, gives information about the company, establishes your bloggers as thought leaders, and then load quickly.

It has to do many of these things and so sometimes competes with itself.

This charming short video by Google explains what happens next.

When you are serious about treating your website as business tool, then you are ready for Google Analytics.

When you are serious about marketing to franchises, connect with Joe or me on LinkedIn.

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Do you have a fear of commitment when it comes to social media? If so, you're not alone. I came across the infographic below, which shows that 86% of people surveyed will leave a website if they are asked to fill out a form.

I thought about this from my own perspective, and I believe I would fall into the 86%. If I'm just browsing online, filling out a form, at least for me, signals some level of commitment to the company - most times I don't want to make it, so I will move on to the next thing.

However, if I'm truly interested in a company or website, I may fill out a form depending on what it is. The general reasons outlined in this infographic as to why people will leave rather than fill out a form are rather interesting, and make sense:

• The form is too long
• They are not sure how the information will be used
• Password fatigue

The first two points make good sense and companies should be mindful of both when creating such forms. We all know that the point of having users complete forms is generally for lead generation; it's important to be transparent in the reasons for collecting a user's information.

Offering some of the following information can be helpful and sway people to complete the form:

• That the information they share will not be shared or sold to third parties Will the user simply have access to information on your site?
• Will you be sending emails/promotional offers?
• If the information will be used for future communications, what is the approximate frequency?

Of course you want to capture as much information as possible when users are interested enough to complete a form. Just remember that it's the first step in relationship building - collect only the information you need on a very basic level at first.

People are wary of completing forms, so make it simple enough that you can start to create a relationship without turning away potential interest.

Password fatigue - how I love this term! I also love this statistic from the infographic: "2 in 5 feel that solving world peace would be easier than remembering all of their passwords."

Respondents also say that they'd rather have a social login for sites, meaning that they can log in via Facebook or Twitter. I can see that for convenience; I'll bet there are some, like me, who actually don't prefer this because I don't want to tie a site necessarily to my Facebook or Twitter account, and I'm not always sure if it will show up on my feeds or not.

This is a great infographic for companies to keep in mind when creating forms and lead generation capture points on their websites.

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According to research by Cisco more than half of all consumer internet traffic is video and it will continue to grow. That would suggest that video would be a great way for businesses to engage their customers. The other side of the coin Cisco's research reveled is it would take over 6 million years to watch all the video currently online.

This means there is a lot of competition so just making a video will not help you increase traffic or increase sales.

Part of the reason is the businesses often do not know how to effectively use online video and these mistakes prevent people from finding your video and may even cause you to lose customers.

1. Making a Viral Video: If anyone suggests to you that success depends on making a viral video throw them out on their ear. That is like telling a teenage garage band that the way to rock superstardom is to record a hit record. Make videos with valuable content that people need. Worry more about providing value and less about making a hit.
2. Not Optimizing the Video for Search: YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google and because Google owns YouTube there are a lot of similarities. Both search engines search the metadata attached to the video looking for keywords and phrases that indicate what the video is about. Using keywords in the title, description, categories and tags will help audience find your video. Check out the ebook: SEO for YouTube Videos.
3. No Call to Action: Why are you making the video and what do you want people to do after they watch it? Tell them what you want them to do in the video and in the description for the video.
4. Not linking to website: If you tell people to go to your website or a landing page you need to put in a link. We all know that you cannot put a hot link in a video but you can put it in the description of the video. I suggest putting the link somewhere in the first two lines and remember to include the "http://". While you are at it remember to link to a valuable landing page related to the video that is not usually your home page.
5. Not attaching a Transcript: YouTube now has the capability of transcribing your video's audio content and attaching it to the video. This transcript can be used by the closed caption option on YouTube and it can be searched by search engines giving your video a better chance of being found by people interested in the content. (See How to add Closed Captioning on YouTube Videos).
6. Video Blog Misuse: There is nothing wrong with video blogs but I've often seen blogs that are just a series of videos posted with no other information. If you are going to use videos as blog posts, especially if you are going to use video exclusively for blog posts, use the transcript (see No. 5) as the text in the blog. This will help with search engines and give people who prefer to read another option. At the very least give a description of the video so viewers know what it is about.
7. Making the Video Too long: There is no optimal length for an online video but remember you do not have a captive audience. They can turn off the video at any time. Use the analytics tools in YouTube to see when people stop watching your video and you'll get a good idea how long your next video should be. In most cases you have 10 seconds to convince your viewer to keep watching.
8. Poor Quality: If the quality of the video makes it difficult to follow, hear or watch it will do more harm than good. This does not mean that every video needs to be a Hollywood production but it does mean the quality should not get in the way of the message.
9. Using the wrong video in the wrong place: For business and marketing videos there are generally three types of online video but they are often used in the wrong way. Outreach videos are distributed widely and encourage people to visit your website. Landing page or closing videos tell the visitor why they should buy your product or service. Post sales engagement videos such as training videos help your customers after the sale. The exact mix of these videos change from business to business but think about what video fits best with your prospects in your sales process. For more information take a look at my blog: The 3 Stages of Video Marketing.
10. The video does not represent the organization: Just because a video gets lots of viewers does not mean it is a good video for your organization or company. The video must represent the values of the organization not only in its message but in its production values and style. An investment company should expect to make one type of video and a quirky, avant garde restaurant another type of video.

It is important to think about how a video will be viewed by your potential customers, how it represents your business and what you want them to do after they have viewed the video. Your goal should not only be to get viewers but to get the right viewers, people who need your services or product. Videos are not only about broadcasting a message but in providing value. Make something valuable and do not forget to have a call to action.

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Marketers have successfully used direct mail to sell just about every product and service you can imagine, at just about every price you can imagine as well.

So if you're taking a look at direct mail to sell your own product or service, you're on the right track.

But let's back up a step. In order to sell, you need customers. Happily, there is no better medium than direct mail for finding potential customers -- and for turning them into paying ones.

Four advantages unique to direct mail make this possible:

1. Direct mail is targeted. Want to reach prospects within five miles (or more!) of your location? There's a mailing list. Want to reach people who buy sweaters? There's a list. People whose demographics and interests resemble those of customers you already have? Yes, there's a list.

This targeting ability is extremely valuable. If your product or service applies to, say, one in 100 people, using mass media to reach all 100 people wastes 99¢ of every dollar you spend. Direct mail lets you target the one, effectively multiplying the power of your advertising 100 times -- without costing you a penny extra.

2. Direct mail is interactive. It is a medium that can call people by name on first contact. Moreover, direct mail creates dialog, by letting people reply to you. That way, you can build and mine a database of customers, along with their interests, habits and purchases.

3. Direct mail cannot be ignored. There is one way for people to sort mail: by looking at it. So when your direct mail communicates a benefit and a strong brand, you're getting your message across to 100 percent of your target.

4. People like mail. At work and at home, people look forward to receiving and looking through their mail. That can't be said for all marketing mediums.

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What to Do - Extend Your PR Coverage to More than one Day.

Social networking and social news websites have done for media coverage what fitness and nutrition have done for the human race - dramatically extended their longevity.

When the media devotes positive coverage to a company or individual, traditionally the value would exist the day of the coverage, but not much beyond.

When something good happens, you have to make it last. With all the opportunities to maximize media placements online, businesses should take advantage of all it and milk every last bit of mileage from their well-deserved PR attention.

How to Extend Your PR Coverage.

We make it a habit at our agency to remind clients every time they receive a placement or mention any media to do the following six simple things:

• Blog about it (and install blogging software if you don't have it.)

• Post it on the "News" section of their website (We go under the assumption all of our clients have one of these!)

• Send an email with links to the coverage to customers, co-workers, friends, pretty much anyone you know. (Some of our clients create an "In the News" newsletter where they gather our placements and send it monthly as one-page newsletter to prospects.)

• Share it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on social news websites like Digg or Reddit (when posting it to these sites, send a link to your submission to colleagues and ask them to "Digg" or vote for your placement so it raises in popularity on the page. Also track your placement's progress. Check back in a few days to see how many people have viewed or voted.)

• Hang it. Create an 8 x 11 PDF for hanging it in visible areas of their business.

• Include a link to the media mention in their email signature (only for the first three to five days post-coverage)

Why You Need to Extend Your PR Coverage.

Once read, watched or heard - an article, TV or radio segment was once quickly gone and forgotten, as fast as the next day's news came out. The only way to extend its short life was to perhaps frame it in glass and hang it a waiting area, where it might be occasionally skimmed by customers or passersby. Let's face it, given all the hard work it takes to score positive media attention, letting the end result slip away so quickly is nothing short of a darn shame.

But, now, with social networks like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, and social news websites such as Reddit or Digg, what used to be a one-day or otherwise short-lived "PR win" has now become something that businesses and individuals can benefit from for weeks, months and even years. By sharing media coverage on these networks and sites, businesses and others can not only extend the life of their coverage, but they can quadruple or more the number of eyes that eventual see it.

Sharing an article, TV segment, radio broadcast or blog mention online can be as simple as shortening the link with a url shrinker (i.e., TinyURL) and posting the link to your company's social media sites. Just be mindful of overkill. I've seen companies retweet or post the same media mention as much every five minutes. That's called overly promotional ... a major turnoff to the very group you are trying to impress.

Another overly simple way to extend viewers and life of media mentions is to email a link to employees, friends, colleagues and even customers, who then may very well pass along the coverage to their stream of followers.

Sharing media articles on social news web sites can be the most effective way to increase the power and audience of your positive media coverage. In fact, Quantcasst estimates Digg's monthly U.S. unique visits at 4.3 million.

Social news websites feature user-posted stories, typically ranked based on popularity. Examples include Slashdot (focusing on science and technology news), Fark, Digg, Reddit, Delicious and Newsvine. Not only do can users on the site comment on the posts, but their comments may also be ranked. What's more, many of these sites are also used to link many types of information, such as news and discussion, humor and support.

One of the most important and strategic elements that can help maximize media relationships and the impact of news announcements is having a corporate online newsroom. Having a page on a company's website that's dedicated to press releases and news gives media a kind of one-stop-shop to observe what's been going on within a company, recent updates and ongoing traction in the industry.

Posting media coverage on your website is like a "duh," but worth noting and also recommending that every company have a news page on their website that should always stay current. Nothing irks a PR person more than to go on their clients' sites and see the last story posted was over six months ago. Obviously, linking back to an article is a great way to build SEO.

Remember, when something good happens, you have to make it last. With all the opportunities to maximize media placements online, businesses should take advantage of all it and milk every last bit of mileage from their well-deserved PR attention. And cultivate these 6 habits. Ask your current PR provider to assist you, if you need help with these basic steps.

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This has been a guest post by Debra Vilchis.

She is an experienced, results-driven PR and media relations professional. Her previous experience as a newspaper and national wire service journalist gives her unique insight into what makes reporters and editors tick, as well as what doesn't. Her focus is driving the right kind of message to the right audience - at the right time - for each of Fishman's franchise clients, and optimizing those results through social media channels.

No matter what products/services your business offers, having an online marketing strategy to engage your target audience is essential to your success.

While many franchises still use outdoor billboards, print and TV ads for national branding purposes, there has been a steady shift towards digital advertising because it is more cost-effective, allows for precise audience targeting and provides trackable analytics.

It might be easy to stick with what has worked in the past, but your franchise's marketing plan should always include a mix of digital marketing activities -- even if you just begin by dipping your toes into the water -- in order to reach new audiences and stay competitive in the marketplace.

A good starting point is to create a mobile-friendly website and make sure your directory listings are optimized so that new and existing customers can find you easily. Once you have established your online presence (your website) and ensured the listings for your locations are accurate (directory listings), you can begin building on your foundation with online marketing strategies (such as SEO, social media, email, etc.) and digital advertising.

Digital advertising + organic marketing = results

If you're like many other marketers, your opinions of digital advertising and organic marketing will range from positive to negative and most-likely conflict: if you love digital advertising, you think organic marketing doesn't get results quick enough (and vice versa).

You'll be happy to learn that you no longer need to play favorites; in fact, digital advertising and organic marketing will get your franchise the best results if you combine the two. Just as basketball was originally created to help keep baseball players in shape during the cold winter months, digital advertising will only enhance your ongoing organic marketing efforts and boost your franchise's online presence.

New capabilities: target, track, convert and analyze

Digital advertising provides you with some unique benefits that other methods do not:

• The ability to target the audience(s) you want to see your messaging
• Track and retarget ads to people who have visited your website
• It is in the best-interest of digital advertising publishers to convert and get results from your ads so they can get paid (pay-per-click)
• Digital advertising provides you with detailed results that you cananalyze

TARGET

One of the biggest benefits of digital advertising is being able to strategically target consumers (contextual, behavioral, audience, demographic, geographic region, keyword, time or emotional). The rise ofprogrammatic has created a science out of digital advertising; advertisers are able to determine who sees their ad and the creative served, as well as the maximum price they are willing to pay in order to reach that user (bidding).

Many franchises set their digital advertising parameters to target users in a geographic location around a business location. Now, instead of hoping they reach the right people (billboards, outdoor, TV, print) they now know exactly who they are reaching, what creative they saw, how they engaged with the ad and what actions were taken.

However, you don't have to directly target around your locations, you can also focus on an entire area. As you can see in the example below, a Starbucks location targets both their direct location and the entire area surrounding them. Starbucks strategy will ensure they reach their direct consumers, but also potential ones in the surrounding area.

As with any new franchise marketing strategy, you don't want to dive in and never get out of the water -- you should take it one lap at a time. Try testing what regions and messages work best for your franchise, so you can refine and retest (it's a never-ending cycle!).

TRACK + RETARGET

I know that I am not the only one who has visited a website and wanted to learn more, but was interrupted and had to move on to something else quickly. Lucky for me, digital advertisers invented retargeting ads that will follow me around the web and remind me of that website I meant to spend more time on.

Retargeting ads allow potential customers the ability to check out your website and then take some time to consider their options, while your business can still be at the forefront of their mind.

For example (below), if I visit Starbucks website to find out about the different types of Tevana teas offered, but don't purchase anything, Starbucks tea ads will follow me around as I visit other websites -- such as The Huffington Post (below) -- to remind me about how delicious their chai tea latte looks.

CONVERT

There are a variety of ways your franchise can embrace digital advertising and build your brand online -- and all come with a different price tag, depending on how in-demand the audience you want to reach is. For example, purchasing the in-demand ad word "car insurance" is much more expensive than buying "franchise digital marketing."

While some keywords and campaigns may be out of your price range, digital advertising as a whole is extremely cost-effective because you are only paying for the users that act on your ad (PPC). In addition, you don't have to worry about any ancillary costs associated with the campaign (i.e.: printer color proofs, tests, etc.) because you set your cost limits up front. This gives your franchise the ability to dip your toes in the water and find out what works best for your business before you dive in for a whole work out.

ANALYZE

When you launch your franchise's digital advertising campaign, you should plan (and expect) to receive a detailed analysis of your results when it is over.

Depending on the type of campaign you run, you might receive results from display ad auditors (such as comScore or DoubleClick), your retargeting/PPC ad server or ad word network (such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

In order to get the most out of these valuable insights, you need to make sure your digital advertising campaign is set up correctly (such as having tracking codes, being mobile-optimized, etc.).

Whether you embrace social media, PPC, retargeting or ad words (to name a few) for your franchise's digital advertising campaign, you should never feel pressured to spend a large amount of money to get started. Any digital advertising partner worth their weight will be confident in their ability to get you the results you want -- so you can increase your spend the next time round.

Conclusion

As your franchise grows and expands, you have to find new ways to reach new customers -- and digital advertising is a solid solution that will keep your brand competitive in a crowded marketplace. Moreover, your franchise's growth from direct advertising and organic search will never plateau if you correctly utilize the many different strategies and tools available to you.

If you are curious about how to blend your digital advertising strategy into your overall marketing strategy, check out our e-book Who Owns Local Marketing? You'll also learn how multi-location businesses and franchises close the gap between corporate (franchisor) and individual franchisee locations with local online marketing.

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Considering that "Content is King" on the web, it's important to gauge how wide of a net is being cast through your Content Marketing efforts. Is the content you are distributing of interest to the rest of the world? Does it have viral possibilities?

Perhaps your strategy is to circulate positive information about your company as a digital public relations tool. Or maybe you're working to promote specific products and services. Whatever your objective, the starting point is the same: research. Your research will help ensure your content is found under the right circumstances, as well as angled toward the areas in which people are most interested.

Your Products and Services Strategy

When beginning the keyword selection process for a web site, many of our clients initially gravitate to words which they personally associate with their business. Their first response tends to be, "we are currently ranked number one for this particular term or terms." As part of our early research, SmartFinds Internet Marketing identifies how many people are actually searching the term(s) - and more often than not, we find there are no searches - or not a very significant number of searches.

Of course, the more meaningful data comes from our identifying which types of term(s) are actually being searched relative to a client's products or services. The old days of guessing which keyword term(s) will bring results are gone. All three major search engines and many other resources can help you zero in on viable keyword choices. Terminologies, monthly search volumes and number of competing web pages are all data points that are available.

Use this research when developing your content for articles and news releases - as well as postings for social media marketing. The research is also valuable in determining how to strategically tag and describe your videos and photos. Furthermore, your analysis will assist you with terminologies for your web site and in developing landing pages.

One interesting situation which raises issues is when the world is seeking your business products and services in one way, yet you want to be known in another way. The business focus will need to lean towards bringing the traffic to your web site; and then, educate the visitors towards your focus. One good example of this is "dental benefits" versus "dental insurance." Most dental coverage is legally known as "dental benefits," but the consumer market seeks this information out as "dental insurance."

Using Content Marketing for Business Digital Public Relations

Business digital public relations are all about your company name and your company's domain name. There is less research required in this process since both items are easily located. The process begins by going to the major search engines and typing your company name in quotes to see what the results display.

The questions to ask and answer about these results are:

• Are they positive or negative about your company?
• How much of this information is on 3rd party web sites?
• Ideally we are not looking for those listings on your own web site, but on others. Prospects are typically more interested in what is on third party web sites than what is on your own web site. (Similar to how a magazine article about your business might be of more influence than your company brochure.)
• Does the information support your sales team when they drop off a proposal with a prospect?

You may find that there are other companies that have similar names; or there is other information unrelated to your business creating content noise that does not support your business. Inconsistent information about your business or neutral responses will not support your sales team.

Take the next step in this exercise by entering a search of your domain name in quotes. We find that companies may have more information on the web about their company name and significantly less with their domain name link. It is imperative that the two reach similar volume over time in order to build the story around your business.

The idea now is to develop content around articles, news releases, videos, photos, social media communities that is all about your business name and with your domain name as the link.

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At the Face 2 Face conference put on by Progress Media in 2013, we were challenged to consider our stories, refine them and learn to share them as part of our business growth strategy.

Story is a huge component of what my team and I do every day, however the importance of my own story and how that shapes my company's growth has never resonated with me quite so clearly.

My story begins in Texas, where I was raised. In the 5 years after I graduated with a BS in Education, I worked as a teacher and on the side honed my song writing skills, performing and recording two CD's as the lead singer in a local band. I also managed to write a non-fiction book called Lord, Help Me...I'm Single, which was published in 2006, about life as a single girl after university.

Stories. They were intertwined in everything I did...in my teaching, my writing, my songs. And I wanted more.

So I left Texas on an adventure. I moved to St. John's, Newfoundland to study folklore, which essentially is the study of how cultures communicate their belief systems and tell their stories through varied mediums. For my thesis I traveled to Louisiana and studied the local lore surrounding a humanoid primate (aka "bigfoot" type creature) known as the Honey Island Swamp Monster.

I collected stories the natives told, and I witnessed how they wove those stories in a variety of ways to sell them, to sell the belief to the public, and to make money. To this day I have the t-shirt, books, DVD's and plaster cast footprint as keepsakes of my experiences...in addition to my thesis, of course.

At the time I didn't realize that experience would shape my future in the marketing industry, however it has done just that.

After moving with my husband (a Canadian who I met when we played in a band together in St. John's) to Winnipeg and then to Oxford, Mississippi, we made our way back up to Atlantic Canada and settled in Halifax.

With a young daughter and no work visa, I started learning ways to use the Internet to bring in an income from home. And so I entered the field of Internet marketing, and it fit like a glove. I didn't realize why until much later, but I now know that it's my passion for telling stories that made it click.

When I opened Wired Flare in 2011, I had 4 years of experience in marketing but a lifetime of experience in telling stories. And at Wired Flare, that's exactly what we do.

We have the privilege and honour each day of telling our clients' stories. They entrust us with this great task, and to do it well we make our clients' stories our own. Their stories become ours, and we use our voice to tell them out loud, to put them to work for our clients...to communicate their stories and their beliefs in such a way that their audiences become part of the stories we're telling.

What we do is about much more than helping our clients make money...it's about getting to the core of why our clients do what they do and helping them achieve their end goals...which have a far greater impact than money.

Those end goals, the visions, the ultimate impact on the world that our collective stories make...that becomes legend, and legend lives on forever.

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This short video demonstrates to franchisors how we were able to create such powerful, authentic videos from people who are usually not that good on camera.

Video is a much better way of capturing a franchisor's enthusiasm and passion for their system than just words.

That's it for now. Let us know how we can help you or your clients with our Social Video Marketing by connecting with me on LinkedIn.

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Perusing through some articles, in groups I belong to on LinkedIn, I was appalled by the number of spelling errors.

For example:

-Wear vs. Where
-There vs. Their

Yes, these are homonyms that spellcheck would not catch, but shouldn't you?

Other common typos:

-To vs. Too
-Than vs. Then
-Lose vs. Loose
-Your vs. You're
-It's vs. Its

Of course the list could go on. When did it become acceptable to publish content with these types of errors?

Do people and organizations take online publications as seriously as they do offline publications? Seemingly not.

I would argue, however, that your online presence is just as crucial and sometimes more crucial than your offline one. Why? Now, more than ever before, people are finding companies online first, before anywhere else.

If the first impression a potential client has of your business is less than professional, what does that say about your organization as a whole?

Take the time to proofread, or make sure someone on your staff is doing it regularly and doing it well. Keep in mind that spellcheck only catches certain errors, so there's still some human proofreading element required.

This rule applies to content that goes on your website, your blog, and your social media posts - in addition, of course, to the traditionally published content you distribute.

Franchisors, keep in mind that everything your franchisees publish both online and offline is a reflection of the brand as a whole. Make sure your franchisees understand the importance of proofreading.

It may mean that in order to maintain that level of professionalism in your online communications, more content has to be generated from a central source.

The bottom line is...it's absolutely imperative that you establish a company policy and practices to guarantee a high quality of content in both online and offline publications.

This will help ensure that the first impression you make is a professional one, regardless of where it happens.

(For those of you shouting to yourselves, "Here she is talking about writing properly and proofreading, and she used a sentence fragment in this article," this comment is for you:

Yes, I used a sentence fragment in the article, and I used it intentionally to make a point. It's a writer's stylistic freedom to know the rules and break them when it fits. The key, however, is to knowing them well and breaking them only when it's with great intention.)

1 Basic Tip: Read your copy out loud and slowly to another person. You will catch your errors and improve the sound of your written word.

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Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

In a world where smartphones and tablets have become mission critical devices in the daily lives of consumers, it has become more popular than ever among marketers to advertise in the digital space, be it email, web, mobile, etc.

As the media spend continues to increase in this category, money continues to be shifted away from print as advertisers declare "print is dead." While print-based mass media is most assuredly on the decline in both circulation and ad spend (think newspaper and magazines), another form of "print" continues to thrive and is even enjoying a bit of a resurgence - direct mail.

The total spend in direct mail was on the rise in 2014. Against a prediction of 1.1%, the Winterberry Group reported spending up 2.7% last year as advertisers spent more than $45 billion in the category.

Why the increase? Because direct mail remains effective and with an infusion of digital technology in recent years, is more impactful than ever.

The days of carpet bombing "junk mail" are over. Savvy marketers are now thinking outside of the typical boundaries of the mailbox. As a result, their direct mail pieces serve both as key standalone vehicles as well as prime complementers to other broadcast and digital channels.

Whether you are choosing direct mail as an advertising vehicle for the first time, or revamping an existing program, here are a few tips to take advantage of that will make your spend more efficient and your program more effective:

Complement Digital Programs

Direct mail stands alone from digital channels and reaches consumers outside of their phone/tablet/computer.

It also provides the perfect vehicle to tie the two together. It goes without saying that creative and messaging between direct mail and digital should complement one another, but by utilizing QR codes and digital activation programs, the mail piece can be made to come alive and drive the consumer to web sites, online videos, social media and other digital assets.

The End of "One Version Fits All"

The printing process itself has benefited from digital technology in recent years.

Gone are the days of printing plates and expensive version changes that come from the world of offset printing.

Digital printing, (essentially a high quality, high speed version of that color printer/copier that may already be in your office), has advanced to the point that speed and cost is rivaling the traditional offset world.

Why is this important? There are no longer costly limitations on versions, allowing the advertiser to tailor offers, graphics, etc. to the household level. It is now possible for every household in a neighborhood to receive a different offer, addressed specifically to them by name using whatever graphics or fonts a designer can dream up. The industry label for this is Variable Data Printing, and it's a lot easier and cheaper than you might think.

Explore New Materials

Plastics, magnetics, decals - all viable media for a direct mail piece.

They may be more expensive than paper, but to get your message to stand out, there is nothing better.

Plastics in particular are becoming more popular as conventional couponing can take on the look, feel and functionality of a gift or loyalty card. The shiny, glass-like finish stands out in the mailbox and gets noticed among stacks of paper postcards, envelopes and catalogs.

The gift card look and feel has a perceived cash value by the consumer, and the durability of the media allows it to be retained for an extended period of time for later or repeated use. Magnetic stripes and barcodes further the functionality, integrating the mailer with a retailer's point of sale or loyalty system and making response tracking easier than ever.

From Carpet Bombing to Precision Targeting

It is no longer necessary to cover entire zip codes in a "carpet bomb" approach when mailing.

With the ever increasing cost of postage, it is imperative that you target precisely where your best prospects live and work in order to avoid wasted coverage and expense.

One zip code can house drastically different demographic groups within its borders, so even though the zip code may make sense from a geographic standpoint, there may be hundreds of households draining your budget with every mailing.

Look beyond zip code geography and analyze the postal carrier routes contained within each one.

Then let the demographics do the talking. You will be surprised at what you find. If your business is lucky enough to have a customer database to draw from (as many automotive service retailers and fitness clubs do), use this information to build your ideal customer profile.

Find out where your current customers are coming from, then match the demographics of those areas to others within your geography. "Fish where the fish are" so to speak. You'll find the fishing is a whole lot better when you're fishing at the right lake.

Direct mail remains an effective advertising vehicle, whether it's the foundation of your marketing program or complementing other efforts.

Call it old fashioned, outmoded or any one of the various adjectives associated with "print" these days, but the fact remains - it works.

The tried and true aspects of the media remain, while the production methods, media options and targeting strategies are better than ever before.

I recently had a client say to me: "I don't need to do anything else for my existing customers; I need to find new customers."

Dumbfounded, I couldn't wrap my head around this. Didn't she realize that it costs more to attract new customers than it does getting existing customers to buy more? In her defense, she was already working several other "channels" with blog posts, newsletters, email promotions and even an active podcast. She WAS communicating and building relationships.

But I am right...right?

Actually, you could argue that advertising and promotional activities aren't just about converting that first time customer. They are also about supporting the brand in current customer relationships. And current customers can typically enjoy the same discounts as prospective customers. However, communicating to existing customers without listening to what their actions tell you is no more efficient than continuing to look only for new customers- wherever they may be.

So where is the flaw in my client's thinking? Data. What she, and many other businesses, both large and small, has failed to do is look at the data collected on those existing customers. As a business, you must realize that you are unique, either by product location or a combination of many things. Even franchised concepts can serve a largely different demographic (which in turn could demand a unique product mix or price point) simply based on their location. You may also find that the way you communicate with current customers is not as effective as you thought.

Collecting data doesn't have to be a daunting task, but once you do collect it, it is essential to get it all in one place and actually look at it. "One place" can be as simple as utilizing a pivot table within an MS Excel document, to engagements with data analytics professionals. Either way, you've got to start somewhere.

Key places to look for data:

• Receipts
• Loyalty Programs
• Social Media
• Surveys
• Contests
• Coupons
• Online (Google Analytics)
• Demographic Research

If you are just starting to collect data, it's important to track each marketing channel so that you can not only determine response rates for a particular promotion, but also tie responses to the items purchased, the sales revenue and buying patterns. Use unique offer codes and ask for customer feedback if in direct contact during the sales process. When considering social media insight, be sure to compare and contrast it with what you are seeing from other marketing feedback specific to your business to get the true story.

Things you should you look for in your global data:

• Patterns in the buying habits of your customers for discounting only when necessary
• Potential efficiencies in marketing expenditures and product inventory
• Processes that could be improved
• Any risks or instances of fraud

An important thing to remember is that your data collection process should be unobtrusive enough so your customers don't feel harassed in the process. You should also be aware of Privacy Laws that impact how you manage your customer's information. In the end, a solid data collection and analysis strategy will tell you things about your business and your customers that you very likely didn't know, or validate what you suspected. If managed correctly, a long term relationship with data is one neither of you will regret.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Many years ago, a favorite cousin decided to open a pizza shop. Everyone told her that she made the best pizza in the world - and she did! Even though a pizza shop is a great business idea, I just wish I could have convinced her that the public doesn't want to buy "the best pizza in the world".

The public wants to buy "the most convenient pizza in the world," which is why there are so many pizza shops. When people are hungry for pizza, they don't want to wait!

Too Few Buyers
Unfortunately for my cousin, she lost everything to her great business idea. But it wasn't because people didn't like her pizza. They loved it! It's just that not enough people bought her pizza.

What really sunk her business was her marketing plan.

She invested huge chunks of money in the wrong marketing tactics.

For example, she thought ads in the Sunday newspaper would make the phone ring. They did, but not enough to justify the cost of the ads.

She either didn't know about door hangers - which actually do sell pizza for a fraction of the cost of other advertising - or she considered them unworthy of her product.

I understand, but I wish I didn't.

Listen to the Public
People often complain that franchises have dumbed down product quality. Even if that's true, the public isn't complaining!

And that's what you need to understand about business ideas and franchises. Selling "the best" of anything isn't necessarily the goal, at least not anymore. But less than the best doesn't mean it's bad, either. It just means the public has spoken. And you need to listen!

Marketing is the key that unlocks the vault to the public's desires, and money. And the franchise company that understands that is a contender for your investment dollars!

And now that I've spoken, I'm calling my favorite franchised pizza shop . . . I know they listen!

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

There is a lot of nonsense written by smart people about storytelling.

And, most of their talk is just a story - not worth listening to. Nobody uses a story to show why storytelling is more convincing than any other expository form. They just tell us that it is. Crap, I say.

But, Roger Schank is very different.

He is worth listening to.

Roger Schank explains the deep reasons that we have to tell stories.

The smartest thing Roger says - on why one way dialogues don't convince is this:

At around 2:48, on listening to a lecture, a version of a one way dialogue, Roger shows that the audience has a terrible problem of focus:

"This puts you in an awkward position as I talk, because you can either be thinking about what you think or you can be listening to me but you can't do both."

So, how do you chose the stories you want to tell?

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

This is how "advertising" is described on Wikipedia:

"...a form of marketing communication used to encourage, persuade, or manipulate an audience (viewers, readers or listeners; sometimes a specific group) to take or continue to take some action. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering..."

Eeek.

While social media does, in fact, persuade and encourage audiences, the idea that it should be used intentionally in that way to "manipulate" an audience to take action seems an affront to the very idea of being social.

Then again...perhaps social circumstances do often by their very nature lead to manipulative situations. From the sandbox to the schoolyard to the workplace...manipulation occurs all over.

Does that make it right?

The sandbox is really for playing, getting to know one another, learning and growing. The fact that sometimes one or another participant may manipulate another doesn't alter the initial intent of the sandbox itself. The sandbox is still a "good" place, a place for fun, laughter and friendship.

So is social media.

As users and as professional organizations, we cannot allow the fact that some companies may use social platforms for their own manipulative purposes to shape what social media truly is.

We cannot give those manipulators that power.

And, most important...we cannot be those manipulators.

Social media provides an opportunity for companies to build trust with their audiences, to be truthful with them, to provide their audience with real value that will encourage and support them.

Companies that recognize that have a great opportunity to create social platforms that will take relationships with their clients to entirely new levels.

So, think of social media not as advertising but as an opportunity to communicate with your audience.

Instead of trying to "manipulate" them into buying your product or service, use your expertise to help solve their problems now. Share your knowledge, and when they come to place where they need to invest in what you offer, they'll have no other thought but turning to you as their solution.

Don't persuade them with deals. Dig deeper. Show them the more that you are. Show them WHO you are...as an organization and a team of people.

You're not a "company" with deals. You're a group of people who have come together to help solve the problems your audience has.

Only you can do it the way you do it, and as they get to know you they'll see just that.

>Don't advertise.

Be authentic. Be yourself. Be real. And have fun in the sandbox.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

LED Source- the Franchisor's Vendor

My client LED Source is an awesome company that has now been valued very highly by the "right people".

They are a franchisor & also a vendor to franchisors, retrofitting lighting for great chains like Massage Envy and Starbucks.

We will ALL eventually need LED lighting so they are out there promoting themselves on both levels. They are a terrific futuristic franchise opportunity and at the same time franchisors and chains, such as Starbucks, need to be retrofitted with all new lighting.

But how to go after a Starbucks type entity when you think "hey I'm just a small company?"

Be a small company that ROARS!

If you can make an intelligent presentation as to the whys, wheres, how tos and in LED Source's case, the tax credits the customer will receive, you can pitch anyone. It just takes tenacity and an intelligent, succinct "pitch".

Window Genie- 3M Partnership

Another great example is another terrific client of Sanderson & Associates: Cincinnati based Window Genie.

Window Genie has reached an agreement with 3M Company to provide a residential window film solution as part of the company's lauded Envision™ line of films. The partnership will provide Window Genie, a franchise chain with over 200 units that provides window cleaning and window tinting to homes in more than 24 states, an opportunity to service over 125,000 residential customers with window film that reduces fading, heat and glare and can help lower utility bills.

Beginning April 1, Window Genie franchisees will offer the residential Envision™ film options that include clear view, glare control, sun block and shade offerings. The film options range from 70%-40% for total solar energy rejection (TSER), a quality which stands to save homeowners significantly on their utility bills.

Window Genie's partnership with 3M is the result of two years of discussions between the companies, initiated by Window Genie.

"We approached 3M two years ago actively seeking the partnership," said Ken Fisk, vice president of operations for Window Genie.

"We believed Window Genie's reputation as an established residential home service business put us in a great position to illustrate to 3M the value of forming a partnership with us.

Through two years of conversations pertaining to the opportunity 3M had to penetrate the residential market through a partnership with Window Genie, a company with over 125,000 residential customers in our database, both parties agreed it was mutually beneficial to move forward."

"The partnership is mutually beneficial," said Fisk.

"While Window Genie is able to further customer satisfaction by providing a highly recognizable brand of top quality window film, 3M is able to successfully penetrate the residential market and build brand awareness for their line of residential film among Window Genie's customers that span over 200 markets in 24 states."

For years 3M's line of Envision™ Wrap Films has been an industry favorite, earning commendations for its high performance, sustainable materials and comprehensive warranty.

Founded in 1994 by Rik Nonelle, Window Genie recently appeared on Inc. Magazine's 2014 Inc. 5000 list and on Entrepreneur Magazine's list of top 100 home-based franchises. The partnership stands to benefit Window Genie franchisees every bit as it will benefit customers," said Fisk.

"We look forward to improved training and support by providing one brand of film to our franchise partners," said Fisk. "We believe it will help streamline systems and enable growth with a more successful method of coaching throughout the entire Window Genie system."

ABOUT WINDOW GENIE

Window Genie is a mobile cleaning services company focused primarily on its "big three" services: window cleaning, window tinting and pressure washing. The company also offers, among many other services, dryer vent cleaning, chandelier cleaning and gutter cleaning and re-securing.

Window Genie services primarily residential customers, as well as small offices and commercial spaces. The company currently has 72 franchise owners operating more than 200 units in 24 states, and expects to grow to 100 franchisees by the end of 2015 and over 300 within five years. Target markets include California, New York and Florida. For more information, visit www.windowgenie.com.

ABOUT LED SOURCE

Founded in 2005, LED Source^® is North America's first franchisor of LED lighting. The company supplies high quality LED lighting products to a variety of spaces, and specializes in design, support, development, project management and financing through its Retrofit, Architectural, Entertainment and National Accounts divisions.

In 2012, LED Source launched LouMan Money^®, a private-labeled finance program that affords companies an LED lighting upgrade without tying up capital or using existing lines of credit. For more information and/or about franchising opportunities, please visit www.LEDsource.com/franchising.

A Fish Story

When I was much younger, my grandfather used to take my younger brother and me fishing. Fishing on one of the lakes in the interior of B.C.

We would get up at 5:00 am to help Grandpa Webster pack up the Ford Camper. Drive for what seemed like 12 hours, but was only 3 or 4.

Grandpa had his favorite lakes. In the 1940's, Al Webster was running a hotel at 100 Mile House in the interior of B.C. So, Al knew a lot about hunting & fishing.

The lakes he liked were accessible only by logging roads. Roads which were not maintained. Sometimes nothing more than 2 deep ruts into the bush.

When we arrived at camp, my brother and I were eager to go fishing right away.

But, we had to wait until the next morning.

Grandpa would wake us at 4:00 a.m. And it was chilly -even in the summer- on those mountain lakes that early in the morning.

We would dress in several layers over our pyjamas. Get into the back of his 15' boat and go trolling.

Grandpa had 50HP Mercury, which he hated because it wouldn't go slow enough to troll properly he said. But, he needed its power when we had to get off the lake in a hurry.

We would troll in and out of the bays. Until we found where a school of fish was feeding.

And, then if we were lucky, all hell would break loose.

Catch 4, 6, or even 10 lake trout or salmon within 18 minutes.

Fish for eating. Fish to be flash frozen back at camp. Not for catch and release. My grandfather despised trophy fishing.

But, most of the time we weren't lucky. We were just bored.

Catching, reeling in and netting a lake trout is fun.

Trolling up and down a cold lake in the morning's damp mist and not getting a nibble for several hours? Not so much fun.

Back then we didn't have the technology that fishermen have today.

We couldn't afford a depth finder. Grandpa wasn't impressed with such tools. He preferred to determine the depth of the lake by measuring how long it took for our lines to hit bottom.

Then, we would reel in and come up to the exact right depth. Or sometimes not. We always blamed it on the lousy lures, when we returned to camp without any fish.

I really wanted a depth finder back then. If only just to break up the boredom.

Well, I told you that story just to tell you another. This time about content marketing.

Using content marketing articles to attract leads has a lot in common with fishing.

With content marketing & fishing there is the potential for a lot of boredom.

You think that every flashy article will lure all the right people to your offer. And for the most part, you are not right.

And a few times, fewer than you would like, your content does work. It lures the right people to the offer on your website. And the fish are biting.

A Depth Finder for Content Marketing - Google Analytics

So wouldn't it be nice to have something like a depth finder for your content marketing articles.

How much should it cost, do you think?

How well it would it work?

Could it be simple to set up?

Cheap, good & simple are not usually found together.

Yet, this is exactly what implementing Google Analytics on your website will give you. A cheap, good & simple "depth finder".

I had demonstrated for you a neat application using Google Analytics which showed you the best place to put your links on your website.

Remember too, we had talked about the attention economy -where you trade your knowledge for their email and name.

Now, let's put both ideas together.

Find the right places to fish for leads. And lure them to an irresistible offer on your website.

1. How much attention does the typical content marketing article attract on Franchise-Info attract?

Ok, so for a month this article attracted a little over 80 readers. People who spent on average 4:47 minutes reading the article.

That is pretty good.

But, you can see that for most of the month the article attracted zero attention --it was all bunched into a couple of days.

You wouldn't expect to get a lot of leads from this article. It just doesn't create enough attention.

2. A month's worth of attention.

The next article is significantly better, but not as common.

You can see that for the month of March, this article continually attracted attention.

In fact, this article garnered 750 readers who spent an average time of 4:33 minutes reading it.

Ok, that author had 750 people knocking on her door asking for more. Those would be great leads.

At the very least, for that month of March, the author could have connected with those readers who looked at the author's LinkedIn profile.

3. One year's worth of attention.

Now, our next example is even better. And rarer, too. It is almost the ideal content marketing piece.

For an entire year, this article attracted attention.

Over 1800 readers for the entire year, and each reader spent 5:55 minutes reading the article.

Now, that is a terrific amount of attention. It is a great lead generating article. Hopefully, the author had a great offer to make in exchange for all that attention!

4. The Energizer Bunny of Content Marketing Articles

Finally, we have an article which just keeps on going, and going, creating quality leads each month. Month in and month out.

This article attracted over 6,000 readers, 6,159, last year. And since it was published in August, 2013, the article has been read by 9,013 readers.

And we have collected a lot of leads from this article's success.

None of this is difficult. Google Analytics is easy and free to implement.

The Moral of the Fish Story

To have your prospect know, then like and finally trust you, you need a plan.

Part of that plan is convert some attention into people who like you enough to give you their name/email in exchange for some of your knowledge.

So, when a lot of people do finally pay attention to a specific article, make sure you are giving them something in return.

Or you will return to camp without any fish.

Recommendations and so much more ...

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Or, for more information on what our Franchise-Info Business Directory can do for you, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

It's no secret that a great sales team has a significant impact on the number of franchisee leads your company produces, but a strategic franchise public relations plan can also play a vital role in lead generation.

When done correctly, content marketing generates three times as many leads as traditional outbound marketing, according to a recent study by Demand Metric.

At Ripley PR, we know just how important it is to develop relevant content and optimize it for the most impact with your target audience.

We've highlighted three key PR tools that will help to increase leads:

• Press Releases: Building brand equity is important, and using non-paid avenues helps add to the credibility of your company. From new hires to new locations, a PR agency can help you determine news worthy stories that will keep your franchise's name in relevant news outlets and at the top of mind of potential leads.

• Blogs: According to WebDAM, B2B companies that blog generate 67 percent more leads than companies that don't. A PR firm will not only develop the blogs for you, but we also understand the importance of SEO and keywords that improve your overall ranking in search results.

• Discovery Days: Face time is valuable, especially with potential franchisees that are on the fence. Hosting a discovery day allows them to see the type of franchise that you own, and a PR firm can not only help in the planning of the event but also get the word out to key media contacts that will reach your target audience.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Ripley PR understands the importance of lead generation to the overall success of your franchise, and we specialize in helping franchisors improve sales through a comprehensive B2B public relations strategy. Contact us today to get started on a plan that will compliment your current sales strategy.

Recently a potential client asked "How much for your company to re-do my website?"

A question so simple carried with it such ambiguity.

Before determining the answer we had to know specifics.

Starting with history, we asked when was the last time the website was worked on. The answer came back ..."oh, I dunno, maybe 5 to 10 years ago."

When we asked what functionalities would be needed, the eyes glazed over.

When asked what were the business goals..... a long discussion followed about tactics but no real strategic plan emerged. Desperate for some kind of feedback we asked.... "why do you think you need your website re-done?"

The answer.... "Folks tell us it looks a bit outdated and we think when people go there, after seeing the same thing over and over, they may not want to come back."

Saying one needs a website today is like saying one needs a religion. Would you like that by the cup or by the pound?

A simple style sheet change or choosing a "new template" in today's business world is not going to offer any more relevant content than what was offered before.

Taking that tact will do more harm than good. Yet that is what this potential client was fishing around for. They later openly stated they had a relationship who could "freshen" up their site for $500 and wanted to know if we could be competitive.

What they had failed to realize was.... websites no longer exist... driven from existence by technology much like the typewriter.

What has taken their place is a myriad of online business solutions. These solutions are predicated on facilitating specific business goals. Some help drive service businesses and others drive companies who sell products. Their was a good solution waiting for these folks that would have elevated their business. Eventually their competition will drive them to this realization.

The upside to this evolution is businesses now have the potential to be a global offerings. But maybe you do not need that. Maybe you just want to be local.... and that's OK. Regardless of your ideal market size, the first thing people will do when they become aware of your offering, is validate you. That is done online. And all of the tenets that drive good marketing today should be in place when they pull up your online presence.

A comparative from what one did yesterday to market to what is being done today might help illustrate my point:

Why someone should buy your product or service over your competitor. In yesterday's world, you sent out a direct mail piece and bought newspaper and trade ads containing customer testimonials. In today's world, your "website" has the ability for your customers to "like me" on Facebook, write a review and share through email and other electronic venues. Now your customers spread the good word, or bad word, about your service or product.

Want to know why customers buy your product and/or service and what else you could offer them?

It is much easier to do that today if your online presence has the functionalities in place to acquire that data.

To get this kind of information in yesterday's marketing world, focus groups were pulled together matching your target demographic. They were or weren't buying your product and as you sat sequestered behind "the glass" in an adjacent room you listened to these folks talk about your offering.

Led by a moderator they talked about what and what was not appealing to them. One would pay tens of thousands of dollars for that information.

Now, you post a form on your website with the same questions or have the form as part of an email that is generated automatically when someone has inquired or purchased from your "website."

And maybe you add to that form a trial offer or a discount on their next purchase to stimulate response and increase repeat business... a reward for their valued opinion. It's a lot less expensive than focus groups and you will be amazed what you will learn all the while increasing your sales. Your online presence should be a core function of your business and marketing efforts.

Do that and offer relevant meaningful content to your current and potential customers and you have a way finder to future success.

The basic paradigm of marketing your company and getting awareness has not changed over time. What has changed is how your customers come to know your offerings and your value proposition. It's not by way of a newspaper or a magazine. In fact, buy a commercial during the Superbowl, the holy grail of awareness, and prepare yourself to be vetted out by way of mobile phones, note pads, laptops and desktop computers.

A $500 CSS template change for your website is like throwing an Earl Scheib $99.95 paint job on a rusted out 10 year old car and asking customers to get in for a test drive.

It's the last thing you should ever want your customers to experience.

Today your current and prospect customers are not going to your website. They are going to your business. What you offer and the experience they have while there will be critical to your prosperity.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Boosting website traffic is essential for local businesses: all the visitors to your website are potential customers.

However, actually driving traffic and increasing visitors to your site is a challenge - especially for businesses with new websites.

Many businesses are hesitant to invest in advanced traffic strategies until they see a correlation between in-store sales and website visitors.

However, without website traffic, a business' local online marketing strategy will suffer (a perfect example of the chicken and the egg cycle caused by inaction). To get out of the chicken/egg rut, you should learn and master a few local business website traffic strategies and start using them in your marketing mix.

You can drive local business website traffic by learning how to use the right tools and mastering how traffic methods work.

There are three main ways to get more website traffic:

1. Paid media: PPC and display ads, ad words, sponsored posts, etc.
2. Owned media: websites, blogs and social media pages
3. Earned media: free publicity, word of mouth, social media mentions/shares/reposts, positive reviews and organic SEO

Read on for a website traffic overview and then decide which method works best for your local business -- without spending a large portion of your marketing budget.

1. Paid media

Covering the ins and outs of paid media is beyond the scope of this article (there are entire courses dedicated to this topic), but with a few basic guidelines you will be able to decide if it is a good marketing strategy for your local business.

a. Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)

PPC advertising (or banner ads) are ads you place on targeted websites to drive traffic back to yours. PPC ads are effective in driving traffic quickly, but if you don't carefully manage them, they could end up costing you a lot of money (and have nothing to show for it).

There are many reasons why businesses choose to use PPC advertising, including:

• It is a way to drive traffic to your website while you up your SEO game
• For companies that don't have great rankings, it can help make up for lost time
• They have the ability to geo-target ads by city, state or zip code

If you are interested in using PPC advertising as a part of your strategy (and aren't familiar with things such as programmatic ad buying and using data science to buy ads) it is best to find an expert that can guide you.

b. Ad words

Ad words is when you bid auction-style on a particular keyword in a search engine (such as Google or Bing). The higher the bid, the better placement your ad will receive on the search engine results landing page. The marketplace determines price of keywords: high-demand keywords are very expensive (i.e.: "buy car insurance online" or "cheapest homeowner loans") while keywords that aren't as popular are relatively cheap. The actual cost of keywords can fluctuate from a few pennies for obscure, long-tail keywords to hundreds of dollars for the most competitive words.

If you choose to use ad words, keep in mind that you will be competing against your large national counterparts, who most-likely will have a higher bidding price than you. The good news for local businesses is that bids are affected by how well a bidder's website ranks and the relevance of the landing page, often giving you an edge over those with unlimited budgets.

c. Social paid media

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (and soon Pinterest) all offer businesses opportunity to pay for media that will reach a targeted audience. Paid media on social are usually called "sponsored/promoted posts/tweets" and blend seamlessly into the network.

There are many ways to have an effective social media strategy and not pay for posts. Check out this free resource for strategies that will drive traffic to your website, but not cost you a fortune.

2. Owned media

Owned media includes assets that could be considered an "extension" of your business and that are fully controlled by you. Examples include your website, blogs and social media pages.

Regularly updating and posting to your owned media assets is crucial to boosting their ranking on search engines (and thus driving traffic to your website).

• Add more content: Website content includes blog and social media posts, how-to guides, ebooks, etc. And one new blog post won't help -- if you can't regularly commit to posting, it is best to hire someone to do it for you. According to researchers, it takes about 20 quality blog posts to start seeing traffic growth.

• Write valuable content: The quality of published content is more important than quantity. The headlines of your posts should draw readers in and your content should highlight your areas of expertise.

• Include videos and photos: Not only do videos and photos receive 5x the engagement vs. posts without, they are a great way for your business to stand out from the crowd and personalize your website. Some ideas for videos include employee interviews, product descriptions and customer testimonials. Create a YouTube channel and start posting videos to drive additional traffic.

3. Earned media

Earned media is free promotion your business receives. Examples include unpaid publicity, word of mouth, mentions/shares/reports on social media and reviews on sites, such as Yelp. While you can't directly control your earned media, you can encourage it by keeping your customers happy (who will, in turn, provide you with positive reviews, recommend you to friends, share your social media posts, etc.) and building your owned media platforms correctly.

a. Organic SEO

Increasing organic traffic to your website is something any business can accomplish -- at a reasonable price (usually, your time). However, unlike PPC advertising which is immediate, building your organic SEO takes time. A good place to start is to ensure your website, blog and social media pages all incorporate the keywords you would like to rank for.

Local businesses have a leg-up in the organic SEO game, due to the rise of mobile, simply because of how search engines classify their business. For example, Google gives priority to local businesses when a searcher is on a mobile device because they assume they are looking for a business nearby to visit. Make sure your website includes a phone number (with a local area code) and local address to rise even higher in the SEO rankings.

b. Review sites

Mention the word "Yelp" in a room full of local businesses and you'll get strong opinions (both positive and negative). Why? Because review sites, and the reviews left on them, have a powerful impact on local businesses.

If you aren't familiar with Yelp, check out this free guide on getting set up.

Search engine algorithms are heavily influenced by review sites -- in some cases, your Yelp page will appear higher than your website.

c. Social media

In the past few years, social media exploded and is now an essential part of any online marketing strategy. When you update your website (with a deal, new product, etc.), you should also be sharing that information on your social media pages so your audience knows where to go for more information (your website).

d. Directories

Directory optimization is a critical part of any online marketing strategy and every local business should submit their information to the major directories:

• DMOZ.org
• MSN/Bing
• Google

If you are curious about how your local business appears on major directories, run a free report today.

While every directory has a different set of guidelines for listings, your submissions should all be consistent and identical in order to up your organic SEO.

Most local businesses use a combination of paid, owned and earned media to drive traffic to their website (and therefore, in-store). We would love to hear the mix that works best for your business and how you made the decisions -- please share your stories in the comments section below.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

The post Strategies to Boost Local Business Website Traffic appeared first on LocalVox.

New Business. We just love it. It's the cause for much excitement in any marketing or PR firm, ad agency, law office. Pretty much everyone likes to win new business.

But after 30 years as a franchise PR specialist, I have learned to ask myself "Is all new business worth the 'high' you get from winning it?" And moreover, are all clients worth keeping because you can't part with that fee?

The answer, I promise you is NO.

Here are some reasons to turn down a possible new client and/or fire an old one.

• At the first meeting they already know more about your business than you do. Or they think they do.
• As happened to me recently, they are horribly rude to one of your references.
• You see them treating other vendors, employees or franchisees badly. They will do the same to you.
• They try to get your price down once you have set a reasonable fee for what they need.
• An existing client is always going around you to one of your staffers for "extras".
• They are extremely demanding and their expectations are out of control, yet they have no idea how you do what you do.
• They are never available and blame you for not delivering.
• They are consistently rude and nasty to you or your staff.
• They are consistently late with payment.
• You have a gut feeling they are just "sketchy".

I feel I have touched on all major reasons but if you have other bullet points or perhaps a different point of view please do share.

We all have to deal with difficulty in life.

But I have found that sometimes the drain on your energy and emotions can be much more damaging than having to cut out a couple of expenses here and there.

Then again, 30 years in one demanding business like PR can be akin to being repeatedly pelted with hail!

When you need someone for your Franchising PR who has been through the hail storms, connect with me on LinkedIn and let's chat.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

You're on the franchise trade show circuit.

You get articles in franchising trade publications.

And, you do radio podcasts.

1. Speaking

Speaking at franchise trade shows and events is great way get in front of an audience 50, 75 or more people to talk about franchising.

You're there to speak to people and market yourself to franchise buyers and franchisors. This is a pretty darn good way to develop new business.

If you can capture the names of the attendees and follow up with them on a consistent basis, you are doing even better than most of your competitors.

2. Writing

Writing topical articles on franchising in trade publications is a terrific technique to get in front of franchising readers and have them learn about your point-of-view on important franchise issues and how to solve problems. However it's very hard to convert these readers unless you've included a call-to-action that motivates them to do something to contact you.

3. Radio

Radio is one of the oldest and most effective ways to market.

You capture people's attention with an interesting topic with lively give and take between the on-air personalities.

Radio podcasts on franchising are popular.

However is anyone listening?

I don't know of any franchise podcasts that have a verified audience or a way to distribute their episodes.

You could be having a lively radio show with no listeners. And who wants that?

Franchise-Info has programs that can get your content like articles, presentations and even those podcasts in front of franchise readers.

You don't need virgin content since we can use what you've already created.

We can even use those radio show podcasts that had no listeners and distribute them to our franchising audience.

What we can guarantee is that you'll reach people who can do business with you.

Message me at [email protected] or call 443.502.2636 and we'll pick the program that bests fits your marketing objectives.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

As a franchise business, you are tied to numerous employees and owners who directly impact your overall brand message. Whether a crisis strikes your company as a whole or an individual franchisee, your entire brand can see negative effects.

However, with the proper franchise public relations strategies set in place, your franchise system can safeguard itself from potential crises that may arise.

We've outlined four ways to avoid a crisis through different PR strategies:

1. Reputation management - With a comprehensive public relations strategy put into place, your business can benefit from multiple forms of reputation management. This includes monitoring your franchise online presence, regularly earning positive media coverage, and establishing your system as credible to potential leads.

2. Crisis plan - When your company has a professionally-prepared plan on hand, it can help prepare your business for a potential crisis before it arises. A well-thought out crisis plan will define possible scenarios that could impact your franchise, establish a crisis spokesperson, and outline the best courses of action to take during media scrutiny.

3. Media policy - Having a public relations professional develop a media policy for your company can help maintain positive media relations, and relay accurate information to your brand's audience. These policies are designed to designate a company spokesperson, and outline procedures for speaking to press regarding your franchise business.

4. Social media policy - In the franchise realm, most companies will have localized social media pages for each franchisee. With so many voices managing your brand's social networking presence, it's vital to develop a franchise social media policy to outline rules and regulations for representing your company online. Having a policy set in place will help to avoid brand confusion and varying messages to consumers.

Your reputation as a franchise is an invaluable source for generating sales leads. Don't let a crisis cause a chain reaction that negatively impacts your company, your brand, and your franchisees. At Ripley PR, we have extensive experience developing B2B public relations and franchise communications strategies for our clients. Contact us today for more information.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

In 1991 a client of mine appeared in both Entrepreneur and INC. magazine in the same month and with a fabulous photo. The photo was also the same and both editors hit me pretty hard.

I knew the rules but one editor ran it a month ahead of the planned date.

So in that October issue both magazines featured this great young company, Juice Club with the young management team lying in a pile of oranges.

That company became Jamba Juice within six months, but it took me that same amount of time to mend my relationships with those editors. As a PR pro I needed those editors more than that client!

Relationships were what it was all about between us and the media. That editor, reporter, producer had to trust you and know you. I had the industry by the tail because I had great relationships and my clients knew my policy.

I would never lie or exaggerate for them because I couldn't ever lose my media contact.

Fast forward a couple of decades. Many think it's all about the hashtag.

But PR is so much more than that.

Everyone thinks all you need to do is tweet a reporter and the job is done. I have clients who say "just call the reporter and ask them to do a bigger story". What?

I had one young and brand new marketing person tell me a week ago "there are tons of papers looking for news". Really? Not only are there no longer tons of papers, but the ones still around and even those from the past do not consider a franchise convention in the area as news.

I don't expect my clients or those who do not work with the media to know exactly what is going on out there. But here are some frightening facts.

• In August, the Cleveland Plain Dealer lay off put one-third of its staff out of work and Gannett also began laying off hundreds of reporters/staff members at paper's such as Indianapolis Star, Arizona Republic, Cincinnati Enquirer, Kentucky, Enquirer, Green Bay Press Gazette, Des Moines Register, Tennessean.

• Major metro dailies that have cut frequency or adopted online-only models: Ann Arbor News, Capital Times, Catskill Daily Mail & Hudson Register-Star, Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, East Valley Tribune, Flint Journal, Bay City Times, Saginaw News, Harrisburg Patriot-News, Syracuse Post-Standard, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, Mobile Press-Register, Portland Oregonian, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Daily Press, Mesabi Daily News, Red Wing Republican Eagle, Journal Register, Tonawanda News, Portsmouth Daily Times, Nevada Appeal, Clarksdale Press Register, Rushville Republican, Eden Daily News, Reidsville Review, Frederick News-Post, Kane County Chronicle, Sidney Daily News, Piqua Daily Call, Troy Daily News, Pittsburg Morning Sun, Marion Daily Republican, Kewanee Star Courier, Daily Review Atlas, McPherson Sentinel, Standard Journal, Daily Californian, Daily Orange, Las Vegas Optic, Burlington County Times, Bucks County Courier Times, California Aggie, Mt. Airy Messenger, Hernando Today, Superior Telegram, Capital Times, Minnesota Daily, Kansas City Kansan, Elgin Courier News, Klamath Falls Herald and News, Columbia Missourian, and the Washington Times.

• U.S. metro dailies that have closed since the start of the recession: Tucson Citizen, Rocky Mountain News, Baltimore Examiner, Kentucky Post, Cincinnati Post, King County Journal, Union City Register-Tribune, Halifax Daily News, Albuquerque Tribune, South Idaho Press, San Juan Star, Honolulu Advertiser

• Since 2008, more than 166 newspapers in the United States have closed down or stopped publishing a print edition, according to Paper Cuts, a website dedicated to tracking the US press industry downturn. More than 39 print titles shut down in 2008, and 109 did so in 2009. So far in 2010, more than 18 papers have vanished. Since March 2007, there have been nearly 35,000 job losses or redundancies.

• The following newspapers and newspaper chains have filed for bankruptcy reorganization: Tribune Company, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Philadelphia Newspapers company, the Chicago Sun Times, who last year fired their entire photo department, the Journal Register Co., American Community Newspapers, Freedom Communications, Heartland Publications, Creative Loafing and the Columbian newspaper in Vancouver. Others, such as Morris Publishing and Affiliated Media (the parent company of MediaNews Group), did bankruptcy reorganization filings prearranged with creditors.

• It's not just newspapers! Major newsweeklies such as U.S. News & World Report, Time, The Economist, and Newsweek have majorly cut back on spending and space. Time, the only major print newsweekly left standing, cut 5% of its staff in early 2013.

• A growing list of media outlets, including Forbes magazine, use technology to produce content by way of algorithm, no human reporter necessary.

• Local TV affiliates across the country are operating with skeleton staffs. Anchors are not only doing their own reporting, but their own videotaping as well. Sports, weather and traffic now account on average for 40% of the content produced on the newscasts and story lengths have shrunk.

• Estimates for newspaper newsroom cutbacks in 2012 put the industry down 30% since its peak in 2000 and below 40,000 full-time professional employees for the first time since 1987.

Fortunately it was my job to see this coming a long time ago and we evolved over this time to perfect what works today.

But even as I did see "the cheese moving" I don't think any of us in the business expected to have a literal wipeout of the hundreds of respected titles and major dailies that occurred and in a very short period of time.

The battle for print space is a big one.

Now, more than ever you need an expert to position your company and control the messaging.

It is a mistake to think that just because you are good on social media you have a real public relations program. The new buzz term is "content marketing". But that constitutes a whole other article.

Rhonda Sanderson is president/founder of Sanderson & Associates PR, a public relations firm that has been specializing in franchising since 1986. www.sandersonpr.com

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

1. Your Website is a Grocery Store with Shelves Full of Links

When you go to the grocery store, you walk down the aisles. Most of the time, you reach only those items within your reach.

You don't spend a lot of time searching high and low.

Imagine, however, that you are the owner of the grocery stores. You notice that the items on the middle shelves are not moving. You would rotate new stock onto these shelves. Because you hope that the new stock sells.

Something similar happens on your website. People browsing will click on links that are the most convenient.

We know that the links with the most clicks are usually above the fold.

"Elements above the fold were seen more than elements below the fold: the 100 pixels just above the fold were viewed 102% more than the 100 pixels just below the fold."

But, just as the stock on your grocery shelves might need restock or rotating, so might your links -- from below the fold to above the fold.

Some of your links to your best content might need to be moved to a more convenient place.

2. How to Tell at a Glance What Links are Most Read

Here is a "heatmap" of our front page from a couple days ago.

Ok, red is best, and green is worst -- in terms of readers.

At a glance, you can see that on the right hand column some of our best links, those in red, are lower down the page. On our front page, the most read link is "Prices for Franchise-Info Business Directory", but it is past the fold. It would make sense to move it up. There are some links above them are less valuable. Indeed there is one link near the top, our past newsletter archive, that is largely wasting space.

It would like having a whole shelf full of canned spam --which nobody is buying. Why bother? They aren't interested.

So, this heatmap shows us how to rotate or move upwards above the fold -where we hope that they will get even more attention. And to move less worthy links below the fold.

And, I made the changes, and here is what the heat map now looks like this.

And this small change, over time, will reap big dividends!

3. And, How Do You Get A Heat Map Like This?

There are a number of heat map technologies out there.

But, this one just uses Google Analytics.

Google Analytics is a powerful program. Incredibly it is free. Google, some years ago, bought out Urchin software. Urchin was selling its analytics solutions for over $10,000 a month. Yet, we get it for free & much more.

But, managing all that analytic power is overwhelming for many people.

Here is a short-cut. Use the page analytics chrome extension.

The Page Analytics Chrome Extension allows you to see how customers interact with your web pages.

The Page Analytics Chrome Extension allows you to see how customers interact with your web pages, including what they click and don't click.

Use these insights to optimize your website layout, improve user experience, and increase conversions.

Sign up for a free Google Analytics account, sign in.

Then on any page in which you have your google analytics tags on, you will be able to create a heat map. Following these two steps.

1. Go to the page you want the heap map for. And turn on the page analytics extension. The orange button should go from "off" to "on".

2. Next go to the bottom right of the analytics that are now showing and look for these symbols.

Just click on the red/orange/green color icon. And you will have created your heat map. (If you want the percentages to show, then click on the icon directly to the right, also.) I have found that you must toggle the heatmap on and off as you move to different pages in your website.

Very simple and yet powerful insights.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on what our Franchise-Info Business Directory can do for you, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

So you are an avid LinkedIn member who markets products and services.

And you are posting in LinkedIn Groups articles you have authored and content curated from other sources to get target group member attention.

Since you are marketing you want people to notice you & the products, services and solutions you offer.

This Attract Attention strategy is central to content marketing and especially fits Linkedin.

However it is not foolproof and there are essential things you should do and tragic pitfalls you should avoid.

Here is how you can make your group posting work best.

Ten Quick Marketing Tactics for Linkedin Groups

1. Connect with the LinkedIn Group Owner, Managers and Moderators since you may need their help in their LinkedIn Group.
2. Read the group rules, description and statistics to see how your marketing will fit and be received.
3. Ensure your post's Auto-Title & Description & Photo are right and the way you want them to look.
4. Write and Include an Optional Title & Description - be authentic and interesting.
5. Never use Auto-Posting services like Hoostuite since the Ow.ly short link says you're not really there and don't care to engage.
6. Carpet Bombing LinkedIn Groups with your posts is a quick way to ensure that you annoy people, get put in Moderation or the nuclear option Blocked & Deleted (SWAMed) - Don't do it.
7. Audit your LinkedIn Group posts - go back and see if your posts are making it through Moderation, going to Promotions or just getting Deleted. You're connected to the Group Owner ask for help and instructions on what they want from you.
8. Appending your Discussion posts - you can always add a comment to your own post to attract positive attention to the article.
9. When you join a new group always begin by commenting on existing Discussions to gain LinkedIn Group credibility
10. Again Be Interesting. Have a real point of view.. Be generous in your LinkedIn Groups by Commenting, Liking and Following other people's Discussion posts.

For more information on the Franchise-Info Paid Social Programs, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

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Think about your website and LinkedIn as the former being a booth in a tradeshow & the latter providing the traffic or flow of leads to your booth.

So, what typically happens a tradeshow?

Well, somebody drops by your booth.

After a short chat, you carefully hand over your business card.

And wait. Expectantly. Perhaps, this will be a sale? It's been a long day and sale would make it better.

But, soon your visitor leaves.

You made a rookie mistake, though. You didn't get the business card. The entire point of being at the tradeshow & you blew it.

Nobody buys from you the first time that they meet you.

You have to follow up, navigating the know, like, and trust cycles to get to buy.

You vow never to make that rookie mistake.

And so you don't.

The Biggest Mistake You Are Making on Your Website

But, every day your website commits the same type of error -- to all those visitors coming from LinkedIn.

Remember last time, I told you about 2 surprising but also well known facts about websites.

1. Your 'about us' page is the most visited.

2. Your 'about us' page is the weakest page on your website.

Jeff Hayden had some great general ideas about how to spruce up your 'about us' page.

I also gave you one idea about how make your 'about us' page more like an elevator pitch.

But, there is one bigger change to make.

People who visit your website don't immediately phone you and ask "Can you help me? Name your price."

Worse, they might never get in touch, despite it being a good deal for both of you.

You have to ask them to leave their name/email so you can get in touch with them.

You must offer them something in return.

Like meeting your visitors at your tradeshow booth, it is rude not to offer something of value for their name/email.

And when you are collecting their names/emails, you know that they are interested in what you have to offer.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have made the exchange.

Make An Attractive Offer

Joe and I have signed up tens of thousands of people over the last couple of years.

We make offers that people are interested in. Exchanging their information for something of value from us.

Many times, we simply ask them if they want more of the same. And ask them to sign up for our newsletter.

One article is a perpetual lead generator, since it was published in September, 2013, our article on Popeye's Louisiana Chicken has generated over 7,000 readers.

It is the Energizer Bunny of lead collection. Leads come in on a monthly basis to our Franchise Buying Newsletter.

Here is how we ask them if they are interested in knowing more.

When a visitor clicks on the image, they are whisked away to a simple Mailchimp sign-up form for our How to Buy a Franchise - Tips for Savvy Franchise Buyers

And we can help you do the same, collect leads from those people who are interested in doing business with you.

Generating leads and much more ....

If you liked this idea, sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

One of the biggest frustrations as a business owner is when someone leaves a review that is inaccurate, doesn't pertain to your business or is extremely damaging.

Review websites, such as Google, Yelp and Facebook, don't offer you any easy solutions for handling problematic posts either. On one hand, they don't want to damage the integrity of the brand by allowing businesses to remove reviews that could give potential customers a different view of a business. On the flip side, some reviews do contain inappropriate language, false information and can discourage new customers from coming into your store.

I'm sure you already know the impact reviews can have on your business -- a one star increase on Yelp can result in a 5-9% revenue increase. Positive reviews are easy to handle, but there is also a way to boost your ratings with negative reviews.

To remove reviews is to remove trust

Removing reviews is not recommended (or allowed) on many review sites because it damages the credibility of the site and the business.

Have you ever gone and seen a movie after hearing your friends, family, coworkers, gym buddies, barista at the coffee shop, etc. singing its praises like it is the best move they have seen this century? Without fail, when you finally go see the movie, it doesn't live up to your expectations and you don't believe the hype next time around.

Just like the movie hype, if a potential customer comes across your reviews and sees only good experiences and not a single bad one -- they might visit your business -- but they are also going to be suspicious that it isn't as great as the reviews say. 68% of consumers trust reviews when they see both positive and negative ones because it's unrealistic that a business will please 100% of its customers 24/7.

To build trust, you should gather reviews organically (vs. paying for positive reviews, which is not allowed FYI) and accept and learn from the feedback your reviewers provide. Perhaps you have a consistent problem with a server who has a bad attitude or aren't open late enough for students leaving night class at the local college to grab a bite; reviews on websites can provide you with opportunities and problems you need to address.

Reviews (negative or positive) give you the chance to see your business the way a consumer sees it -- and become better. Whether it's capitalizing on what you already excel at or improving in areas your business may be lacking. Perhaps you have a consistent problem with a server who has a bad attitude or aren't open late enough for students leaving night class at the local college to grab a bite; reviews on websites can provide you with opportunities and problems you need to address.

However, there is a line that a review can cross and become inappropriate. Inappropriate reviews should not be ignored and should be treated in a careful manner.

When should reviews be removed and how?

Review sites will not allow you to remove reviews unless they violate their established rules.

GOOGLE

Google allows you to flag material you think is inappropriate, which will then be reviewed and removed if deemed necessary.

Google's removes reviews if it is:

• Advertising
• Spam
• Contains phone numbers or URLs
• Off-topic
• Contains offensive language
• Poses a conflict of interest
• Contains illegal content
• Has copyrighted content in it
• Sexually explicit material
• Involves impersonation
• Contains confidential content
• Hate speech

If a review falls under into any of these categories, you can flag it and it will be checked out. Remember, the review needs to violate one of the offenses listed above and a low rating or no explanation for the rating is not a disqualifier.

FACEBOOK

Facebook follows a similar practice of reporting as Google; they explain inappropriate content that should be flagged in the Facebook Community Standards.

Facebook will remove posts that contain:

• Violence or make threats
• Self-harming information
• Bullying and harassment
• Hate speech
• Graphic content
• Sexually explicit content
• Private content
• Spam
• Compromises security

To report a review to be removed on Facebook, follow these steps:

1. Go to the review and click in the top right
2. Click I don't like this review
3. Click Report and follow the on-screen instructions

Just like Google, Facebook will look into the post and determine if it should be removed based on the Community Standards.

YELP

Yelp is a bit trickier to maneuver. Unlike Google and Facebook, they don't tell you outright what qualifies a review for removal, but instead lay out what content should not contain:

• Threats, harassment, lewdness, hate speech and other displays of bigotry
• Conflict of interests
• Promotional content
• Irrelevance
• Privacy concerns
• Intellectual property

When it comes to reporting content that does not follow Yelp's guidelines, things get more complicated. Depending on what guideline was not followed changes how it should be reported. More often than not, you can simply flag the post and follow up with a short explanation about why you flagged it.

With every one of these sites, not only can business owners flag reviews as inappropriate but current and potential customers can as well. Therefore, if a customer suspects that a review is fake, they can flag it, too.

What to do when the review isn't removed

Whether or not a review qualifies to be flagged for a removal, you should always respond to it. Whether the content of the review was off-topic, suspected as fake or simply incorrect, you don't have to sit idly by and let potential customers hear one side of the story.

Just as you do when you are replying to any review, you want to acknowledge what the reviewer has written and respond quickly. In the example below, the reviewer doesn't mention the extra fee for re-installing a screen protector. While the omission of this fact doesn't qualify the review for removal, it may influence future buyers and give them unrealistic expectations.

You will also notice that the owner responds to the review and mentions the lifetime warranty and the short fee, which resolves the issue.

One of the worst things online reviews can do is to make potential customers distrust your business. Whether the distrust is created due to false or negative reviews is irrelevant -- the bottom line is that you are still losing customers.

You have the ability to respond to people talking about your business (on a page dedicated to your business); take advantage of the ability this forum allows to have an open conversation and show customers why they should trust and give you their business.

The first step in responding to reviews (true or false) is being aware that they are being posted. There are many tools available, such as LocalCast, that can help you monitor review sites so you never miss a chance to converse with a customer.

The post When to Remove Reviews appeared first on LocalVox.

A great business idea combined with an outstanding franchise model carries no weight if potential owners never buy in. For franchisors, attracting potential franchisees is at the core of business success.

When you've invested excess funds into paid advertising without generating solid leads, it may be time to change things up.

Here are just a few ways that a franchise public relations strategy can work for you:

• Add credibility: Having a third party endorse your brand generates credibility for your franchise and its business model. A franchise that is regularly represented in media outlets, such as in national trade or local publications, conveys the message that it is well-established. This is particularly helpful when entrepreneurs look for opportunities to own their own business. Seeing consistent news coverage will make a potential buyer feel more confident.

• Increase awareness: You cannot generate sales leads without getting the word out there. A well-thought-out public relations plan can ensure your franchise gains the attention it deserves from customers and potential franchisees. PR pros know how to target specific audiences and "sell" your franchise model without having to use billboards and magazine advertisements. We leverage your unique selling points to gain media attention, organize discovery days and road shows, and increase audience engagement.

• Maintain reputation: Every aspect of your franchise public relations strategy, from press releases to social media, should work together to build a positive reputation for your business in the industry. A PR team is well-versed in reputation management, including knowing how to develop a crisis plan for when things take an unexpected turn. With a strategy put into place, your brand's reputation can remain consistent.

For companies that want to take their franchise to new heights, there are agency professionals like us at Ripley PR. We know how to leverage your unique business model to get your name out there and generate sales leads. We've been in franchise sales meetings. We understand franchise marketing. And we truly "get" your business. Contact us today to start working on a plan to take your company to the next level.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes opened in August 2012 in the heart of Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

Since opening, this shoe store has become the go-to shoe store local families because of the major brands stocked, shoe sizes and styles for infants to tweens, as well as extremely knowledgeable staff. There is nothing run-of-the-mill about Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes and the customer service is reminiscent of an era when a customer would visit a store inquiring what shoe was best for him/her and leave with the employee's recommendation in hand.

Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes entered a competitive market, due to the rise of large online retailers and discount chains that can undercut local businesses; this competition was compounded by the fact that New York City has a population as diverse as the stores that cater to each audience.

Breaking Into the MarketAs a new business, Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes struggled to gain exposure in the bustling metropolis of Brooklyn, with many niche stores popping up to service the rapidly-changing neighborhood. Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes had a weak web presence, with only Facebook and Tumblr pages. The shoe store's main source of new business came from word of mouth, and in this competitive market, this strategy wasn't cutting it.

After a friend recommended LocalVox to the owner, Anthony Fauci, Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes revamped its entire marketing mindset. Instead of focusing on in-person word of mouth, they focused on growing business online. In addition to upping their rank on Google, they also built out their social media presence/reputation and increase the number of contacts on their email list.

Local Online Marketing With the Click of a Button

Fauci chose LocalCast because out of all the platforms he reviewed, LocalCast was the easiest -- in fact, as simple as a click of a button. With LocalCast, Running Wild Kid Shoes was soon growing business online by publishing news and deals to hundreds of local touch points and updating their social media, directories and email lists from one central platform.

Fauci quickly noticed an up-tick in new customers and when he inquired about where they heard about Running Wild Kid Shoes, the response was always the same: on Google or another online network.

Running Wild Kid Shoes owner, Anthony Fauci explained how LocalVox helped grow business online.

"If you are willing to participate fully in [LocalCast] I do not know of or can think of any better product. We are #1 on Google and it does not get any better than that. LocalVox has shown they are committed to helping my business grow. I would recommend them because they act as more of a partner than a provider."

Driving Revenue by Messaging Customers Across the Web

Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes now regularly messages current and potential customers online:

• 4,600+ local customers engage with their content
• 700+ reads on their first few posts (vs. 200 for the average local business website)
• 375+ customers keep in touch with email and social media
• 5 stars on Yelp

From Zero to Hero in Organic SEO

The quickest improvement Runnin' Wild Kids Shoes experienced was a sharp spike in web activity and local search results on Google, Google Maps and leading local directories.

The shoe store began ranking for key terms to drive new local customers to their store and continue to have 19 terms listing in the top three on Google.

You Can Grow Business Online

Not everybody has the time to becoming an online marketing expert, especially when you are running a business, and LocalVox built our online marketing software to meet these constraints. LocalVox enables businesses to dominate on search and bring new customers in the door with a simple, effective and affordable online marketing platform.

To learn more about how LocalVox can help you grow business online, please contact us. We look forward to learning more about your challenges and creating a search engine optimization strategy that allows you to meet your goals.

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1. Getting People to Buy Your Stuff

I want to inspire you. So, I tell you about a great thing:

"Here's a great thing for you."

What I left unsaid but was heard, by you, is:

"Yeah, it would be a great thing for me, if you bought my stuff."

And, then I go on to say to you:

"I have excellent instructions about how you can achieve this great thing."

You respond with:

"Yeah, it is a great thing."

But don't do anything. Because you have also said to yourself something like:

"Looks like a lot of work."

So, I need to hear what you didn't say. I need to have a reply. Something like:

"Because doing this great thing will produce these wonderful benefits that you have always wanted. And it's easy."

And, I want you to say in return:

"Ok, let me see at your instructions."

Anything else is a failure. I did not inspire you.

2. Getting People to Click on Your Headlines

How can we inspire our readers to click on our headlines?

Let's look at an real example.

Last week when I was researching for my article, "And, What Do You Do?", I searched using this keyword phrase "how to improve about us pages".

The top article listed for this keyword phrase is Jeff Hayden's article which is called "8 Ways to Improve Your 'About Us' Page". (By the way, you should read Jeff's articles carefully. He is excellent at making the complex clear.)

But, Hayden's article also appeared in the 8th spot.

Here is picture of the two entries which were returned from search, the search engine results page or SERP, when I searched for "how to about us pages."

Which one would you click on? Headline 1 or Headline 2?

Headline 1.

Headline 2.

Ok, both have the same headline in bold. But, the description of the benefits to the reader are very different.

Headline 1 gives a plausible reason to why I should care. Because "chances are, [your about us page] is one of the most visited pages on your website. It's also probably the weakest."

Most visited and the weakest? Got it. Ok, I want to know why & I am going to click.

Headline 2 offers the reader no such incentive. It is true, interesting, but why should I care? Feh, big deal. Move on, nothing to read here.

3. Geeky Stuff About Open Graph Mark-Up & Meta Tags

Figuring out how to get the description of your article to show up is an interesting exercise.

Let's take a look at the underlying html for Jeff's article.

(You will have to blow this image up to its full view by clicking on it to read it.)

Ok, when Jeff's article was shared into a LinkedIn group, LinkedIn looked at these two lines of meta description.

1. <meta property="og:title" content="8 Ways to Improve Your 'About Us' Page" />

2. <meta property="og:description" content="Chances are, it's one of the most-visited pages on your site. It's probably also the weakest. Here's how to fix it." />

This tells the LinkedIn bot to describe the article with themeta property "og:description". And that is good, because the description makes the headline more clickable. Good LinkedIn bot. But not great, because the title is repeated again before the description of what benefits reading the article have.

On the other hand, the Google bot ignored these mark-up instructions and returned the first line from Jeff's article as a description. Bad Google bot. And that is bad, because the first line offers no incentive to read the article.

This is not what Jeff had in mind. Naughty, Google bot.

How do we know what Jeff had in mind? Look at his article:

Jeff clearly understand the function of the second headline -- in this case, to inspire us to move down the page and read his instructions. About a great thing.

4. Franchise-Info's Implementation of this Great Thing - An Extra Headline

We don't expect you to hand code your Franchise Directory page or entry. Or become SEO experts, or anything difficult like that.

You just want your headline that people saw on LinkedIn to be clicked more, so your article is read more often. (If they aren't reading you, they won't do business with you.)

Do you want us do to that for you?

More about Rich Snippets, and much more. Take a look ... click here ...

If you liked this idea, sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

The good news in PR during the '90s? Clients on magazine covers, Wall Street Journal columns, 900 word stories in their major dailies. The bad news? Lots of mistakes, lots of jockying for space, bad photos appearing, misquotes.

2015-Content Management. I'm liking this better. Here's what we can do now and make sure it's seen by thousands of people. With photos, graphics and artwork.

WINDOW GENIE CLEANS HOUSE IN 2014

National Brand Partnerships, Technology Enhancements, Franchisee Growth Planned for 2015

(Cincinnati, Ohio)---If 2014 was any indication, Americans are appreciating home cleaning services the likes of which Window Genie provides more than ever. The 21 franchise locations opened throughout the year--with three additional locations pending an early 2015 opening--are proof enough of the growing demand for the mobile cleaning service famous for window cleaning, window tinting and pressure washing. Now, heading into 2015, the company that celebrated its 20^th year in business in 2014 is gearing up for even greater growth, spurred in large part by the multiple programs and partnerships set to take off in the year.

Beyond franchisee growth in 2014, Window Genie was also lauded by a number of business journals throughout the year. Inc. Magazine recognized Window Genie as the 13^th fastest-growing business in the Cincinnati metropolitan area in addition to placing it on the upper half of its annual Inc. 5000 listing of fastest-growing companies in the United States. In addition, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Window Genie 195^th on its annual Franchise 500 list, cementing its place as one of the fastest-growing and top home-based franchises.

In 2015, says Window Genie founder and CEO Richard Nonelle, the company has big plans to benefit franchisees and customers alike. "We will continue to focus on improving the experience between franchisee and customer," says Nonelle. "We'll do this both through new partnerships we've founded with a number of national brands, including Yelp and Home Advisor, as well as by enhancing our technology." Window Genie's mobile search strategy, adds Nonelle, will be in full effect in 2015, which will entail an improved online presence and SEO enhancements to benefit owners.

Window Genie aims to continue its growth in 2015, and Nonelle points to years of consistent annual expansion as proof that his plan is a sustainable one. In the last three years, 60 franchisees have joined the Window Genie system. Window Genie franchisees can be found all throughout the United States, with target markets for growth for 2015 in the East and West coasts and throughout Florida.

###

About Window Genie

Founded in 1994 by Richard Nonelle, Cincinnati-based Window Genie is a mobile cleaning services company focused primarily on its "big three" services: window cleaning, window tinting and pressure washing. The company also offers, among many other services, dryer vent cleaning, chandelier cleaning and gutter cleaning and re-securing. Window Genie services primarily residential customers, as well as small offices and commercial spaces. The company currently has 72 franchise owners operating 140 units in 28 states, and expects to grow to 100 franchisees by the end of 2015 and over 300 within five years. Target markets include California, New York and Florida. For more information, visit www.windowgenie.com.

The Problem with Elevator Pitches

When people ask "What do you do?" they're just making polite conversation. With rare exceptions, they don't really care.

Tim David, Improving Your Elevator Pitch.

You care to let people who visit your website what you can do for them.

But, do you care if some of those people are really interested in what you do? Interested enough to buy from you?

(Or do you have too many good high-paying clients already to bother worrying about your website, or online business directory listing?)

First, let's think about how you get people you meet in person to care about what you do. Because that is not easy, is it?

Second, we can change that dialogue into something just for print on your website or online business directory listing.

It's your job with your first response to shake them out of the polite convention.

How to Make People Care What You Do

Tim David, whose fine article on elevators pitches I just quoted, has a good 4 solution to making people care. (Read the whole article, you will enjoy it.)

Here is my summary of his solution:

1. Respond with a surprise. Here is how he answers the question, "What do you do?"

You mean, in addition to be being an international body building champion?

Tim is 5'10", weighs 135 lbs and when he steps on ants, "they live". It is obvious that Tim is angling for a laugh - or a real connection. And he gets it.

2. Now that you have their attention, maintain their interest in the original question. Get them to agree with your both problem formulation and offer a potential solution.

3. When the timing is right, and you hear in the conversation something like "How do you do that?" & give them a results based story. Something you have just done for someone just like them.

4. Finally, ask for the meeting.

How does this help us with our website or online business directory?

With a modern online business directory listing, or your own website which you can edit, you could produce a similar effect to Tim's in person dialogue. But, you would have to give up on having your 'About Us' page read like a static big yellow page ad.

Break your single 'About Us' page into 4 'Smart About Us' pages, and lead the reader from one page to another with next buttons.

Now, each vistor that goes to your website & visits your 'About Us' pages will click through your 'About Us' pages by pressing a "Next" button.

Each time that visitor presses "Next", to learn more, the closer they are to being your next client -someone whose next step is to ask for the meeting.

There's more .... 'Smart About Us Pages'

If you liked this idea, sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Achieving strong brand equity takes time, maintenance, and a targeted strategy. When looking to enhance your brand's value, developing a B2B public relations strategy can prove beneficial. A PR campaign can increase visibility for your brand, and help to establish a consistent presence for your products and services.

Although the return on investment may not be immediate, your company will see benefits that will positively impact your brand for the long haul.

So what exactly can PR do for your brand?

• Build brand trust: Open and transparent communication with your audience builds a foundation of trust for your brand. Your audience will garner confidence in your business and its employees when you engage them on multiple platforms, including through press releases, published articles, and social media. A business that is true to itself while connecting with its audience on an emotional level is likely to cultivate greater loyalty among consumers.

• Establish brand resiliency: Managing the risks associated with your brand is crucial to maintaining a solid reputation with consumers. A public relations professional has the know-how to defend your brand when it is attacked on social media or experiences an unexpected crisis. With a comprehensive PR strategy, your business can build its credibility, mitigate risk, and ultimately establish brand resilience.

• Create brand recognition: You want your brand, whether big or small, to be known. Public relations targets demographics, engages potential customers, and establishes your business and its executives as industry experts. A PR campaign can make you stand out from competitors by ensuring that your comapny is consistently receiving earned media coverage in outlets that make sense for your brand.

At Ripley PR, we know how to create a PR strategy that is customized to your specific business needs. Whether you're looking to rebrand or simply increase awareness, we can develop a comprehensive plan to get your business the recognition it deserves while generating solid leads.

If you're entering 2015 with the decision to develop a public relations strategy, you may be stuck wondering who exactly you want in charge of execution.

When it's time to outsource your public relations efforts, be sure to choose a PR agency that is right for your business. If you are devoting company resources to hiring an agency, you want to ensure they understand your business goals and make a solid contribution to overall profitability.

Here are a few questions to ask before committing:

1. What experience is under the agency's belt?

You will want to pay attention to media coverage the agency has earned for its clients. Don't be afraid to ask for national media samples and client references before you take the leap. When looking at a PR agency's experience, also be sure to note the industries it has worked with. Do they have contacts within your industry? Do they understand the technical aspects of what you do? This is especially important in B2B public relations, as the supply chains and manufacturing processes are often technical in nature.

2. Does the agency promote itself?

An agency should be devoting time to promoting its own services in the same manner you expect it to promote your business. If you are interested in bylined articles, look to see if an agency team member is regularly published in media outlets. Does the agency blog look like a ghost town, or is it consistently distributing content for readers?

3. Do they have ideas?

When you talk to a representative from the agency, is he or she making suggestions for innovative PR solutions? You want to choose an agency that will come to you with solid ideas when you feel stuck. You shouldn't hire an agency to simply complete small tasks as you assign them, but rather, to be a strategic partner who offers consistent expertise. After all, that is why you are hiring a professional.

4. Do you like the agency?

References, experience, technology, expertise - all of these things are vital when choosing a PR agency to promote your business. However, you can't downplay the importance of picking an agency that you actually like. Choose an agency that aligns with your company culture and hires people who you enjoy working with. To make the most of your public relations strategies, you will want to maintain a constant and consistent flow of communication. This is easier when you find that you can build a strong working relationship with the professionals handling your brand.

Hire an agency that is persistent and determined to garner coverage for your business and its executives. A PR agency should work as a strategic partner, committed to the success of your brand. If it is time to start talking to PR agencies, contact Ripley PR to find out how we can assist you in reaching company goals for 2015.

Dec. 3, 2014 - HALIFAX, Canada -- Progress magazine ranked Wired Flare Inc. No. 3 on its list of 2014 Fast Growing Companies in Atlantic Canada. The list is now in its 15th year, and every year it is a highly anticipated ranking of Atlantic Canadian companies that have seen the most significant revenue increases over the past three years. According to Progress, these companies are setting the pace for the new economy, not only in Atlantic Canada but across the country.

"We're so proud to be included as one of the 2014 Fastest Growing Companies in Atlantic Canada," says Frances Leary, President and CEO of Wired Flare Inc. "This ranking is a celebration of our growth and the growth of so many other Atlantic Canadian businesses. We've worked hard to get here over the past three years, and I can say without a doubt that this is just the beginning. We plan to keep growing for years to come."

Wired Flare Inc. is a Halifax-based online communications company that specializes in "telling stories that ignite inspiring and meaningful conversations online." The team of online marketing specialists, social media experts, storytellers, and filmmakers works with franchises and organizations throughout Canada and the United States to leverage the power of the Internet and help their clients grow.

The 2014 Fastest Growing companies were announced at a reception in Moncton on November 25 and featured in the November issue of Progress magazine. Total revenue growth for this year's 40 Fastest Growing Companies ranges between 25% and %4,848%, with a median growth rate of 201%. Fourteen of the companies boast annual sales of more than $25 million while 26 report less than $25 million in sales. Almost all of the companies anticipate increased employment, revenues and profitability in 2015.

"These Fastest Growing Companies come from a wide array of sectors, and the ones reporting the most rapid growth are in innovation, IT, aerospace and defense, ocean technology, and hospitality," says Progress Publisher Neville Gilfoy. "Even companies that are experiencing 40% growth are showing us that a spike in sales is possible, even in challenging markets. A combination of innovation, talented people, marketing, and new product and export development are key factors, of course."

According to sponsor Phil Clarke of PricewaterhouseCoopers, "These are the Atlantic companies who know what it means to experience tremendous growth, and it's not just growth, but growth in challenging economic times that set these companies apart."

You can read more about these exciting and innovative companies in the November issue of Progress magazine: http://www.progressmedia.ca.

Learn more about Wired Flare Inc. by visiting their website: http://www.wiredflare.com.

Media Contact

Wired Flare Inc.

902-407-2699

***@wiredflare.com

Are you making lasting connections with potential customers? For B2B companies, connecting with C-level executives at different businesses is vital to generate leads.

But are those executives actually reading the content you produce?

A recent study by The Economist of brand marketers and their B2B audiences highlights the growing divide between company executives and the marketers handling their brands. The survey cites that 93% of marketers will maintain or increase their current content marketing efforts in the New Year, but they may be missing the mark on your brand's overall goals.

With the primary purpose of producing content for most marketers being to increase sales, many unsatisfied execs feel that their efforts come across as self-serving.

The main citied reason for content not making a lasting impression on business leaders is that it seemed like more of a sales pitch rather than compelling information. With 75% of executives researching content to find new business ideas, developing informational pieces that shed light on a particular subject matter would prove more valuable.

This disconnect may be a sure sign that some of your marketing dollars need to be allocated to other areas, such as public relations.

In B2B public relations, there are many different ways a comprehensive PR strategy can assist your business. The study shows that 86% of businesses prefer classic text content over emerging forms, and, even while using solely text, the possibilities to showcase your company's expertise are endless.

A PR team can develop a plan that includes creating white papers, developing blog posts, distributing informative press releases, introducing you as a speaker or attendee to an industry event, or writing bylined articles for a well-established publication.

If you aren't seeing a solid return on your investment from current marketing initiatives, now is the time to try new methods. At Ripley PR, we stay up-to-date with industry news to ensure your brand's content is timely and relevant. Our job is to establish you and your business as reputable experts in your field, and create a desire for the valuable information you publish.

At Ripley PR, we encourage our audience to enhance their B2B public relations and marketing strategies by producing relevant content through blogging.

But creating great content is simply one piece of the puzzle.

Waiting for someone to stumble across your webpage?

To maximize audience reach, try repurposing your blog posts in new informational forms.

Neil Patel's blog Quicksprout recently featured a series of posts dedicated to building your blog's audience. Here are our takeaways from his discussion on different ways to repurpose text content:

1. Create a white paper. Creating a compelling white paper can be a powerful tool for establishing yourself as an industry expert. Remember to keep your white paper informational rather than promotional, and provide educational insight that will prove valuable for your audience. Hire a designer to create a PDF format for your text, and use what once was a blog post to reach a new audience with a more formal feel.

2. Design an infographic. Turn the text from your blog and the statistics from your white paper into an easy-to-read infographic. For those of your audience who value more visual representations of data, highlighting your expertise through an infographic can take your content to the next level. Develop a rough sketch, partner with a designer to create the document, and be sure to take the necessary steps to promote your infographic.

3. Turn your infographic into a video. Online videos are growing in popularity and turning your infographic into an interactive sequence can create an all new experience for your audience. Repurposing flat, visual content into a moving narrative is a more effective tool for telling your brand's story, and your audience will appreciate the dynamic medium.

4. Give that video a voice and host a webinar. Many businesses encourage and often require their employees to listen to webinars. To begin the process of hosting, you will first need to turn your blog post into a slideshow with a script you can follow. Next, set up the webinar with your provider, such as GoToWebinar. To ensure maximized attendance, promote the event across all channels including social media and newsletters.

How do you make sure your content gets the exposure it deserves? Traditional text content is great, but sometimes it takes branching out to reach all of your desired audience, no matter their preferred medium. If you want to learn more about how cross-promotion, repurposing, and distribution can maximize your content, contact us today.

In B2B public relations and marketing efforts, creating valuable and compelling content is a key driver of success. You may know how to produce relevant content for your business, but are you producing it with an overall strategy in mind?  A recent study by the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs found that most B2B marketers have a content marketing strategy, but only 35% have it documented.

Following a well-defined strategy allows everyone contributing content to be on the same page. When you don't have a documented content marketing strategy for your company, the room for errors grows exponentially.

An article published by PR Daily discussed common mistakes that businesses make when developing content marketing strategies, and we've outlined a few here. Are these mistakes haunting your strategy and halting effective results?

1. Undefined goals. The content you produced needs to have purpose. Writing out specific goals you wish to achieve by developing content will boost results and drive strategy advancement. Know why you are creating content and exactly how you want it to impact your business.

1. Not revealing enough. Don't be afraid to share more than just on-the-surface, corporate information with your readers. Humanizing your brand will establish a brand personality, and your audience will appreciate the transparency.

1. Creating content in silos. Creating content that is supported across departments within your organization increases engagement. Not only does it bring together professionals from all areas of your company, it also allows readers to view your brand as an expert in multiple business functions within your industry.

1. Inconsistency. We can't stress enough how important consistency is in content creation. To establish yourself as an industry expert, posting and publishing content needs to be a priority and clearly defined within your strategy. Your audience should know when to expect content and where they can access it on a regular basis.

A well-defined and documented strategy will ensure your content marketing efforts are producing solid results for your business. If your strategy is documented, don't allow these mistakes to hold it back. At Ripley PR, we understand what it takes to develop a content marketing strategy that will establish your brand as an industry expert and, in turn, generate leads. If you need help revamping your strategy and creating consistent content for your audience, contact our team today.

Ad agency review time is always an adventure and a great deal of fun. It happens at most companies at 18 month intervals and sometimes the incumbent agency retains the account and sometimes not.

The decision to change ad agencies has less to do with agency competency and more to do with investor sentiment, franchisee rancor and leadership personalities. You gotta blame somebody for marketing and operational failures and why not the ad agency?

The big win is...get a new agency.

Ad Agency review is an invigorating diversion for the executive leadership team not to mention all the beneficial and reckless wining and dining. And I'm talking the best Cabernets and Kobe or Wagu Beef you'd could never afford.  (How does that Ad Agency afford it?)

What you hear at pitch time is very predictable in terms of creative, media buying, local store marketing - LSM and the ever popular Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, G+, and all sorts of other exciting ideas!

Ok, you really want to know how will the ad agency make franchise sales happen instantly. Short answer- that they won't.

Sure there will be a change.  But, any change will result in what is known as the Hawthorne effect - a change with only short term value.

At agency pitch time you'll hear the CEO, CMO or CDO ask how can you help us with new franchise recruitment?

You will get this answer. "We can do that in spades with all our resources in copywriting, competitive intelligence, targeting and breakthrough marketing it's just not a problem."

Well it is a problem.

After the ad agency agreement is executed and they start by changing your logo, re-describe your brand, redo your menus, make new product recommendations, put together a Facebook contest, get you a gazillion Twitter followers and re-write your consumer facing marketing scripts they will after about 3 months get on with new franchisee lead generation.

New franchisee recruitment recommendations by the ad agency will range from a complete overhaul of your website, new brochures and collateral material, trade show trinkets, increase your web portal spend, work on your SEO and add call this 800 number or visit this website to buy a franchise to your napkins, bags & table toppers.

You will waste the next 18 months buying the ad agency franchisee recruitment malarkey. But you shouldn't since they will bedazzle you with what they are doing for the brand and beg you to wait for the stuff they've done to gain traction.

The next 18 months will expire and it will be time for c-level leadership to decide who'll pitch next, and which agencies will wine and dine the best.

And for those charged with recruiting new franchisees they will be left holding the bag and try to keep their job since as fate would have it they are on an 18 month timeframe career path as well.

Franchise sales problems are solved by better sales processes and specialized marketing that ad agencies are typically ill-equipped to provide.

When you need your franchise sales process to just work better, connect with me on LinkedIn and let's talk franchise sales.

"We can write our own press releases. Why would we pay someone to do it?"

At Ripley PR, we understand why this question is asked, especially with many C-level executives and business owners trying to watch their bottom line.

Here's why you should rethink your strategy and have a public relations professional not only write your press releases, but to speak with the media on your company's behalf.

• Best Practice: The same spelling and grammar rules that you learned from your English teacher in grade school do not usually apply in the media spectrum. A PR pro knows to use best practices for journalistic writing, which means writing within The Associated Press Stylebook guidelines and producing original content. Reusing (or recycling) existing releases can hurt your credibility, rather than help, and not using "journalism grammar" rules can be the sole reason your release doesn't get coverage.

• Consistency: Public Relations should be viewed as an investment. It's not an effort that will give you results overnight, but with dedication it can be extremely beneficial for developing leads and credibility in your industry. That dedication to garnering "earned media coverage", requires consistency. A public relations agency has the ability to continuously produce content for your company and the expertise on the best ways to pitch it to the media.

• Relationships: A significant part of a public relations professional's job is to build relationships with key influencers in your market and industry, in order to leverage better coverage for your company. We take the time to nurture those relationships and build authority through content that is relevant and follows best practice.

• Tools: Most importantly we have the tools to do everything that is needed for great and relevant coverage, plus we are experts in it. We know what it takes to get the best possible coverage for your company in the media.

You can take your public relations efforts a step further by finding an agency that specializes in your industry. This increases your chances of valuable media coverage because the agency professionals know your industry, understand your business challenges and have already developed relationships with key trade media players in your industry.

Are you ready to make the investment in public relations? Ripley PR specializes in B2B public relations and has the experience and knowledge to help secure media coverage that will result in increased lead generation for your growing business.

I was raised by a very tough man.  He never praised us for doing things well. That was expected of us.  However, if we did something wrong, oh we heard about that ASAP!

So I grew up and became an employer and wondered why I was so sensitive to criticism; and while I hand out lots of praise (I am sure I wanted to give what I didn't get), I let people know when something was wrong.  I started out approaching things from what's wrong instead of what's right.  I learned to try very hard to do the opposite when I saw reactions from younger people.  I also noticed that I felt the same way about clients.  Many clients never let you know what you have done that's been great and what you've done that has really worked for them.  Too much leverage? Worried we'll raise our fees?   

Cut to being in the PR business for 32 years.  I have had lots of employees and lots of clients.  Firstly, an employee's favorite word is "respect".  I never really understood the exact meaning of that. I always was taught that you respect your elders, those who have been through life's hard knocks already.  I give respect to those who give it to me. If a 24 year old speaks to me in a certain manner, they are gone, baby gone.

Having said all this I can't tell you what it means to get an email from a client who says, "Thanks Samantha and everyone at SandersonPR for what you do for us every day".  What??  

No, thank YOU Chuck Schwalbe, Marketing Maven from Erbert & Gerbert's Sandwich Shops for being a prince to work with.  Other clients who only show us what your competitors just got in the news? Umm, focus on your own companies, franchisees, employees and vendors and you'll end up successful enough to be in the news too!   

On another note, when is praise too necessary?  I saw a Facebook post today about being patient with kids on Halloween. "Don't be upset if a child takes too long to choose, maybe he has a focus issue, don't tell a child they took two pieces and that it's wrong, maybe he has a need to be special."

WHAT?  How about, "Don't rescue your kids from every possible obstacle that gets in their way because there are a lot more where that Halloween one came from!"

Constant coddling, praise and "motivation" is what I am always seeing in "how to motivate your employees" type articles. Guess what? I was motivated because Mom and Dad were not paying any of my bills. Try that for motivation.  Also, teach your kids that they need to respect and listen to what their employers say, or go get a paycheck somewhere else.  Life IS hard work and unless you are an heiress, get used to it and go into a job giving all you can and proving yourself, not acting like you need to be motivated to do anything.

Just a little advice. 

Connecting potential customers with your brand is key to driving the success of your business. Humanizing a brand can establish trust and create commonality between a business entity and its customers. So how can you be relatable as a company? How can you genuinely convey to your customers that you understand?

Start by telling your story.

With the emerging concept of brand journalism, storytelling is more relevant now than ever before in marketing and B2B public relations efforts.  The tradition of storytelling is often rooted in history, and telling your brand's story is no different. Revealing history can establish a brand personality and invite your audience to share in the business journey of your company.

How yesterday became today matters, and telling that story shows your drive for success and growth as a company. When you share where your company came from, the challenges along the way, as well as the successes, you create a spirit of authenticity for your brand. Your story becomes honest and engaging, which cultivates trust and leaves customers coming back for more.

How can you share pieces of your company's history with your audience? Here are three ways to easily connect customers to your history:

Nostalgia is warm and inviting. If your business has thrived throughout the years, let your customers know. A business with history means a business with success. If you know you need to connect with your customers more effectively, but don't know where to start, Ripley PR can help. We have experts on hand who can develop social media strategies and create blog content so that your story can be heard.

Any great business idea is just that without proper execution. If word fails to spread, idle progression, slow growth, and reversion can plague any business model, including franchises. Implementing a company's vision requires a certain flare that tends to ignore bashfulness and goes straight for glory in order to get the message out in the open. One surefire way to extinguish any slow growth is to carry out a well-established franchise public relations plan.

While the franchise model as a whole is an excellent business idea for growth, it isn't without its failures. Just two years ago, the Small Business Administration reported it repurchased 3.4 percent of franchise loans that could no longer maintain their loan payments. This could be a result of numerous factors but the simple truth is, these businesses failed to gain new franchise leads. Ensuring your franchise model actually captivates potential owners should be conducted in a different manner than say appealing to consumers because at the end of the day, even though consumers maintain revenue, it's entrepreneurs that build growth.

What PR does for a franchise is take the company's model and markets it to business people the way they want to take in information.  Prospective franchisees are savvy beyond belief and not just any advertisement will capture their attention enough to buy in. They yearn for third party endorsements from seasoned advisors and experts such as dedicated business analysts and journalists - people who specialist agencies such as Ripley PR know how to reach. By securing these endorsements, entrepreneurs who engage with specialized publications become aware and intrigued by a franchise model and begin to research on their own.

This is where PR can benefit a franchise even more. Public relations professionals are expertly trained in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and will create a strategy to make sure your company comes up first and foremost in any search engine. The modern world is driven by the internet and social media and having a presence is paramount for business success. This is something PR can do for your franchise and it does it with specialized language that specifically appeals to the people that matter most - leads.

For many franchisors, juggling a million things at once is not uncommon and conducting a well-planned PR plan is often times simply too much to handle. For these companies, there are agency professionals like us at Ripley PR. What separates us from the rest is how we mix our varied experiences into one concentrated focus to benefit your unique business. If your franchise development is struggling, contact us to find how our specialized PR plans can get your name out there to the right people.

Content management system? Check. Blog design and title? A bunch of words written on a page? Check?

Here at LocalVox we know how daunting running a quality blog for your business can be. But just because it seems overwhelming, that doesn't mean you should give up. The truth is that having and maintaining (don't forget that second part!) a blog is one of the most important things you can do for your business.

Our mission is to help you be successful in all your marketing endeavors, which is why we started our blogging tips series in the first place. But with so much literature on the subject, it can be easy to get lost in all the things you need to do.

So you've taken all the steps to make a good blog, yet your content seems like it's only being read by your grandma and spambots. Well, you're probably making these seven mistakes.

1. You're a Follower, Not a Leader

There are times when it's a good thing to be a follower, like when you're playing a team sport or becoming a synchronized swimmer. But when it comes to your company's blog, copying a popular blog's writing style and topics is a guaranteed way to usher your blog to a quick death. Why should your readers go for the copy when they have an all access pass to the original?

It's easier to be a leader if, from the get go, you occupy a niche space that no one has covered yet. If that's not possible, try using the blue ocean strategy to help differentiate your blog from the others. It's a handy guide for being unique.

2. You're Too Complex

And we don't mean in a misunderstood artist way. Want to hear a secret? Having a complicated and detailed content strategy will not ensure success. Not even the most convoluted plan can predict the twists, turns and drop offs that are all a part of the content roller coaster ride.

Let's call all this planning what it is-fear. And it's eating away at the time that you could be spending by actually creating the content. In the wise words of Yoda, "Do or do not. There is no try."

3. Content Is an Afterthought

Behind every amazing local blog is a dedicated person or group of people who care about its performance. In the same manner, behind every crappy blog is a person or group of people who treat it as an afterthought.

There are the telltale signs of an afterthought blog: inconsistent posts, rife with grammar mistakes and topics that are as stale as day old bread. Just making your blog a priority will improve your posts. It will also help if you have difficulty coming up with post ideas. Because you're making the blog a priority, you mind will constantly be churning about possible blog posts. And trust us, the best ideas can come in the weirdest places and the most unexpected times.

4. You're Afraid to Be Dennis Rodman

Now we're not saying that you should dye your hair and start playing basketball in drag. But too many business blogs are so consumed with playing it safe that their blogs are boring to read. The problem? They don't have a unique point of view.

Embrace your and your company's quirks and eccentricities and use them to liven your content. Show your readers what life is like behind the scenes through funny videos (It's also a great way to boost morale at the office). Let them know about your worst failures. It won't tarnish your reputation, instead it will make you look more human and relatable.  At the very least, insert some personal anecdotes into your posts. Not only are they more fun to read, but they help readers remember your content more.

5. You're in It for the Sale

Excuse our French, but people's BS meter go up when they know your blog post is a product or service sales pitch cloaked in a blog post. And when you consider that 571 new websites are created every minute, you really can't waste any time. Create your posts with the goal of providing value for the reader, instead of a sales pitch. There's a reason why content marketing is a long term strategy.

6. You Publish the Same Thing Every Week

Vary the types of content you publish. Mix it up (and save yourself time) by curating posts. For example, if you run a childcare business, you can share lists of weekend events that are tailored to kids. And if you are a plumber, share an article about copper vs pac pipes. Curating posts not only invigorates your blog, but it's an easy non-spammy way to promote someone's article or event. You get new content and their site gets traffic. And in the future they can return the favor.

Another way you can vary your posts is by changing their lengths. If most of your posts are under 500 words, start publishing 1000-2000 word posts once in a while and vice versa. Use bullet points, numbers, and images to break up blocks of text. Include puff posts and researched longform post. Variety is the spice of life and it's also what makes a blog interesting. A simple way to break up the monotony is by hiring a guest writer. Because they're not apart of your content team, they'll bring a fresh perspective.

7. You Don't Build on Existing Content

Don't be afraid to show off your knowledge about a specific topic. When you write about all angles of a subject, you build trust with your reader by positioning yourself as a thought leader. For example, the most popular post on real-estate.com was "3 Trees Never to Plant in Your Backyard". From there they could publish a post titled "Remodeling That Hurts the Value of Your Home" and another post titled "How to Select a Real Estate Broker". Building on existing content is also a very helpful tactic for when you run out of content ideas.

What are other ways to make a local blog better? Let us know in the comments. 

The post 7 Mistakes Preventing Your Local Blog Content from Being Great appeared first on LocalVox.

Often times, many companies consider public relations as a service used only during times of crisis.

Working with the media and managing a company's reputation during an emergency is all part of public relations; however, there is much more to PR than just crisis communications.

In its entirety, public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relations between organizations and their publics. Public relations can not only manage a company's reputation during a crisis, it can also help brand and establish a company within an industry and/or geographic location.

At Ripley PR, we work with businesses to not only manage crises, but to develop a strong B2B public relations and marketing strategy that will impact a brand's profitability.

Here are four (4) ways we can use public relations to impact your business:

1. Content Is King
Creating strong content can help a business communicate their services and products more effectively. Content is a vital element of public relations, and it can be used in a variety of platforms, including social media, blogs, press releases, white papers, newsletters, case studies, website, bylined articles, and much more.

Companies that sell a product or service to other companies (B2B) especially need quality content. Buyers of B2B products are looking for a solution to a problem. Unlike business-to-consumer, you're usually marketing to more than one individual, and the sales cycle is much longer. Sometimes the person needing the solution isn't the actual decision maker, but they can sway the purchasing decision. It's important to turn technical, sophisticated jargon into clear messaging that resonates with multiple audiences.

By taking time to develop strong content, it can help customers make informed decisions about a company's services and products.

2. Recognition
The more well known a company's name is, the more influential they are in shaping opinions of their customers. Developing a B2B public relations strategy can help increase a company's presence with mentions in trade magazines, local newspapers, and other industry publications. Also, nominating a company for local and industry awards can also help promote a company's name.

This third-party credibility can help with lead generation and even shorten the sales cycle.

3. Social Media
Social media makes communicating with the public much easier, and taking time to incorporate social media into a public relations strategy is crucial. Utilizing social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and Instagram can help a business not only engage with their target audience, but can also improve a business' image and overall brand.

4. Improve SEO
When a business incorporates quality writing, secures ongoing editorial coverage and industry recognition, and establishes a strong social media presence with well-written blogs and social updates, it will positively impact a company's SEO. Improving SEO can help with brand recognition, as well as, help increase awareness of products and services too.

Incorporating a public relations strategy into a business will not only improve a company's brand, but it can also impact the bottom line. Taking time to build a positive brand before any negative news or crisis becomes a possibility, will help a company maintain their reputation in the event of a mistake or accident. To learn more about how to incorporate public relations into your businesses or company, contact the experts at Ripley PR.

Defining your goals is the first and most important part of your social media strategy. If you don't know why you're doing what you're doing, how in the world can you expect it to be successful?

In your business, there is likely some deeper "why" that motivates your team to succeed. It's not only the financial reward but something greater that inspires great things. The same is true for social media.

If you approach social media engagement with only the sales in mind, you're missing out on the deeper purpose. You're missing out on the opportunity to bring real value to your audience and to help them in a "no strings attached" kind of way.

If you can approach social engagement from a place that puts your customer first, then the results can be very powerful indeed. Some goals to consider might be:

• Bring added value to our audience
• Connect with a wider audience
• Strengthen customer loyalty
• Increase brand awareness
• Connect with advocates and supporters
• Boost brand credibility
• Increase audience trust
• Build relationships with your target market

Then you also have to consider what that primary "action" goal for business will be on social channels. As you begin to achieve the above goals, identify the main action you want your audience to take that will lead to customer conversions:

• Sign up for newsletter list
• Purchase products
• Come in to your store
• Visit your website
• Call you

Your goals will dictate what pages you setup, what content you use and how you engage with your audience. So, spend the time you need to consider what you really want. It's the foundation you need for social media success.

Joe and I were talking with one of our favorite people - who will go nameless. This person is a recognized expert.

There are other "experts" out there -some who even have books.

But this expert delivers on promises made.

"If you plan to sing your own praise, be prepared to get kicked off the stage". Susan Gale.

All experts face the same strategic problem.

How do you effectively tout or promote their skills without appearing boastful?

It's more of a pressing problem, if I hope to sell or persuade you that I am the type of expert you need to pay big money for.

You might only see an annoying showboat who deserves to get "kicked off" the stage.

"Neither blame of praise yourself" Plutarch

You could simply remain quiet and hope that referrals send you all the clients you deserve.

Quiet is nice.

Especially if you hate to hear the cash register ring.

But, the accepted tactic or response to Plutarch is to use a third party endorsement.

This works even when your client knows that you have paid for the endorsement.

How can you do this?

Hint: Use Introductions in a Strategic Manner

If you are a professional in a firm fortunate enough to have a skilled receptionist, you have an advantage over the rest of us.

Your firm has people calling the firm looking for help.

Now, with a little bit of work, you can take advantage of these inbound calls.

Give your firm's receptionist some training in reciting your bio, when he or she directs a telephone call to you.

Compare:

Oh, you want to speak with a franchise law lawyer? Well, you need to speak with Larry.

With:

"Oh, you want to speak with a franchise law lawyer. You need to speak with Larry. Larry has been practicing franchise law exclusively for over 15 years.

Or compare:

"I am going to put you through to Shelley, who is a trial lawyer.

With:

"I am going to put you through to Shelley. Shelley just won the 2014 Legal Eagle award.

You have all those impressive credentials hanging on your office wall

Hanging up where the potential client cannot see them because you are on the phone with them.

You worked hard for them, get them to work for you.

Oh, and thank Jane Austen for the tip.

"What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant?" Jane Austen

(Source idea: Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive. Goldstein, Martin & Cialdini. Chapter 22 - How We Can Show Off what We Know without being labelled a Show Off.)

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Tom Capuano was asking himself one question over and over in the late '90s. "How am I going to stay afloat?"  At the time, Tom owned his own small heating and air conditioning business.

"My wife Tracey and I were struggling. It was apparent to me that I needed to find an alternate way to use my experience and skills in heating and air conditioning.  The way we were going at the time, I knew I would have to file for bankruptcy," says Capuano.  After doing so they got a fresh new start in life by purchasing a Pillar To Post Home Inspection franchise on their last credit cards. 

Allowing Capuano to tell his own story, "It was an awful time but we also were excited to start fresh and do what we needed to do to get back on our feet.  We chose Pillar To Post because of so many things, but mainly because they were the number one home inspection franchise in North America and after meeting with the people and learning the program, we were sold.

The first year in business I performed 442 home inspections, answered and booked all inspections, did all the real estate office marketing and worked seven days per week. We kept our house which was near going into foreclosure. Our two young daughters never knew what was going on, other than Daddy changed jobs! They were involved with stuffing envelopes for marketing mailers, assembling the inspection binders, and being quiet when I was on a business call. I never missed a mortgage payment or an IRS payment.

The second year started out strong and mid-year I hired my first employee inspector, and doubled the number of inspections. I always knew that I wanted to own a home inspection business rather than work a job as a home inspector. So I began to hire good people who my good agents would like and trust just like me. As the years rolled by, I hired good people and continued to grow the business, always stressing the importance of helping our clients buy homes and to help real estate agents get inspections done with little to no hassle.

In 2007 Pillar To Post started a group called The Navigator Group, which is made up of franchisees who want to grow a larger business. We meet monthly by phone and face to face a couple of times per year. This has been a tremendous accelerant to my growth, and has impacted me as a leader in my business.

In 2005 I was recognized as the PTP franchisee of the year and in November 2013 we performed our 25,000^th home inspection. Today my team is made of six full time inspectors, a marketing rep, a customer service rep and an accounting clerk. I have not performed a home inspection since November of 2011. My responsibilities are to assist my team, develop relationships with busy real estate agents and perform presentations.

We are the dominant home inspection company in our market because we are easy to do business with, have a caring, helpful inspection attitude with our clients, and help our agents get the transaction to close as efficiently as possible."

###

Founded in 1994, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors is the largest home inspection company in North America with 450 franchisees, located in 48 states and eight Canadian provinces. Long-term plans include adding 500-600 new franchisees over the next five years.

Pillar To Post has been ranked the No. 1 home inspection franchise in North America by Entrepreneur Magazine. For further information, please visit www.pillartopostfranchise.com.

You've heard that content is king. In B2B public relations, producing consistent and compelling content is necessary to create a strong online presence.

How produce of an endless supply of blog topics or always have an attention-grabbing press release?

Sometimes finding content can seem like searching for a needle in, well, a stack of needles.

There's always something to write about, but what topics are right for your business? And what subjects are relevant now?

After you ask those questions, the content problem is easy.

PR Daily shares ways to create new content among sources you already have available. Here are a few of those tips to find content when it seems scarce:

1. Repurpose. If you have multiple publication outlets, you can use those to recreate content. White papers can be reviewed and announced on your social media. A great blog topic can be turned into a press release. A nostalgic company advertisement can be the inspiration behind a blog post. Compiling blog comments from your audience can influence a news article. Sometimes all you need to do is use the same content, but tell a new story with it.

1. Network. Your colleagues and clients are key resources for content inspiration. Meetings may not be your idea of fun, but conversing with other leaders or customers may be just the thing you need to discover new content ideas. People in your same industry can offer new insight and discuss current issues that you may not have yet faced. Idea-exchange among like-minded individuals can spark conversation and inspire content to boost your online engagement.

1. Ask. Your audience is a readily available resource for content influence. There is nothing wrong with asking readers a question to inspire a blog post or taking a poll to understand their interests. After all, you want to publish content people want to read. Ask a question about your industry as a whole or ask your audience to share an experience they have had with your company. Asking a question not only helps to create content, but it also boosts audience engagement. Get creative and develop a hashtag for social media to increase participation.

Sitting for hours at the computer searching for topics stumps productivity. When content seems scarce, look to your available resources for inspiration.

If you need help producing content or developing a content marketing strategy, the Ripley PR team can sit down with you and show you how it will benefit your business. Developing a strong online presence generates leads and can take your business to the next level.

I have been in the direct mail industry for over 34 years.

During that time many of my clients have asked me what the most significant part of a successful marketing campaign is.

I always answer that the most important ingredient in any direct mail campaign is pre-qualifying your prospects and selecting the correct database for your franchise. There are many ways to prequalify your prospects either by: neighborhood, age, income, children in household, lifestyle, hobbies to name a few.

But your best source of knowledge is your current consumer database.

It is extremely important to keep your customer database up to date and keeping your data consistent. If your mail house is able, you need to have them pull a radius report around your business location and merge your current client list into the report.

The mail house should be able to provide you with a spreadsheet outlining for you exactly what neighborhoods your current clients are coming from. Remember your best new clients are usually a mirror image of your existing clients.

Once you select the neighborhoods you want to target have your mail house suppress your present consumers this way you are achieving a true new customer acquisition mailing and not just mailing to the same people who are already frequenting your franchise.

The old carpet bomb approach to direct mail is in the past.

People have become conditioned to just toss these types of direct mail vehicles into the trash and not even take a second look, that is why your response rates are dismal.

Direct Mail is still the best way for a franchise to reach your target audience and stay within your marketing budget. Take the time to find the right direct mail vehicle and mailing list to increase response rate by 2 to 3x your normal returns.

We also have fantastic direct mail vehicle that has an incredible 96% read rate out of mail box. It is called Impact Mailers and they are actually plastic post cards with snap out gift/loyalty cards which are getting tremendous response for many franchise verticals. Check them out. Hope this information helps you achieve your marketing goals.

For the 5 Most Fascinating Stories in Franchising, a weekly report, click here & sign up.

Content Marketing is a practice designed to garner an ever-growing readership by publishing interesting, useful, relevant content on a regular basis.

The goal of content marketing is to drive these readers to fulfill the call to action you have set out for them.

Rather than being transparent in your sales approach, you are providing your audience with rewarding information in the hopes that they will return the favor by continuing to consume your content and purchase what you have to sell. Still not sure what this all means?

We've got some great local business content marketing examples below.

In the last few years, content marketing has changed the landscape for local businesses, allowing them to self-promote on the web in ways they never could have imagined before. Whether you love to spread the word on Facebook, can't update your website pages enough, or stay on Twitter 'round the clock, there is a content marketing outlet for every type of business. But popularity and limitless opportunities aside, why did we all decide that content deserves to wear the royal crown?

At LocalVox, we could go on ad nauseam about why your business needs content marketing to succeed, but for brevity's sake, we're going to distill its importance into three simple points.

1. Build Customer Relationships

When you post a relevant news story to your company's Twitter page, or share an interesting study on Facebook, you are engaging with your readers and establishing a relationship with them. By consistently posting a variety of trending, pertinent, entertaining content, you are creating a trusted reputation for your business in the virtual world. Your readers will continue turning to you for updates, which will lead to site traffic and conversion.

Studies have shown that website conversion rates are almost 6x higher for companies employing content marketing rather than those who don't (2.9% vs 0.5%). Like any relationship, it takes time and effort, but the payoff is well worth it.

2. Tell Your Brand Story

Since it's geographically and logistically impossible to go door-to-door describing your brand identity and business model to each and every one of the customers you hope to retain, the next best option is using the web to spread the word. With less leg work and a larger reach, it makes good, clean sense to take the time to craft your company's image and continue promoting it on a regular basis.

Essentially, you want to make readers' jobs as easy as possible. Take the guess work out of the equation and tell them upfront what you are all about. The faster and clearer the message delivery, the more likely those readers will stick around to see what else you have to say.

The Custom Content Council recently found that an impressive 61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content, and are more likely to make a purchase from them. If you want readers to complete the desired call to action (purchase an item, download a PDF, subscribe to a newsletter, call one of your sales people, etc) you'll have to connect with them on some level.

3. Become An Industry Expert

By publishing interesting, thought-provoking, relevant content on a regular basis, your readers will start to see you as a trusted industry expert. While that's hugely beneficial for the sake of retaining and building your customer base, there are also some less-obvious, behind-the-scenes advantages as well. In order to be an industry expert, you have to engage in discussions with other active members in your industry and learn from one another. In the process of building your reputation, you'll have the knowledge to back it up.

3 Content Marketing Examples

Foiled Cupcakes - Increased revenue projections by 600% with content marketing!

This Chicago bakery managed to get 93% of sales (exceeding their revenue ambitions by 600%) without a brick and mortar location. How? Content marketing. Owner and creator, Mari Luangrath started her online cupcake business five years ago, but in her first six weeks of business the website was malfunctioning and could not accept orders.

Instead of waiting out this website malfunction, she jumped on Twitter and started posting and chatting on a regular basis. Alongside her constant tweets, she launched an incredible cupcake blog. She went from no customers to thousands of followers during that time!

Birchbox - Content marketing drives significant paid subscriptions.

This beauty subscription service has paved the way for scores of other subscription services in different areas of business. With non-stop blog updates, tweets, Facebook posts and Youtube videos, it's no surprise that Birchbox has grown into such a successful brand.

Since all posts link back to the company's website, website traffic continues to multiply, leading to more subscribers and more sales.

The Waffle Shop - Unusual in-restaurant talk show drives customers.

This Pittsburgh breakfast destination stepped their content marketing efforts way up when they decided to think outside the box and create a live-stream talk show between themselves and their customers.

Broadcasted right in the middle of the restaurant, the show allowed for anyone to get on the mic and discuss anything that came to mind. By adding this unusual, live-theater aspect to their eatery, The Waffle Shop drew in customers who were not only interested in the food but the show as well.

What's It All Mean?

One of the best aspects of content marketing is the flexibility and wealth of options that it offers.  There isn't just one tried-and-true way to approach this method of creating and sharing media, but one common theme throughout is its clear-cut benefit to local businesses of all kinds.

Whether you want to get your feet wet posting an article or two, or plan on updating your company blog every single day, there's no right or wrong way to join the party and find out for yourself why content is the present-day leader of the pack in the internet marketing world. Need help getting started? 

Check out Localvox's beginner's guide and get all the help you need to take your business to the next level.

The post 3 Reasons Local Businesses Benefit From Content Marketing appeared first on LocalVox.

If you've watched the news or followed social media during a company crisis, you know how critical and memorable the moments that follow are to a brand. Retweeted and replayed quotes from media interviews become the public's association with your brand, and the last thing you want in a time of crisis is a misconception of your company. The words spoken during a crisis can often lead to a make-or-break moment for your employees, company, and brand.

In B2B Public Relations, it is necessary to not only build a crisis communication plan, but to decide the company spokesperson during times of crisis. So who exactly should you choose to interact with the media? PR Daily highlights three common arguments about who to consider when choosing your brand's spokesperson.

Argument 1: The CEO. It is a common myth that the default spokesperson in a crisis should always be a CEO. If the CEO is automatically the spokesperson, the public can often be led to believe the crisis at hand is larger than it really is. We aren't saying that the CEO should stay behind closed doors and avoid the crisis, but if the CEO is busy being the spokesperson for the company, they do not have time to manage or focus on business operations.

Argument 2: The PR specialist. The public relations specialist for your company is a logical choice for a spokesperson. Although the PR specialist will be leading the crisis management team, they do not have to be the only voice to the public. They will have the expertise to communicate with media, but they may not have it in regards to the crisis subject matter.

Argument 3: A variety of people. It is a safe prediction that multiple people will be speaking with media during a time of crisis. A great plan for preparedness would be to ensure that numerous people are properly trained to speak to media during this delicate time. A knowledgeable subject matter expert should always be available to speak with media about the details of the crisis. For example, if the company is accused of discrimination during the hiring process, a human resources specialist should be trained to take the lead.

Your spokesperson, or persons, should be knowledgeable, empathetic, and able to handle themselves professionally in a time of crisis. Selecting a spokesperson in advance will help you be prepared to stand firm when a crisis hits. If your crisis communication plan needs work, or you need to know how to interact with media, the experts at Ripley PR can implement media training for employees so that your business can handle a company crisis effectively and professionally.

Many customers need education or training before you can sell them your product or service.

And, they need to see themselves using your product or service before you can sell to them. The education or training of your customers or probable customers is done through a nurturing program.

Top of Mind Programs

A nurturing program can have a modest goal - to remain top of mind with a group of customers who will be in the market for your services or products.

From 1963-1977, Joe Girard sold an amazing number of cars-- 13,001 in his 15 year career! More than 6 cars a day, day in day out, for 15 years. 6 cars a day is more than many entire dealerships do.

How did he do it? He hand wrote and mailed greeting cards to everyone on his list. Regularly, once a month, if you were on Joe's list, you got a greeting card from Joe saying: "I Like You."

Joe Girard was simply reminding people that when it came to buying a car, Joe was thinking about them. Not a long or overcomplicated message. Not a message about cars, either. Just a reminder.

Effective, in part, because it was so time consuming. Joe's list at the end of his career was over 16,000 names & addresses. Girard's messages, all hand written, all sent by mail, like clockwork each month.

Shows a certain doggedness or relentlessness, don't you think? Probably trust a guy like that to get you a good deal.

Nurturing Programs

There is nothing wrong remaining top of mind for the right message. Indeed, you have to start with a Top of Mind program, or set of tools.

But, more modern nurturing programs go beyond just being top of mind. They are designed to establish you as an expert in the eyes of your customers, prospects and a "community of interest".

Modern nurturing programs aslso try to expand the reach of your message from customers to people just like your customers - but who aren't sold, yet.

Business Example - Premier Automotive - Standard Use of Customer List

For example, suppose you are an Premier Automotive trying to build out your business by sending out a coupon monthly for a discounted oil change.

There are (4) things wrong with this strategy.

1. You are building customer traffic, but not retaining enough of them to make up for the price of the discounts

2. You are training your current customers to be disloyal or shop solely on price.

3. You are not reaching past your customer list - nobody is going to share their coupon into their own network.

4. Finally, being top of mind for the annnoying message - get an oil change- is not where you want to be.

Nurturing Message

On the other hand, you could try this type message - send this to your current customer list, with the offer on the left hand side.

This message is intended to establish you as an authority beyond their own customer list.

When should you buy more more expensive oil for your car?

Science has confirmed what many NASCAR teams already know: synthetic oils last longer, provide better protection and form less sludge and deposits.

The protection or greater performance was much greater in two situations:

1. Start-ups. or;
2. Extended highway driving.

But, when does it make sense for you to buy the more expensive synthetic oil because it lasts longer, provides better performance?

Well, a simple calculation is that if you plan to drive your current car for more than 100,000 miles, it makes sense to purchase synthetic oil, now.

And, at Premier Automotive, we have both types of oil and we would be happy to to explain in more detail to you in person which oil is right for you. ( A hyper link to a longer & objective scientific discussion.)

This nurturing message is more likely to convert casual customers into loyal & interested customers than simply sending a discount coupon on a monthly basis.

Which do you think will work better? Discount alone or discount with objective story about when to change your oil - especially if the story is sent out on a timely basis?

(Source Idea: - Tom's Sant Language of Success pages 189-190)

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Once your company is ready to start franchising, then selling franchises becomes one of your biggest goals. In order to do that, you've got to get the word out. There are a number of ways to do so - through traditional advertising, franchising events, and of course, word of mouth.

Have you considered using public relations to generate quality leads and sell franchises? If you pick the right franchise public relations agency to help you promote your company, you will absolutely see the investment pay off.

At Ripley PR, we're experienced at helping franchisors and franchisees tell their stories and get media coverage at both local and national levels, which helps not only each individual location do well in their market, but helps the parent company sell more franchises as well. If you're thinking of hiring a PR agency, it's vital to select one like Ripley PR, which has extensive success getting media coverage in local markets and in national consumer and trade publications.

So how can the right PR agency help your franchise?

For one thing, we'll help you create and tell your story.

It might surprise you to learn that PR is as much about the sale as franchising is - we just work to sell your story to the right media. Did you know that about 60 percent of what you read in the daily newspaper is there thanks to a PR professional?

While you're thinking about attractive franchising offers and following up on potential leads, we're thinking about telling your corporate story, or an individual franchisee's story, in a way that will be attractive to the appropriate reporters. We're also following up with the contacts we've built in the media, especially those who write for your industry.

When you start working with a PR agency, we'll put together a strategy for pitching your story and distributing press releases. We'll ask you questions about your business, people within it, and any interesting tidbits about franchisees. We'll announce new franchise openings, awards and honors individual owners, the whole company, or executives have received, and make it appealing to reporters.

Telling the story the right way goes a long way to helping you generate leads and sell franchises. If you'd like to know more about how Ripley PR can help you do just that, contact us today.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

Small businesses that blog generate 126% more leads than SMB's that don't blog. I'm hoping that alone will convince you to start a blog for your small business.

Companies that blog also have 97% more websites linking to them as well. More links = more traffic, social shares, leads and as a result: more revenue.

SMB Blogging: Did You Know?

• Over 60% of consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post that they read

• Approximately 70% of consumers learn about a company through their blog rather than through paid advertising

• 60% of consumers have a positive feeling about a company after reading their blog

Those are some serious stats! It's fairly well documented that if you're a small business and participate in content marketing, you're going to do well.

Just take a look at how many people are searching on Google for content marketing:

As you can clearly see, content marketing is growing every day. More and more people want to learn how content marketing will improve their business and replace part of their more traditional advertising spend.

One of the best ways for a small business to improve content marketing is to start a blog. You've got a few options when it comes to picking a platform to blog:

• Installing WordPress

• Signing up for a free Blogger account

• Publishing content through NearSay, a local content platform. Learn more about this by contacting us.

Still asking yourself if you should create a blog for your small business?

• 82% of consumers enjoy reading content from company blogs

• Over 30% of consumers consider a blog to be the second most influential factor when it comes to making a purchase

• Businesses that commit to blogging and publish over 51 posts receive a 77% lift in monthly leads.

Content Syndication & Multichannel Marketing

If you want to push your local content marketing to the next level, it comes down to content syndication and marketing through additional channels.

Syndication
You need other people talking about your content. Bloggers republishing your posts, guest blogging in other networks, being found on a top local content publisher like NearSay. These are things that will significantly improve your content marketing plan.

Multichannel Marketing
Content is what powers the value of your channels. Your email list, Facebook updates, tweets, LinkedIn updates and Instagram photos have much more value if they're supported by great content. You need to be telling your stories through multiple channels to reach your customer. Without great content marketing and syndication, this is a difficult task.

What Does It All Mean?

By publishing content online frequently (1-2x per week), you will see significant and measurable results. Without a blog, your small business is not firing on all cylinders.

Have you recently started a small business blog? What kind of results are you seeing?

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

The post Why Every Small Business Needs To Blog in 2014 appeared first on LocalVox.

Research conducted in the last two or three years has provided some interesting insight into why it is that we engage with social media:

• 80% of the content posted on social media sites, during a study conducted in 2012, were generalized posts about the immediate experience of the user. That could be something as simple as, "So tired...not ready for the week to start" or "Stuck in traffic - going to be a long day."

• Another study showed that users tend to share advertisements and promotions that are an extension of their self-concept, and one of course that is entertaining.

• Finally, sharing content in the spirit of offering help, advice, or suggestions to others gives people the sense of giving to others. By sharing that great article with a coworker who can benefit from it, you are really being benefitted as well, although in a different way.

So, is this what drives us to engage in social media content?

We want to show the "social world" who we are, how we want to be perceived, all the while being important and helpful to others?

I came across a great article that discusses this in more detail. The author gives a great example of what may be a typical "social media" day for any one user and explains why content is shared.

In thinking of the examples above, the article talks about how these types of content posting activities activate the dopamine reward system, which provides that internal reward that so many of us crave.

The more content sharing and posting in these various ways, the more that reward system is activated.

In extreme cases, it can be likened to a "drug" that people seek out to feel better about themselves.

From a business standpoints, it's a good thing to keep in mind as your marketing team is developing advertisements and engaging with customers - providing information that is entertaining, easy for customers to associate themselves with, and viewed as something that can be shared to help others may increase the virality of the content and enhance brand loyalty and engagement.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

In today's fast-paced, high-tech world, the entire landscape of the media has changed - and continues to change each day.

At Ripley PR, we're constantly keeping an eye on traditional and new media, so that we can make recommendations to our B2B public relations clients that will help them land an interview or bylined article, in a newspaper, industry publication, or even on a blog.

This article from Ragan caught our attention.

It outlines some points to keep in mind in dealing with journalists - points that can ensure you get quoted or featured in the media.

These points are valuable for both PR professionals like ourselves, and company executives looking for media coverage.

Here are the key points:

• Be prepared: these days, most media outlets are short-staffed, and reporters may run on multiple assignments each day. That means that unlike the old days, they might not have the time to do in-depth research in preparation for an interview and story. So, if you're on the other side of the interview, it's worth it to prepare yourself. That might mean taking some time to research the reporter and what kind of stories he covers, and anticipate what questions he might ask - even ones you would prefer not to answer. Then, prepare your answers - and make sure you're ready to provide some background information on your company.
• Be professional, but be yourself: It's important to be natural in your interview - building a relationship with a reporter will benefit you down the road. But you must also conduct yourself well. Make sure you've practiced your answers and don't try to fill a silence with awkward, mindless chatter that may lead to giving away something you don't want to. Also, be sure to ask the reporter if he needs any clarification on your answers
• Follow up: If you promised the reporter you'd send some materials, make sure you do so. You can include a note with them, clarifying any of your comments during the interview and creating another quote that's easy to copy and paste.

People tend to have a negative opinion about journalists, so it's very important to remember that they are people too, and that, just like you, they are trying to do their jobs to the best of their ability.

Keeping these points in mind will show respect for any journalists you deal with, and will help them build respect for you as well.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

The Massive Open Online Courses can teach you some important things about your own training videos for your franchisees.

While, I've seen many outstanding videos offered on the MOOCs there are still a distressingly high percentage of them that do not even meet the minimum standards of Public Access TV.

Your franchise training videos likely have one or more of the same problems.

If your franchise training videos has one or more of the following production quality issues, you will have a low viewer completion rates.

1. Bad Sound Quality: Sound is the Achilles' heel of most educational videos. Most people will put up with poor video but if you cannot hear or understand what is being said there is no use in watching any further. These problems are usually caused by poor microphone placement, low recording levels, background noise and talent who do not speak well on camera.

2. Poor Lighting: Even bad cameras look good when there is plenty of light yet many videos look as if they were videotaped in a closet. If a student is going to stare at your video for 15 to 60 minutes at least make the images visible.

3. Poor Graphics: Just like unintelligible sound, unreadable graphics are useless. If the viewer cannot read or follow the graphic why include it? This is more than a PowerPoint slide with small text, this includes flow charts that are so dense and detailed they cannot be followed or photographs of such poor quality it is hard to tell what they are.

4. All Text Presentations: If the only thing the presenter is doing is reading the text off of one PowerPoint slide after another why not just send the student the PowerPoint slides?

5. Talking Heads: Or even worse, talking shadows on a distant stage. Videotaping lectures is probably the quickest and easiest way to record educational content but it does not have to be the most boring way to present educational content. (I've written several blogs on videotaping lectures, including how I think the TED Lectures get it right.)

6. Long Videos: One of the best features of online videos is that the presenter is not required to lecture for 50 minutes as they are often required to in a scheduled class. They can make the video segment as long, or as short as it needs to be. Yet many online classes are 50 or 60 minutes because that is the length of a traditional classroom lecture. If students fall asleep in a classroom during a long lecture they will fall asleep faster during a long video lecture.

7. Not Using the Medium: Why, in this new world of television production where an inexpensive HD video camera can fit in the palm of your hand, do so many of the online video classes take place behind a lectern? Are cameras not allowed in the lab or out in the field? Is it impossible to interview an expert or illustrate a concept with animation? Television is personal and mobile. Take advantage of its strengths.

There are ways to improve production quality and the quality of your programs that will improve the effectiveness of your overall online course.

Are you involved in producing video for training?

What are your biggest production quality challenges?

What obstacles do you face in producing your videos? Let me know in the discussion section below.

If you are involved in producing educational or training video and would like some feedback on your production quality then contact us for a video consultation.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]

While it might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, over the last few years parallax scrolling has become one of the most trendy ways to design a website.

No matter whether you run a business-to-consumer or business-to-business company, you want to make sure you have a fresh, memorable website that showcases what it is your business does.

At Ripley PR, we often work with clients on website design as part of a comprehensive B2B public relations strategy, so we like to stay up on trends like parallax scrolling.

So what exactly is parallax scrolling?

Basically, using parallax scrolling creates an immersive, 3D experience when you're scrolling through a website.

It's become popular enough that some websites are overwhelming, but when used well, it can make your web browsing experience really enjoyable.

Spotify is one example of a site that uses subtle parallax scrolling well.

Another is the visually stimulating site for the Academy Award-winning movie "Life of Pi."

Parallax scrolling on the "Life of Pi" website causes the images on the screen to change as you scroll down

As you can see, a website with parallax scrolling requires a lot of creativity and complex coding ability.

Some might argue the market is saturated with sites like this, but we believe that it can be useful for many companies looking to build a brand.

If you liked this, you should sign up for the LinkedIn Marketing & Advertising Tips from Franchise-Info newsletter.

Or, for more information on the Franchise-Info Business Directory, call Joe at 1-443-502-2636 or email Joe direct [email protected]