Does Your Branded Franchise Need Its Own Social Media Strategy?

While social media can perplex a single business unit, imagine the challenges and multidimensional complications that can arise when a franchisor decides to incorporate social media into his or her integrated communications plan. Social media does not dictate an entire marketing program, but it must be approached with the same level of attention and definition as the rest of its marketing counterparts.

When considering social media within the bounds of franchising, the questions of how one designs, develops, executes and measures the program multiply tenfold. The franchisor, unlike other business owners, has to be concerned with the performance of several franchisees as the continuous extension of his or her brand.

It all comes down to structure. Should franchisors manage brand social media from a corporate perspective, or should they empower franchisees to do so on a local level?

Whether to pursue a centralized or decentralized approach to social media really depends on the individual franchise. Franchisors, answering the following questions may help you decide which approach works best for your system.

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