Many different factors influence online prospects to respond to a franchise opportunity, including where they see the advertising, the type of information provided, and even the time of year. Are you casting a net that captures prospects with the right message, delivered at the right time and in the right place?

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The Right Message: This franchise works for people like you!

When we interview our website visitors, to better understand what makes them respond to the different franchise opportunities, they are very specific in their requirements. They go online to see how much the different franchises cost. Then, when they see which franchises they can afford, they want proof that the franchise system works – meaning, it has franchisees who are happily operating the business. Prospective franchise buyers will seldom move forward without references. Online advertising gives franchisors the opportunity to cut to the chase, and promote relevant examples of their franchisees’ success to attract more qualified, enthusiastic applicants.

Making success stories the cornerstone of your online recruiting efforts shifts your opportunity into a very positive light and can reduce the sales timeframe. Not only do references instantly build credibility in a concept, but they may attract candidates to opportunities that prospects might not have considered otherwise. According to our market research, over the past 24 months, online advertising that leverages testimonials has proven to capture leads from a higher percentage of site visitors than advertising that does not.

Below are examples of "golden tickets" - recent franchise sales that originated on the different Franchise Solutions lead generation sources. The time from when they submitted their inquiry, to when they purchased their franchise, ranged from two weeks to two months.

Timing is Everything: How to get in front of prospects at their moment of choice.

Time of day, day of week, and time of year all influence the flow of inquiries from candidate to franchisor. Over the last couple of years, more inquiries are being submitted during standard nine to five business hours. This tells us some important factors to keep in mind, primarily, candidates may be researching franchise ownership from a place of employment. Frankly, they sometimes use their employer’s email address and phone number on their inquiry. Worker productivity and privacy issues aside, this presents a great opportunity for franchisors to reach prospects while they are most intent on changing their career path.

While the decision to purchase a franchise is not the same as an "impulse buy" at the supermarket check-out, a well-crafted and strategically-timed message can very effectively bring your opportunity to the eyes of your prospect, and differentiate you from hundreds of others. Remember, at this point, it’s important to reach out to prospects visually, with written advertising like e-mail campaigns or website placements. A compelling e-mail campaign can make a very strong emotional appeal to individuals during the work week - when they are frustrated by work issues, or during weekends or school vacations, when thoughts turn to the management of personal time. Holidays, weekends and the summer months are also times of year when prospects have the chance and the inclination to jump online and pursue their franchise ownership plans. A full-court press on advertising during these times can yield high-volume, quality results. Additionally, this is a great way to attract busy people with busy lives, who will apply that motivation to franchise ownership success!

Remember to save your more sophisticated tools, such as audio or video clips for any follow-up e-mail, such as your auto-responder. Not all site visitors who find your opportunity while they are at work can afford to let the words, "Take control of your future!" blare from their computer, if they even have speakers. Give them the option to re-open that email, with the link to your content, when they have the time and resources to absorb a more detailed message.

Location, Location, Location: Increasing the size of your internet "footprint"

When dealing with online recruitment efforts, franchisors are constantly preparing for a "what if?" scenario. "What if that next lead, from that next source, converts to a sale?" This line of thought encourages franchise developers to invite prospects to their opportunity from as many different online recruitment resources as their budgets allow. Diversification of lead-generation resources seldom hurts development efforts, provided the resources are relevant and proven. More experienced franchise developers will seldom be heard categorically dismissing inquiries in bulk from one source as "unqualified". They know that the inquiries from prospects who will convert to buyers, or "golden tickets", are dispersed, and that maximizing their reach, only increases the chances of grabbing that qualified prospect, ahead of the competition.

Today you may have closed a prospect from an e-mail campaign, the next time it may be from an advertising portal, and the next, from your corporate website. Maybe you find that you do well with a particular demographic. Finding online advertising resources that are in tune with prospects, and can target the candidates you seek, can make the most of your advertising dollar - and at the end of the day, more points of access mean greater reach and more opportunities to find those "golden tickets" - your chance to convert a prospect to a buyer in record time.

Franchise Solutions lead-generation sources referenced in this edition:

Franchise Solutions

Womens Franchises

State Franchises

The Franchise Solutions Network

The Franchise Solutions E-newsletter Series