LinkedIn is a powerful platform for attracting new franchisees… if you know how to use it. It lets you showcase your achievements, share business updates with potential partners, and engage them directly on what is generally considered a “trusted platform.” The key to ensuring success on LinkedIn is to optimize your profile. There are several ways to do that.
LinkedIn says pages with complete information get 30% more weekly views. Updating your profile image and banner and having a compelling “About Us” section boosts your visibility on the platform. Additionally, posting relevant content regularly and advertising on LinkedIn for franchisees are excellent starting points for selling franchises on LinkedIn.
Why LinkedIn is the perfect avenue to reach potential franchisees
LinkedIn is among the most widely used social networking platforms for businesses and professionals worldwide. The platform has more than 930 million members, with 224 million coming from the United States alone. LinkedIn also has more than 63 million companies listed on its website. This makes it a fertile ground for businesses to connect, find, and reach their desired audience.
Beyond the numbers, Linkedin remains one of the most trusted platforms in the U.S. today. This makes it appealing for professionals interested in engaging with others and opens doors and opportunities to transact business. You may leverage LinkedIn to find franchisees and expand your network. You can also take advantage of the wealth of information available on the platform to learn and strategize your operations.
Webinars, remote conferences, and other online events have recently become the norm. Some influential franchising organizations use LinkedIn to advertise and host these activities. Classic examples are the Franchise Leadership & Development Conference, Springboard, and the multiple events hosted by the IFA. These are excellent platforms for locating franchise candidates and investors and marketing your brand.
In summary, LinkedIn offers franchisors the following benefits:
1) Lead generation
2) Recruitment opportunities
3) Publicity
4) Online presence and discoverability
Creating an appealing company profile
A well-structured company profile is one of the most effective ways to attract potential franchisees and business partners on LinkedIn. But how do you optimize your profile to help you achieve your goals? Here are four tips.
1) Update your profile picture and cover photo
First impressions count, and your profile image and banner are often the first things people notice when they visit your page. Companies with profile images and cover photos generally perform better and attract more visitors than those without. The good news is that the process is straightforward, especially when you have an existing company logo. You can use the same logo as your profile picture and resize it to fit the requirements.
The banner above your profile picture lets you get creative with the design. There are no hard and fast rules, but be sure that the photo you select is clean and simple. You can use pictures of upcoming events or images that provide relevant information about your company. Even better, showcase your employees or business headquarters in the banner.
2) Write a compelling company description
The description section lets you tell potential business partners about your company, so make sure it creates a lasting memory. This portion is vital because it persuades franchisees to engage with your page and contact you for further information. Use plain and direct language informed by keywords to outline your mission.
Share your company’s story with potential investors and help them see the worth of your product or service. Provide details about your locations, brand voice, and achievements to help them immediately see the value of your business. You may also provide information about the size of your company, the industry of operation, your official website, and the type of entity you operate. The aim is to capture visitors’ attention and help them find what they need quickly.
3) Post relevant content regularly
This is where things get more interesting. According to LinkedIn, companies that post weekly see a two-time lift in engagement with their content. Feeding your page with regular, relevant content directly affects its success on the platform. LinkedIn offers multiple post options, including the following:
• Articles. LinkedIn allows you to share long-form content and informational pieces to educate your visitors. You can insert links, images, or videos in the content, which can help boost your rank on search engine results pages (SERP). You can also publish newsletters to build a subscriber community.
• Documents. You can upload PowerPoint slides and PDFs on your LinkedIn profile. This lets you share graphs and data with potential business partners and persuade them to buy into your company. As a rule of thumb, ensure that all documents shared on your platform are tidy and well-formatted.
• Images. LinkedIn suggests that images typically result in a two-time higher comment rate and perform well for organizations. Pictures are attention-grabbing and excellent ways to share evidence of your activities. You may also provide data in an image format to help franchisees make informed decisions.
• Videos. Videos increase your LinkedIn engagements up to five times, and live videos generate 24 times more. Leverage these media options to reach potential franchisees through an ad, educational or tutorial videos, or webinars.
In addition to these features, LinkedIn lets you share existing content and interact through comments and direct messages, which can also help enhance your online presence.
4) Advertise on LinkedIn for franchisees
Using franchise ads on LinkedIn helps you reach your target market and grow your audience. Franchisors can employ paid advertising and organic marketing strategies to direct potential investors to their pages and convert them into partners.
Sponsored Content ads for LinkedIn franchises are interactive avenues to share valuable information for brand awareness and lead generation. Other LinkedIn ad formats are Message Ads, Dynamic Ads, and Text Ads, each serving a unique function. You can also incorporate search engine optimization (SEO) strategies into your regular content posts to market your franchise and improve your Internet visibility. For optimal results, experiment with hashtags and share your page on other social media platforms.
Extra tips for attracting franchisees on LinkedIn
• Keep an eye on LinkedIn algorithm updates. LinkedIn modifies its algorithm to help deliver better user services. These updates may alter your strategies, so it helps to learn them to boost your recognition. Take advantage of the new features to attract new franchisees.
• Check out the competition. Sometimes, the best way to learn and gain new insights is to observe what your competitors do right and wrong. Study their profiles to find where to improve your LinkedIn presence. You may combine several positive strategies to create a better model for your campaign.
• Use franchise management tools. Franchise management tools help streamline your business processes. Having your sales, finance, marketing, and operations departments in one place offers a clear overview of your progress and enables you to make informed decisions. It also lets you engage franchisees with a central communication hub.
This article originally appeared on FranConnect’s website and is used here with permission.
FranConnect is a leading franchise management and multi-location management software provider. The FranConnect platform has served as the sales, operations, and marketing backbone for more than 1,500 brands in 18 countries over the past 20 years. Customers, who span all sizes, growth phases, and industries, have been shown to grow 44% faster on average than the broader franchising market. For more information, visit franconnect.com.