We recently studied several franchise groups and their social media programs. These organizations had national, regional and individual business Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts. We picked up on one major problem that seems to be a spillover from traditional franchise advertising — not paying attention to or following brand guidelines. Different logos were used, different ID nomenclatures were implemented and different tactics were being employed. And all this “different” leads to an erosion of the brand.
It is possible, of course, that social media brand guidelines have not been established for the franchise systems we studied. But as previously mentioned on The Side Note, branding is in the details. There is no excuse for a system to have an absence of guidelines when individual franchise owners or regions are implementing social media campaigns independent of the national campaigns.
If you don’t have social media rules of engagement and branding guidelines, you need to get one established, now.
The following are suggestions for you to include in your guidelines.
1. Pick a version of your logo, or establish a new version of your logo, to be used on all social media sites. Make sure it is used consistently and appropriately.
2. Establish a basic nomenclature for on-line networking sites. Similar to how you have established your email addresses (last.first@xyzco.com), create a specific formula for Twitter IDs and Facebook fan/group pages.
Example: Twitter IDs for a hair salon or donut shop may be called: DenverGoodHair, AuroraGoodHair or VailDonutKing, StCldDonutKing
3. Don’t be afraid to get creative. Just like vanity URLs, consider a vanity online “handle” for your organization’s social media account. Instead of just referring to your company by name, describe it or use your tagline.
Example: Facebook fan pages for an automotive franchise may be called:
San Diego, You can’t get better car care anywhere else
Manassas, You can’t get better car care anywhere else
4. Take advantage of the Twitter background to make it creative, and include your business information. Make sure this background or elements of it are used consistently by all of the franchises.
5. Make sure the company reference is consistent throughout all media posts. For example, either use your acronym or your full company name – pick one reference and stick to it.
6. Make sure the language used to refer to your services is used consistently. Is it a “blow-out” or a “wash and style”?
Don’t forget, when it comes to maintaining the integrity of a brand, all the details matter. With the explosive growth in social media, it’s important that you develop not only rules of engagement for all franchisees to follow, but that specific branding guidelines are developed as well.
Does your franchise system have a social media branding guideline? What tips can you provide to others? Share them here.
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