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NEWS | May 11, 2012

Franchise Business Review Launches Search for Top Food Franchises

Franchise Business Review is looking for the best and brightest in food franchising as part of its 2012 Food Franchise Study and Awards. This national project looks at franchisee satisfaction at some of the country’s most popular franchise brands and honors the top franchisors with designation as a Franchise Business Review Top Food Franchise.
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SECTOR REPORT | April 26, 2012

Senior Care Franchise Report 2012

Franchise Business Review's special report Senior Care Franchises offers a high-level look at the senior care/home care franchising sector. We explore what services the sector provides, what’s involved from an investment standpoint, what the “typical” franchisee looks like, and how franchisee satisfaction in the sector has fared in the past year. We also identify the top senior care franchises based on our franchisee satisfaction research.
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ARTICLE | April 12, 2012

Honest-1 Brings New Blood to Auto Repair Business

The Honest-1 Auto Care franchise opportunity is a general service shop, offering primarily oil changes, brake checks, and other basic services — but two things distinguish the garage from competitors. The tastefully appointed lobby is comfortable and has a fully-stocked play area for children, a coffee maker with French vanilla capuccino and free wi-fi. Two weeks ago, Tom Dombrock and Fred Haynes debuted their latest venture with an Honest-1 Auto Care franchise — an eco-friendly auto repair shop that caters specifically to women.
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ASK FBR | March 19, 2012

How long have you been researching a franchise opportunity?

Franchise Business Review wants to know what you're doing in order to find that right "fit", and encourages all those interested in starting their own franchise to answer this simple question - how long have you been researching a franchise opportunity? (Click here to share) 
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Home > Resources

Entering blogosphere

by Ellen Shubart

In “ancient times”—only four or five years ago in computer time—blogs were the moving tales of individuals reporting their travails via the Internet in the form of electronic diaries, with issues of loves, loves lost; jobs, jobs lost; travels, no travel, and so forth.

But during the past five years, savvy business people have recognized the potential and moved blogs front and center into the commercial realm. Seeking to engage potential buyers, franchisors or franchisees, franchise leaders are using blogs as quick and inexpensive ways to reach people—lots of people – with information that is more up-to-date and a bit edgier than what’s found on a Web site alone. Blogs, in short, are the hottest, newest marketing tool in the U.S. today and quickly are becoming a business necessity.

“To stay on the cutting edge and keep your name in play, you need a blog. If you’re not in the blogosphere, you are behind the times,” says Mark Siebert, founder and CEO of Homewood, Ill.-based iFranchise Group, a franchise consultancy. Blogs are not necessarily arbiters of truth or disciplined journalism. But as the next evolution of the Internet, they are the wave of the future, he adds.

“Traditional marketing methods—newsletters or bulletins—get lost,” explains Joseph Schumacher, partner with Wiggin and Dana, a New Haven, Conn.-based law firm with nationwide offices. “A blog is continuous and continual.” Wiggin and Dana’s fanchiselawblog.com is a “legally inclined Weblog.” Schumacher began it four years ago and now shares the writing with five partners in the firm’s franchise and distribution practice. He reports 40,000 to 50,000 hits per month for the site that focuses on news and interpretation of franchising’s legal issues.

Blogs are the “democratization of the Internet,” adds Sean Kelly, president of Ideafarm, a marketing consultancy from Leola, Pa. “With franchising, a great deal more information is available about franchise companies. Blogs have changed the way people market and present. They are good for franchisors trying to create good relationships with their franchisees and potential buyers. It’s a win-win for all sides.”

A surprising 90 percent of Web sites—last year’s star marketing tool—are stale and static, without much change, says Helen Gallagher, computer consultant of Computer Clarity, an Internet-based consultancy. Today, there are an estimated 19 million blogs in the English language. According to a recent survey, 57 million American adults read blogs and 12 million keep their own.

Blogs are a fresh and dynamic. Even their names often scream “take a look”: franchisefetch.com, franchisepundit.com, bluemaumau.com. These are not your father’s Web sites.

Blog authors are not afraid to take stands. On franchisepundit.com, for instance, attorney Ryan Knoll runs “the inside scoop” on franchises and then categorizes them as “I wouldn’t buy it,” “gossip,” or “great idea.” Bluemaumau.com features a mix of news and critical reviews about franchising, while franworst.com spotlights just that—franchises deemed poor by Richard Quick II, the ostensible author. Most, but not all, list their contributors, but many responding postings are signed without full names or contact locations.

Still, Eric Stites, founder and president of Franchise Business Review and operator of frantopia.com, now in beta format, is a believer. Web sites that feature franchisors, he says, often hold just marketing material and are too often “tight-lipped.” Traditional (franchise) media—magazines, newsletters—report monthly. Blogs are able to leverage comments and grow at a more rapid rate in terms of news than a traditional Web site.

“People today are savvy and know that they should look at multiple sources,” Stites says. The frantopia.com site, which is accepting registrations, and its franchise blog brethren can give them that, he claims.

It is difficult to make sweeping generalizations about blogs. Some are run by a single person, others by a group of friends or colleagues. While some tend to speak with one voice or point of view, such as www.blogs.marriott.com, the blog maintained by Bill Marriott, the 75-year-old president of Marriott, others have multiple voices, most often a collection of consultants. Some are offshoots of existing Web pages, which in turn were offshoots of print newsletters or magazines. Others are called “clip blogs”—compendiums of articles printed elsewhere, newspapers, newsletters, magazines or the Web.

Only a few characteristics are required to formerly be a blog: articles are displayed chronologically, the site is often interactive (allowing readers to leave comments); contents are archived and there are links to other sites—the more links the better. By contrast, traditional Web sites are usually divided into sections or topics and the top article may not be the most recent. With blogs, immediacy is prized; the Google blogs search lists entries by how many hours ago the site had a posting.

Another feature is the age of those using blogs. “Definitely younger, Web-savvy people,” says Stites of his audience at frantopia.com, but he points out that “even the older generation today hasn’t bought something without checking the Web first.”

Schumacher of franchiselaw says his reader demographic may have been younger or more Web savvy at the beginning, but as people see how easy and user-friendly a blog is, older, less Web-savvy people are logging on.

Another benefit is that blogs are easier to create and update than Web sites. They can contain photos or audio clips. And a key point for those starting blogs: Not only are they easy to write, they are free. They only expense is time because there has to be continuous postings to keep the readers’ interest.

The advantage to running a blog is that it reaches so many people so quickly and allows dialogue, says Sean Kelly. “We created franbest to help people find the good guys,” he says. “Today everybody wants to know (everything). You can’t try to hide or go away. You have to join the dialogue. People are going to the Internet to find the information on franchise companies. Good franchisors are answering the inquiries with good dialogue on their blogs. Franchisors that see blogging as a threat are missing an opportunity.”

Franchisors such as Marriott, L.A. Weight Loss and others are maintaining their own blogs and more are coming online daily.

While the creators are enthusiastic about blogs, there can be serious drawbacks. “So much information out there is garbage,” says Stites. “You can’t control bad or good information, you are just creating a platform. With more users you get more information, but that doesn’t mean it’s good.”

Siebert agrees. “The Internet is a far from a perfect tool,” he says. “You have to take information with a grain of salt. You need to use it carefully as a resource and weed out the good and bad to find the best.”

Just as their print predecessors, bloggers love controversy to “sell newspapers.” Take the example of a respected tech blogger who posted the story of his brother who had an unhappy experience with a franchisor. Within days, a hailstorm of posts over a myriad of linked blogs created a serious problem both for the franchise that didn’t return the brother’s money and the subsequent company that was alleged to be the same outfit in new trappings.

The speed in which the information ran around the Internet—days or weeks rather than months—and the allegations required the franchisor to hire legal and public relations aid. The initial posting unleashed a series of allegations by many, something it will take years for the new company to overcome, if it ever does. And, in the midst of all this was a bit of Internet skullduggery, with posts being eliminated from some blogs without the authors’ permission. The site of bluemaumau.com that was carrying much of the discussion mysteriously went down. No-one maintains that such problems come with blogging. But they are possible.

We are entering a new era, says Kelly. Time magazine wasn’t far from the truth naming “You” as the Man of the Year in 2006. Individuals or franchisors have the capacity to create blog sites in minutes, mostly for free, and present information for anyone and everyone to comment on. Franchisors, buyers and consultants alike hope for the best—that the dialogue promotes everyone’s efforts and makes their blogging worthwhile. Blog advocates are certain that will happen.

“The Year 2007 is when blogging will peak,” predicts computer expert Gallagher. The question is whether all franchisors can keep up with the time—and whether they want to.

As published in: Franchise Times - March 2007

 

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Posted by Gary Tebria on 02:00:14 AM on February 12, 2010

“The Year 2007 is when blogging will peak,” - Looking back on it, I don't think this has been the case. Blogs have become easier and easier to start, and I think blogs are STILL on the rise. I definitely don't think blogs have even hit their peak yet. It will be interesting to see how the blog story unfolds from here. Although, with the rise of Facebook, I can see that being one reason for the decline of personal blogs. Other than that, I think blogs are still very much on the rise. aquamarine engagement rings princess cut engagement rings