FRANCHISE REVIEWS »

Independent franchisee satisfaction reviews of today's top franchise opportunities

ADVERTISEMENTS

FBR FEATURES »

ARTICLE | February 3, 2012

Featured Franchisee: Steve Boos, Home Instead

Home Instead Senior Care franchisee Steve Boos has always followed his heart in business, starting when he worked in the paper industry for a company that was focused on reducing waste in paper manufacturing. So it’s not surprising that a stint in the Army Reserves and a year in Iraq drastically changed his career path.
more >   comment

NEWS | January 11, 2012

Padgett Business Services Joins Frantopia as Business Partner

Franchise Business Review announced today that Padgett Business Services, which offers financial services to small businesses, has become a business partner and content expert for Frantopia, FBR’s social networking and business resources site.
more >   comment

SECTOR REPORT | November 1, 2011

Veterans Report 2011

Veterans and Franchise Report 2011Although many organizations have set out to look at the “best” franchise opportunities for veterans, until now, none of these listings included data on actual veteran franchisee satisfaction and performance—perhaps the most telling data of all. Franchise Business Review’s Veterans and Franchising 2011 is the first report to look at which franchise opportunities are most veteran-friendly based on franchisee satisfaction.
more >   comment (2)

ASK FBR | June 15, 2010

What are some of the best cleaning franchises?

There are plenty of franchise opportunities in the cleaning services and maintenance sector. They vary by many aspects including investment level, commercial vs. residential services, the amount of support the franchisor supplies and several other factors...
more >   comment
Home > Blogs

Technology at the IFA Conference

by Michelle Rowan

I am always amazed at the amount I learn when I attend the IFA conventions. This year was no different, but it came primarily in the sessions focused on Technology. It seems to be a hit or miss topic at the convention- either the information is so basic there isn't much "action" to take away and implement, or there is SO much thrown at the crowd, who is behind the curve and decide where to start...

Scott Klososky (@sklososky on Twitter) was by far my favorite speaker in San Antonio. His first (and parting) words to the franchisors in the crowd- "do not sit here and get all this great information, then go home and do nothing. It would be a travisty!" I agree!!! He pushed people that think social technology is a fad to believe it is here to stay and it's THE new way to do business. So here is what I pulled from the 4 days of sessions of what I am going to DO:

    - Read "Groundswell" and "Trust Agents"

    - Websites to check out and learn more about:
             - addict-o-matic: i can find out the latest buzz about me, or FBR, or my clients from lots of sites/sources all on one page

             - muckrack.com: find out what journalists are talking about- hopefully find journalists who want to talk about us & our clients! 

             - bit.ly & su.pr (stumbleupon): used to shorten urls, which i do. but i can see WHO is clicking the links I create- which I don't do now

             - ad.ly: evaluates twitter accounts

    - Use our FBR Group on LinkedIn to ENGAGE our clients more, find out what we should change or revamp on the next release of our survey

    - Find ways to incorporate our client's social technologies into our site, I have a few ideas and want to start testing them in Q1     
 

I think people, and companies, are still trying to figure it all out when it comes to where should we be online, what should we be doing, how can this make us money?  Everyone believes in the power of word or mouth or referrals over  any other type of sales approach- so look at social technology from that standpoint. It's time to start creating (or managing) your online reputation TODAY. It's all about transparency and honesty of your brand, it's all about continuing to raise the bar in business, and franchising.

See you on Twitter (@monrowan) & LinkedIn (michellemonroerowan) and who knows where else tomorrow...  

 

 

You must register to post a comment. Registration is quick & easy. If you are already an FBR member, click here.
First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Password:
Confirm Password:
Receive updates, notifications and special offers from Franchise Business Review
 
Comment:
Verification Sum: 7 + 1
Posted by rayjian rayjian on 04:43:12 AM on December 28, 2011

De Bottes UGG Pas Cher, assurez-vous l'exp¨¦rience de la chaleur.Bottes UGG Pas Cher vendre en ligne prix discount, bon service apr¨¨s-vente. UGG,Bottes UGG UGG pas cher bottes UGG bottes ugg pas cher

Posted by Bryan O'Rourke on 06:36:29 AM on April 2, 2010

MIchelle, Scott's observations are spot on. Much of why we created our new franchise flywheel application is the lack of integration with social media tools. This is particularly the case for franchise lead generation among many other examples. Great content. Thanks

Posted by Chris Anderson on 06:43:24 PM on March 3, 2010

Thanks for the recap Michelle, I wasn't able to make the IFA unfortunately but this is great to see! A couple of other tools that are helpful and along these lines: tweetlevel.edelman.com - see your rating in various categories on Twitter hootsuite.com - great for managing multiple accounts (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace)

Posted by Deb Evans on 08:52:46 AM on February 18, 2010

Michelle, I agree that Scott was a fantastic speaker! Each time I sit in his presentation I come home with a plan. You will love both the books but I must admit that Trust Agents is my favorite.