In the world of franchising, everyone is chasing leads. But, we want to help you look at lead generation differently to best evaluate if your website is doing the work you want and expect it to. Because the truth is, your website might actually be costing you deals. 

When evaluating your website, consider the following:

Messaging

When you land on your franchise development website, what is the first thing you see? If the message that you are placing in front of the buyer is simply saying “franchise opportunity,” you are missing your chance to communicate a reason why this website visitor should fill out a form and become a lead. This is where conveying a clear why you/why now message upfront is so essential.

Data

Do you have a list of your primary and secondary target markets for growth? Even if you don’t, you know where you currently have locations and would love to have more franchisees sign on around those.  

Now, look at your Google Analytics. If you have target markets but the traffic (month-over-month) is not increasing in those markets, it's probably time to reorganize your approach. First comes a visitor, then comes a lead.

Look at Data a Little Bit More

Traffic > Leads > Applications > Deals

Often, we go from leads straight to deals instead of using this four-step process. And when we go to the next step in said process, we need to evaluate our online footprint as an extension of our website and brand story. How are you tracking your data?

Create Insights

With these three levels of information, you can now start understanding if your website is set up to do what you want it to do. With a foundation, next consider how your website tackles the following:

• Brands don’t sell brands, people do. Are you telling the stories of your franchise owners who validate?
• Franchise buyers buy because...They believe in your product (are you showing why customers desire your product?); they believe in your leadership (is your team front and center, and does it show great support?); they see a sound investment (are you clearly showing the cost to get in and how much you can make?); they can open where they want (are you showing your growth territories?)
• How’s your form? Is it complex or simple?
• How quickly do you reply to leads?
• Are you discounting people as cold if they don’t reply right away or are you putting them into a drip campaign to stay in touch?

Lead generation is multi-level; thus, if you are not doing these fundamental nurturing tactics, it will be hard to say your site is working. Evaluate first, create a game plan second, and then put the tactics in place to make your website perform the way you want.