franchisEssentials Continues International Expansion

Texas-based Franchise Marketing, Media & Development Firm Extends Resource for the Franchise Community in North and South America

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR Log (Press Release) – March 28, 2011 – International franchise consulting firm, franchisEssentials, has recently extended an exclusive partnership agreement with UK-based Franchiseek Global Alliance Network to develop its North and South American franchise portals based in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Canada and the U.S.

The Franchiseek Global Alliance network was formed to provide international branded exposure for franchise firms seeking to expand their operations into world-wide markets. Franchiseek’s web portals provide franchises the opportunity to connect with future franchisees at the push of a button, as well as providing prospective franchisees the opportunity to identify specific franchise organizations in which they have interest. The two are able to connect directly thru these clear and concise web portals which are organized by international geographic locations.

Paul Segreto, President and CEO of franchisEssentials, brings a unique perspective and diverse background to the task of developing these North and South American franchise portals. For over twenty years he has exclusively served the franchise industry as a consultant and coach, senior-level corporate executive, activist, multi-unit franchisee and area developer. Says Franchiseek founder Trevor Hart, “We understand the value of appointing partners in the geographic regions we represent online, especially professionals who have been involved in franchising for some time. Paul’s credentials have proven him to be the best partner for us in this North and South American region, and we are delighted to extend our agreement.”

Because of his depth of franchise industry experience, Paul intends to incorporate a new layer of services for potential franchisees into the the North and South American Franchiseek portals. As a proponent of inter-dependent franchise relationships, Paul emphasizes to potential franchisees the need for them to become as educated as possible about the franchise industry, as well as the specific franchises they may be exploring. The development of the North and South American Franchiseek portals will serve as a conduit for that education. The information available via the portals will enable potential franchisees to do much more than gain the minimal franchise company information available thru other sources, but rather will provide them with a level of information similar to that an actual franchisee would receive as part of their franchise training. This increased level of knowledge will enable them to make decisions based on knowledge rather than a ‘sales pitch’, thereby resulting in a higher level of completed franchise deals and satisfied franchisees, thereby benefiting both the franchisor and the franchisee.

When asked his reason for expanding his firm’s offerings into the area of franchise portals, Mr. Segreto replied, “The opportunity with Franchiseek further strengthens our concept of Integrated Franchise Marketing. The key to IFM is the development of a comprehensive marketing strategy that benefits the entire franchise organization, and is in line with the goals and objectives of all parties to the franchise agreement. It includes coordination at all levels to deliver concise, consistent messages that ultimately ensures positive results for franchisors and franchisees alike. In conjunction with our success with Franchise Today on Blog Talk Radio and the recent development of the franchisEssentials Media Group, we feel our partnership with Franchiseek solidifies franchisEssentials as the leading integrated marketing, media and development organization in franchising today.”

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franchiseEssentials is a franchise marketing, media and development firm with its focus on integrating social technology with traditional strategies. Paul Segreto, President and CEO of franchisEssentials, brings a unique perspective, entrepreneurial spirit, and extensive industry experience to startup and emerging franchise companies. For over twenty years he has exclusively served the franchise industry as a consultant and coach, senior-level corporate executive, activist, multi-unit franchisee, and area developer. Paul can be contacted at paulsegreto@FMDpro.com, and the company website can be viewed at www.franchisEssentials.com.

How to Use Social Media to Enhance Your Franchise – Podcast

Adam J. Siegelheim, member of Stark & Stark’s Franchise Group, attended the 2011 International Franchise Association’s Annual Convention February 13-16, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

In this podcast, Mr. Siegelheim meets with Paul Segreto of franchisEssentials. Mr. Siegelheim and Mr. Segreto discuss social media and how franchisors can utilize social networking applications, such as Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn and Twitter, to enhance their brand.

You can listen to the full podcast online here.

Webinar: Franchise Social Media – Beyond the Basics – April 20th 12PM CDT

Much has been written about utilizing social media within franchising. Some see it as a new way of doing business. While others are looking for a “silver bullet” to offset financial woes, and poor practices. Many view it as the unknown and have yet to embrace it. And, most, if not all, want to know, “how can it help my franchise organization?”

In addressing this question…

Discussions have heated up about the necessity of social media policies and procedures and how the very essence of the same, may place undue control over franchisees.

Attempts have been made to jump-start franchise development efforts after recent economic uncertainty, while continuing to explore more effective methods of attracting qualified franchise leads.

Franchisees, feeling the crunch of a more tight-fisted consumer than in years past, are seeking assistance in driving leads to their bricks and mortar and virtual storefronts.

And, in light of the required maneuvering to avoid potholes created by the recent bumpy road caused by the above factors, many franchise professionals have cited effective communication at all levels of franchise organizations, paramount to future success.

Join us for a Webinar on April 20

 

In the webinar, participants will learn:

- Why social media is different within franchising than for other business models
- How to develop a social media program, including policies and procedures, specific to the franchise organization
- How to integrate new technology with traditional marketing and why it’s not rocket science
- Why today’s consumer and franchise candidates are different than from years past
- How to create brand awareness for multiple benefits to the franchise organization
- How to generate genuine interest in franchise opportunities and why a seamless transition from virtual world to in-person is essential to closing franchise sales
- Why improving communications and information sharing at all levels of the franchise organization is necessary for stability and future growth

Title:		Franchise Social Media – Beyond the Basics
Date:		Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Time:		12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CDT

 

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/787963448

 

Social Media: Definition & Resources

The following is directly from Wikipedia, and represents the definition for Social Media. As the definition includes numerous links to various social media tools and technology, and resources, I thought it would benefit our loyal readers to include the entire section on this site. Certainly, reviewing the basics from time to time can’t hurt, right?

Social Media – As defined on Wikipedia

Social media can take many different forms, including Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, microblogging, wikis, podcasts, pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking. By applying a set of theories in the field of media research (social presence, media richness) and social processes (self-presentation, self-disclosure) Kaplan and Haenlein created a classification scheme for different social media types in their Business Horizons article published in 2010. According to Kaplan and Haenlein there are six different types of social media: collaborative projects, blogs and microblogs, content communities, social networking sites, virtual game worlds, and virtual communities. Technologies include: blogs, picture-sharing, vlogs, wall-postings, email, instant messaging, music-sharing, crowdsourcing, and voice over IP, to name a few. Many of these social media services can be integrated via social network aggregation platforms.

Communication

• Blogs: Blogger, ExpressionEngine, LiveJournal, Open Diary, TypePad, Vox, WordPress, Xanga
• Microblogging: FMyLife, Foursquare, Jaiku, Plurk, Posterous, Tumblr, Twitter, Qaiku, Yammer, Google Buzz
• Location-based social networks: Foursquare, Gowalla, Facebook places, The Hotlist
• Social networking: ASmallWorld,Cyworld, Facebook, Hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, Orkut, Tagged, XING
• Events: Eventful, The Hotlist, Meetup.com, Upcoming
• Information Aggregators: Netvibes, Twine (website)
• Online Advocacy and Fundraising: Causes, Kickstarter

Collaboration/authority building

• Wikis: PBworks, Wetpaint, Wikia, Wikimedia
• Social bookmarking (or social tagging):^[16] CiteULike, Delicious, Diigo, Google Reader, StumbleUpon, folkd
• Social news: Digg, Mixx, NowPublic, Reddit, Newsvine, MyWeboo
• Social navigation: Trapster, Waze ^[17]
• Content Management Systems: WordPress
• Document Managing and Editing Tools: Google Docs, Syncplicity, Docs.com, Dropbox

Multimedia

• Photography and art sharing: deviantArt, Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, SmugMug, Zooomr, BetweenCreation
• Video sharing: sevenload, Viddler, Vimeo, YouTube, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Nico Nico Douga, Openfilm, TubeMogul
• Livecasting: Justin.tv, Livestream, OpenCU, Skype, Stickam, Ustream
• Music and audio sharing: ccMixter, Pandora Radio, Last.fm, MySpace Music, ReverbNation.com, ShareTheMusic, The Hype Machine
• Presentation sharing: scribd, SlideShare

Reviews and opinions

• Product reviews: epinions.com, MouthShut.com
• Business reviews: Customer Lobby, Yelp, Inc.
• Community Q&A: Askville, EHow, Stack Exchange, WikiAnswers, Yahoo! Answers

Entertainment

• Media and entertainment platforms: Cisco Eos
• Virtual worlds: Active Worlds, Forterra Systems, Second Life, The Sims Online
• Game sharing: Kongregate, Miniclip

Brand monitoring

• Social media measurement: Attensity, Statsit, Sysomos, Vocus

How to be an Overnight Franchise Sucess AND Dismantle an Atom Bomb!

This week on Franchise Today, Paul Segreto welcomes as his guest, Doc Cohen. Very well-known within the franchise community for many years, Doc was recently named to the IFA Hall of Fame. On this week’s show Paul and Doc discuss the IFA honor along with Doc’s perspective on the state of franchising, his experience with the IFA, and his insight into the trials and tribulations of multi-unit ownership and the role of technology in today’s franchise environment.

About Franchise Today

Franchise Today is hosted by Paul Segreto, President & CEO at franchisEssentials, and co-produced by well-known franchise veteran, Joe Caruso. Their unique perspective and extensive industry experience provides the foundation for relevant discussions about franchising and franchise best practices. Weekly guests include some of the brightest minds in the franchise world, with specific expertise and experience within various areas of franchising.

Other features include Franchise News, as reported by the leading franchise publications, the IFA Corner, news and events from the International Franchise Association, New Brands in Franchising, a look at up and coming franchise concepts, and “Are You Kidding Me?”, eye-opening and thought-provoking insight into the comical, and sometimes illogical side of franchising.

The team at Franchise Today is dedicated to franchise success at all levels. So, whether you’re a franchise professional looking to grow a franchise concept, needing some assistance in facing today’s challenges or would just like to better understand franchise best practices, then Franchise Today is for you!

Franchise Today airs LIVE every Thursday at 12 PM CST / 1 PM EST with archived segments available on-demand.