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Franchise
Finder Newsletter Dec 06 / Jan 07 |
Welcome
to the Franchise Finder Newsletter |
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News |
New
Franchisors and Small
Business Finder
|
| Make
sure to browse through all the new franchises
listed on Franchise Finder! From Pie franchises
to Coffee Shop franchises as well Travel franchises
to Postal franchises, you'll have fun browsing
through these exciting business opportunities.
They include: |
| 3@1,
Advanced
Makeover Clinics, Babylite,
Bondsource,
Blockbusters,
Cardies,
Chicken
King, Dulce
Café |
| House
of Coffees, PostNet,
Sandwich
Baron, Simple
Simon Pies, The
Coating Worx, Uniglobe,
Vetkoek
Maleis |
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Franchise
Ideas |
Franchise
Concept Ideas |
More
franchise ideas. Remember that franchising begins
with at least one up and running, profitable
store/ business. Once the business is running
smoothly, one could look into franchising the
concept.
|
Franchise
Idea No.1: Mobile Massage |
| Massages
are something that most people enjoy as it relaxes
and de-stresses the body. However, you still have
to drive yourself to the salon and back again!
So getting a massage by a professional therapist
in the comfort of your home, office or even at
a B&B, makes perfect sense. By offering something
unique and marketing the concept well, one could
create a strong brand around this concept - something
eventually good enough to franchise. Obviously
franchisees would have to have a background in
massage or beauty therapy and hence this business
would be well suited to women. |
| Franchise
Idea No.2: Spinning |
This
type of business would suit any exercise or cycling
fanatic. Nowadays, although many people belong
to gyms there are still a fair number of people
that don't have contracts and prefer to do their
own exercise or sport elsewhere. "Spinning"
classes are something that have definitnely taken
off but anyone who belongs to a gym will know
that bookings have to be made well in advance.
So the idea is to set up a Spinning studio for
those people who would like to go spinning but
don't have a gym contract.
One could run the studio on a "no bookings
allowed" basis and offer classes during the
week in the mornings and afternoons and perhaps
on a Saturday morning. One could even open up
the studio during the day to older people just
wanting a light workout. |
| Franchise
Idea No.3: Pet Food and Accessory Delivery |
| This
franchise is popular in the US and UK and seems
to be quite profitable. It is essentially a mobile
pet food and accessory store. In South Africa,
virtually everyone with a garden, owns a pet so
there is a huge market to explore. You could offer
your own branded pet food and branded pet accessories
- except theses items could only be found in your
franchised mobile store. Once you have built up
a list of customers, you can then start to enjoy
repeat business. One needs to market the concept
well and offer good products and a good service,
ensuring that pet-owners have no reason to go
anywhere else to get anything pet-related! |
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|
Making Sure your Website is Visible and User-Friendly. |
In
our second part of "Marketing Your Franchise
Online" we take a look at websites and
how to get the best results from them. The first
point to acknowledge is that a website is of
no use if a.) no one knows about it and b.)
it's not user-friendly and easy to navigate.
As with many other things in business such as
a new product or service, one has to offer something
unique and then market it correctly in order
for it to be successful.
A website can be an excellent platform for marketing
your product or service and so its important
to make sure that people either know about the
website or even better, that they will come
across the website easily when searching on
the internet for related products/services.
Once someone has entered your website, you need
to make sure that they have a positive experience,
meaning that they could easily find information
they were looking for.
These
are some useful tips for ensuring your website
can be found by potential clients surfing the
net and that your actual website doesn't chase
them away! |
| Tip
1 - Your Web pages should be designed so that
a novice can easily navigate them.
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People want what they want when they want it.
The average person will give you only 11 seconds
to catch their attention before they move on to
another site.
Make it easy for prospective
buyers to find what they are looking for. Easy
navigation is essential to keeping prospective
buyers at your site. Provide plenty of links on
your home page, giving visitors an overview of
your websites content and choices. Provide links
to your home page and contact page on every page
so that visitors will never feel "lost".
Provide a site map (table of contents) on your
website so that people can get a quick overview
of the website should they need to - this is especially
important for large sites as is link checking.
Test all your links and make sure that
any broken links are fixed quickly.
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| Tip
2 - Make your web pages easy to read. |
An
easy-to-read, professionally-designed web site
can maximize your sales. Use color and spacing
to make your web pages easy to read. Dark text
on a light background is easy to read and a hint
of color softens the screen quite nicely. Avoid
text on dark and busy backgrounds.
Break up your sales copy into short, easy-to-read
sections and use sub-headings to highlight benefits.
Split up long pages into several pages and try
and maintain a clear and uncluttered look to the
website.
Visitors should be able to see
the important information, especially on your
home page, without scrolling down. Studies show
that more than half of the web surfers never
scroll down past the first screen of information,
so provide your benefits and site description
at the top of the page. Avoid click-and-scroll
syndrome. People do not like to scroll down
through pages and pages of text. If they have
to scroll down more than two or three times,
they're more likely, to leave your site.
|
| Tip
3 - Optimize your Images. |
Add
Alt Tags to images - Describe your images with
the use of the alt tag. This will help search
engines that index images to find your pages
and will also help readers who use text only
web browsers. Also make sure that images are
optimized to load fast by saving them at a reasonable
resolution! Slicing is a good idea for large
images where one doesn't want to compromise
the quality of the image.
Search
Engine Optimization experts (SEO) suggest
saving images with descriptive file names such
as 'Franchise-Finder-Banner.jpg" as opposed
to just "Banner.jpg". Although not
proven this is said to provide more quality
infomration about your site to search engines
and some SEO experts have improved their site
rankings when re-saving their images with descriptive
names.
|
| Tip
4 - Update Website Content |
If you want repeat customers, update your material
on your website. There is nothing more frustrating
than finding 'stale' or old information on a
website. If you have a website, make sure to
update it often and remind clients to visit
the website by sending them an e-newsletter. |
| Tip
5 - Write Descriptive Copy |
| Write
compelling copy for the key pages of your site
based on your chosen keyword phrases and your
target market's needs, and make sure it's copy
that the search engines can "see." This
is a crucial component to having a successful
website. The search engines need to read keyword-rich
copy on your pages so they can understand how
to classify your site. This copy shouldn't be
buried in graphics or hidden in Flash. Write your
copy based on your most relevant keyword phrases
while also making an emotional connection with
your site visitor. (This is where a target audience
analysis comes in handy!) Understand that there
is no magical number of words per page or number
of times to use your phrases in your copy. The
important thing is to use your keyword phrases
only when and where it makes sense to do so for
the real people reading your pages. Simply sticking
keyword phrases at the top of the page for no
apparent reason isn't going to cut it, and it
just looks silly. |
| Tip
6- Optimizing Your Website Title |
Incorporate your keyword phrases into each page's
unique Title tag. Title tags are critical because
they're given a lot of weight with every search
engine. Whatever keyword phrases you've written
your copy around should also be used in your Title
tag. Remember that the information that you place
in this tag is what will show up as the clickable
link to your site at the search engines. Make
sure that it accurately reflects the content of
the page it's on, while also using the keyword
phrases people might be using at a search engine
to find your products/services.
There are different theories about how long your
Title should be. Since Google only displays the
first 66 or so characters (with spaces), my SEO
Tips for the title would be to keep it under 66
characters and relevant to the content on the
page. |
| Tip
7 - Search Engine Submission |
|
Submit
to local and international directories - Submit
to the search engines yourself. Do not use a submission
service or submission software. Doing so could
get your site penalized or even banned. Submit
only once. There is no need to submit every two
weeks. There is no need to submit more that one
page. Robots follow links and so if your site
has a nice link trail, your
entire site will get indexed. Remember
that the more websites that link to your site
and more importantly, relate to your website,
the higher your ranking in Search Engines. |
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|
10
Advantages of Buying a Franchise |
1)
A Springboard to Entrepreneurship
Buying a franchise allows you to become an entrepreneur
in less time, limiting the multiple barriers first-time
business owners would face. Essentially, you are
buying a “business in a box” –
a turnkey operation that has been designed, tested,
and proven by a team of industry experts. By simply
paying the fees and costs involved and following
the designated training program, your entry to
entrepreneurship is instantly satisfied. |
2)
A Safer Investment Decision
The failure rate of franchises is much lower than
starting an independent business. Franchises are
a safer investment because as the “system”
grows, so should the security and strength of
the infrastructure. To support this growth, the
franchisor continues to add newer and more effective
methods of improving the concept. A large franchise
system usually means that brand recognition has
reached widespread proportions, thereby increasing
your revenue potential. |
3)
Enhanced Lifestyle
Many franchisees have claimed that franchising
has allowed them lifestyle flexibilities that
conventional employment cannot offer. The number
one lifestyle perk continues to be the opportunity
to spend more time with family, followed by an
enhanced income. Franchisees have felt a greater
sense of pride, financial accomplishment, and
personal success as members of a successful franchise
concept. |
4)
Turning Passion Into Profit
There are literally hundreds of franchise opportunities
available in various industries and sectors which
should satisfy even the most discriminating franchisee
prospect. It should not be too difficult to find
a franchise to match your most intense passion,
hobby, or interest. Over 70% of franchisees claim
that their decision to invest in a franchise was
in selecting a business model that could turn
passion into profit. |
5)
Quicker and Easier Access to Financing
Buying into a franchise with a proven business
system makes securing financing much more of a
streamlined process, involving less red tape and
paperwork. Some larger franchise systems even
provide in-house financing and/or leasing options.
|
6)
Ongoing Training and Franchisor Support
The initial training program offered by franchisors
is a key selling feature which franchisee prospects
should examine thoroughly prior to signing the
franchise agreement. The initial training should
involve head office and/or an in-house training
session, which includes an operations manual.
Ongoing training allows franchisees to grow within
the system and develop strong business operating
skills. |
7)
Opportunity for Growth Within the Franchise System
Successful franchisees in any system are rewarded
with advancement within the chain by receiving
incentives on the purchase of additional outlets,
leadership roles at the head office level, and
an opportunity to acquire area developer rights
– a role involving the overseeing and development
of the system in a designated geographical area. |
8)
High Quality Products and Services
One of the expectations of a franchisee is to
support and promote the products and/or services
of the franchise system. The franchisor has done
extensive research and development in this key
area since the growth and success of the business
is dependent on the high quality of its offerings
to the buying public. A franchisee who believes
in the company’s products and services stands
a greater chance of achieving higher revenue potential
and customer satisfaction. |
9)
Group Marketing and Purchasing Power.
This is one of the biggest advantages of owning
a franchise - A franchisee might only own and
manage one small store but they still share the
combined marketing and purchasing power of the
entire group, which gives the franchisee a significant
advantage over similar non-franchised stores. |
10)
Buying Into a Start-Up Franchise System
Buying into a start-up franchise system can involve
some financial risk and operational challenges,
yet the long-term rewards – especially financial
– is a reason to consider investing in a
ground-floor opportunity. Pioneer franchising
relies on the innovations, ideas, and determination
of the “starter group” of franchisees
to assist in the growth and development of the
system. New franchisors typically offer its starter
group with investment incentives such as a reduced
franchise fee and a royalty-free period. |
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So
in summary when you buy a sound, established
franchise you are purchasing the following elements--some
of them more tangible than others, but all of
them valuable:
*
A successful business concept and hence a safer
investment
*
A documented method and system of doing business
that has already thrived in a variety of business
climates and under the ownership
of a variety of individuals
*
Name and Brand recognition
*
Training
*
Ongoing support and advice from the franchisor
*
Moral support from fellow franchisees
*
Group purchasing power
*
Group marketing power
All
these advantages don't, of course, guarantee
a successful business. You still have to market
your services or sell your product. However,
you should be able to generate a positive cash
flow much more quickly with a franchise, because
all the groundwork has been done for you and
you can begin selling immediately. Purchasing
a franchise, whether it be new or existing,
is therefore considered in most parts, a smart
move!
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