ElementsLocal Reveals the Importance of Social Media to Franchise Marketing

April 15, 2010 - PRLog -- At a time when marketing budgets are shrinking and national ad funds are small, social media continues to be a place franchise marketers look for return on investment for their marketing dollars. A recent report from Forrester Research indicates social media may have a lower return on investment than the more traditional internet marketing avenues such as search engine optimization or pay-per-click advertising. Forrester predicts that social media marketing delivers 40% less return on investment (ROI) than showing up in a local search in Google.

A new white paper  released today by ElementsLocal reveals the importance of social media to franchises and whether this is the brave new world of advertising that offers a profitable ROI or whether there are other long-term benefits of social media marketing that will be revealed.

“People must first realize that social media marketing is not about selling products. It’s about developing relationships. We’re in a one-to-one marketing world now, not one-to-many,” says Jeremy La Duque, a published author on the subject and the CEO of ElementsLocal™.  “People are more likely to buy from brands they know and trust.  By interacting with your customers on a personal level and by responding to your customer’s criticisms you will be recognized as a trusted brand. As a result, when someone in your customer’s social network needs your product or services, your brand will be the one they refer… and with social media, they’ll refer you directly through Facebook, Linked In or Twitter.”

The new white paper released by ElementsLocal looks at the reservations franchise marketers may have about jumping into social media marketing, worrying about where to begin and how much time and resources to allocate to it.  By looking at what other companies have done in social media, ElementsLocal looks at what others have faced at the onset of their social media marketing campaigns and discusses opportunities that your franchise might miss out on if you succumb to these fears.

“Proper use of social media tools can not only cost less than traditional marketing methods, but they can also position a franchise to successfully reach their customers with multiple touch points and targeted offerings,” explains La Duque.  “Ignoring social media marketing as far as franchise brand is concerned is no longer an option.”

You can download this white paper here:
http://elementslocal.com/Join/ELEMENTSWhitePaperonSocialM...

La Duque conducts ongoing free webinars on social media, local search, and email marketing for franchise businesses.   You can register here: http://elementslocal.com/Join/ELEMENTSWebinarSeries2010PR...

About ElementsLocal™
ElementsLocal™, a division of Elements, Inc., was founded specifically for the unique challenges and opportunities franchise companies face in online franchise marketing. Elements’ clients include Jiffy Lube, Sport Clips, Paul Davis Restoration, The Franchise Group, and Always Best Care, among others. For more information on the company, visit their website.

Elements’ CEO, Jeremy LaDuque, is available for speaking engagements and article contributions related to innovative Internet marketing strategies and maximizing ROI (Return On Investment). For more information, please contact Jessica Lamore at (805) 547-1160 x 203 or jlamore@elementsinc.net.

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ElementsLocal™, a division of Elements, Inc., was founded specifically for the unique challenges and opportunities franchise companies face in online franchise marketing. Clients include Jiffy Lube, Sport Clips, Paul Davis Restoration, among others.