The checklist for decentralizing Local Digital Marketing for your network

The decentralization of digital marketing for a retail chain is a very current issue.
Who better than the local store to quickly update their own information and communicate about their products, services, and news?

However, the term decentralization sometimes scares marketing managers. Although in the long run it means a gain in time both at the headquarters and at the local level, certain points can be blocking: how to organize decentralization, which tools to use, how to train your network, what degree of autonomy to give them, how to guarantee the respect of the brand image,...

Here is a checklist - special franchise networks - to help you organize the decentralization of your network's local digital marketing!

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Determine the degree of decentralization

Each network has its own specificities to be taken into account for the degree of decentralization to be implemented: number of people at headquarters, network structure, local autonomy,... It is essential to consider these factors first before starting. Initially, estimate:

• the local entity's ability to manage different aspects on a daily basis (updating information, publishing content, responding to customer reviews,...)
• the tools to be put in place
• the necessary training time

Sales outlet information management

Information about points of sale is the basis for good SEO, without which it is impossible for Internet users to find it! Manage information about its points of sale on all media that matter and make sense for your industry.

• Create local listings for your points of sale: Create local listings for your points of sale on Facebook and Google. Don't forget to optimize the local pages of your store locator.
• Claim ownership of local listings: If the listings have already been created and you don't own them, claim the local pages of your points of sale. This allows you to unify the listings while respecting your brand image and having access to performance metrics.
• Centralize management via a platform: To update your establishments' information and delegate this management to your network, provide them with a platform that centralizes the management of all local pages on various media (Google, Facebook, GPS, ...) and updates the information simultaneously.
  This allows you to have an overview of all your network's listings while giving local teams access to manage their own page.
• Organize basic information: Ensure your brand image is respected by setting the basic elements of local listings: name, description, services, regular hours, photos,... Let local stores manage certain updates such as exceptional hours or new products or services.
• Train in schedule management: Be careful not to confuse regular hours with exceptional hours! On public holidays, construction or other events, it's essential to modify only the exceptional hours according to the status and opening hours.
• Update services and products: Local pages are the digital storefronts of your points of sale: they allow you to reflect what customers can find with you. It is therefore advisable to regularly update services and products.

Customer Review Management

Managing reviews on Google and Facebook is a major factor in the online reputation of a point of sale. Here are some keys to decentralize the management of these reviews:

• List recurring themes: Randomly check 100 customer reviews published on your local pages. List, via review verification, the most recurring themes that users mention in their reviews. For example: customer relationships maintained by staff, quality-price ratio, waiting time, cleanliness of the point of sale, etc.)
• Create a generic response database: Based on these recurring themes, create a database of generic responses. Specifically, write 4 generic responses for each theme in order to use them randomly and vary the responses.
• Share this generic response library with your network: Share these standard responses with your network via a management platform or a separate document.
• Train in responding to reviews: Train your network to manage responses to customer reviews: how often to respond, what types of responses to use, what tool to use,...
  A point not to be underestimated is explaining why it is important to respond well to customer reviews and the impact it has on the online reputation of the point of sale, its visibility to Internet users and on the brand image.
• Use a centralized review management tool: To facilitate management for your network, provide them with a tool to easily use generic responses, filter responses, and track statistics.

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Images

A good way to boost your SEO is to regularly publish images on your local Facebook, Google, and store locator pages. These can be images of the interior, exterior, your products, or even staff.

• Post product images: Images of your products are the easiest to post on your listings because you just need to share them with your network so they can post them on the corresponding media.
• Post images of staff, interior or exterior of an establishment: These images are more complex because they involve intervention / contribution from your network. Today, smartphones have increasingly optimal cameras. Train your network to take good photos (light, angle, ...) through a workshop or online training. Ask your network to use their smartphone to take a photo of their establishment from all angles, it will take them little time.
• Post regularly: Once the photos are taken, the important thing is to have a regular frequency of publishing your images on your local pages. The more regular you are, the better your referencing will be. Rather than publishing all the images at once, consider spacing them out over time. For example, set a frequency of publishing one image per month across all of your local pages.
• Implement a simple publication process
  Put in place a simple process so that your network does this regularly
• Centralize image management via a platform: You can provide them with a platform that centralizes image management and allows you to publish images on all media simultaneously, without having to repeat the operation on each medium individually.

Products & Menus

• Detail your products or menus: Consider describing the products you offer so that the customer knows exactly what you're offering. Any brand, from restaurants to supermarkets, can specify all the products sold on site. This detail can be decisive. Indeed, a potential customer will more easily go to the restaurant or brand that has an easily accessible product detailer.
• Post regularly: Again, it is essential to maintain consistency in the frequency of your posts. Take advantage of the seasons, actions, or promotions of your brand to highlight the products you offer. Be smart and communicate about your best-selling products!
• Prepare a product library: The headquarters must ensure that a library is set up with photos and descriptions of each product. This library will facilitate the publication process locally. All that remains is to select the products to be highlighted and post the photos and descriptions.
• Centralize image management via a platform: Use a single platform to centralize all images and descriptions to enable simultaneous publication on all media. Using a single platform will facilitate all operations.

Local publication management

It's essential to frequently post content on your local Facebook pages, Google, and store locator. How to organize the decentralization of this for an entire network, while maintaining the brand image of the chain?

• Identify commercial initiatives: Throughout the year, several commercial initiatives are implemented in your locations (promotions, sales, special events, new products, etc.). To communicate effectively, identify all quarterly or annual initiatives that will be put in place.
• Create a communication plan: Based on these actions, create a communication plan that includes every communication to be put in place, and the time when they should be published. You will thus have a publication calendar.
• Choose the media to communicate on: Once the calendar is established, you can select the media that your network will use for each publication.
• Create a content library: Prepare a library of content that can be used throughout the year by local teams: visual production, description choices, and CTAs if necessary.
• Share the communication plan and content library: You can share content templates with each location, as well as this publication schedule so that they can be reused and published in a timely manner.
• Train in content publishing: Plan a training on various aspects of campaign publishing: when to publish a campaign (frequency and key dates), how to do it (via which tool, the steps to follow to publish). Don't forget to include a section on why publish a campaign or a post on your local pages and the impact it has on the point of sale's SEO and the brand's image.
• Create tutorials: You can create video or PDF tutorials to remind them of the steps to follow to create and launch a campaign.
• Give local teams the reins: You can also decide whether your network can publish content without using your templates, by creating their own content.

Network Training

Marketing departments have certain experience in best practices to follow to improve the online ranking of points of sale and increase web-to-store traffic. This is not the case locally because most of the time it has not been trained. Here are some points that will allow it to gain autonomy:

• Train in Local Digital Marketing: Plan a training session to explain the ins and outs of local digital marketing. It's essential to explain the impact of digital technology on consumer search behavior and how it influences in-store traffic.
• Accompany and Train daily: To be fully autonomous in the daily management of their Local Digital Marketing, your network needs support and training on the tools to use and good practices.
• Identify training stakeholders: Identify people who can help you train your network, such as network facilitators or an external expert in this field.
• Select training tools: Currently, there are a variety of ways to train your network, such as training platforms, e-learning, workshops, etc.
  Test different content and choose the one that best suits your network and your challenges.
• Present news and updates: If necessary, organize regular webinars or seminars to present the latest developments in local digital marketing

Conclusion

Good referencing is achieved through a complete Facebook and/or Google listing. To achieve this, several things need to be done: fill in the listing with all required information, regularly post images for events or promotions, manage customer reviews and local publications. By following our checklist, all conditions will be met to enable the decentralization of your local digital marketing. The goal is to empower your franchisees while alleviating some of the workload... A win-win that allows you to increase your in-store visits!

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