If you own a home care franchise you most likely were told that you would need to market your business on a local level. The corporate office is usually responsible for making sure your website is up and running. Furthermore, they usually have your website tied into the main website for your brand. That way if someone finds the brand they can search for your location.

The hope is that this will provide you with leads. Sometimes it works great and sometimes it doesn’t. Regardless, you should not put all of your eggs into one basket. And you want to market in your local area.

The franchise does a great job of supplying you with print materials like brochures, business cards, banners and other items you may need. Because they purchase in volume you benefit by getting a lower price

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So far so good, right?

Now we get to social media. This is where the efforts of the franchise may fall a bit short. Sure, they are posting links to great articles for you. But where do those links go and who do they benefit?

For the most part your corporate office is posting snippets of articles for large national brands. They share posts from caring.com, Forbes, Huffpost, A Place for Mom and similar companies. While these are good companies and the information may be good also it does nothing to help you. There is no link back to your page and it does not connect you with anyone in your community.

Think Local

Who are your local referral partners? Do they have a Facebook page? Are they having an event or write a blog you could share? Do you have a blog? What if, instead, you started sharing information that led people back to your website or to your local referral partner’s website?

People want to know about things that are happening in their community. How about sharing information from your local Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s Association? Tap into the community you live in. Seniors may want to know about that new Farmer’s Market or the Nifty 50’s car show on Saturday nights.

Three Types of Content to Post

• Educational and Informative Posts

There is so much information you have that other’s need. Putting it out there in a succinct and easy to digest format like a short video or a graphic post.

• Entertaining Posts

We all love seeing a video of the older couple dancing or the elderly ladies getting ready for a red hat luncheon. These are entertaining and fun. Yes, there are great dog and cat videos out there. If you can find a way to incorporate one into your page that makes sense, great! If not, leave those for your personal page. The posts on your business page should be relevant to your business.

• Motivational and Inspirational Posts

Everyone likes to be motivated or inspired. Don’t overdo these types of posts however. Once a week is good. Make sure you have a really eye-catching picture to go with your post. Check out unsplash.com or Pexels.com to get some amazing picture free!

So now you have a handle on what to post- what else is your franchise missing the mark on?

It’s not just your franchise who may be missing the mark here. Most companies out these do not realize that the most important part of Facebook for your business is what they are not doing.

Kathryn Watson is a Social Media Strategist. Her focus is on Content Creation, Facebook and LinkedIn Strategy, Training and Coaching.

Schedule a complimentary 30 minute consultation with Kathryn to see how she can help your business.