Franchisee Lead Generation:

INTRODUCTION Franchise organizations face many unique challenges due to their distributed nature. A network of Franchisees nationally, or internationally, pose many challenges to a centralized marketing department, looking to generate a consistent flow of quality leads. With dozens of priorities facing any given Franchisee, focusing on online marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is challenging, at best. So, how does a Franchise build a digital strategy that leverages their distributed network without burdening the individual Franchisees? THE CHALLENGE: Increasing new customer acquisition by improving local online presence and local search engine presence (local SEO) for each franchisee location. KEY STRATEGIES & SOLUTIONS By leveraging the iapps ds platform, the Client was able to put 4 key strategies in place that ultimately increased their results, in some cases by over 200%. The four key strategies included: Mobile friendliness using Responsive Web Design Strong organic presence nationally, locally and hyper-locally Increased engagement leveraging strong calls to action Ease of use allowing Franchisees to easily contribute locally BUSINESS CASE: In this case study, we re going to discuss a marketing strategy Bridgeline put into place for one of its clients, focused on national brand awareness, in addition to local in-store initiatives, which drove new customer acquisition. In order to support continued growth in lead generation, the Client increased local search engine optimization as well as improved customer engagement on local websites. Bridgeline Digital Whitepaper 2015 - Franchisee Lead Generation: A Case Study On How To Get More Leads To Your Franchisees Connect with Us: 2

THE RESULTS: In this case, the Client saw dramatic results after implementing these key strategies. When websites were upgraded to new designs with strong calls to action and engaging content, visitor engagement increased, ultimately leading to tremendous ROI. Positively showing that visitors are engaging and reading content. Improving the time visitors stayed on the Franchisee websites. Attract the Right Audience: 90 % Engagement that delivers: 37 % 21 % more visitors came to Franchisee websites from non-branded, industry search terms 156 % more pageviews were received by Franchisee websites more time on average is spent on Franchisee websites by visitors Conversion that drives superior ROI: 100 % is the average bounce rate improvement for Franchisee Websites 34 % more in-store monthly transactions. Increase in revenue per month, per franchisee by $ 7,050 ELITE ENGAGEMENT POWERS SUPERIOR ROI Bridgeline Digital Whitepaper 2015 - Franchisee Lead Generation: A Case Study On How To Get More Leads To Your Franchisees Connect with Us: 3

SUMMARY: Leveraging an all-encompassing, distributed web platform allowed the Client to execute a centralized marketing strategy, while providing Franchisees an easy way to contribute local content. Using the iapps ds software, the Client launched fully redesigned local websites for franchisees, focused on driving engagement on both a desktop and mobile device. The iapps ds platform is loaded with innovative capabilities in Content Management, Web Analytics, Email Marketing and Social Media Management all of which the individual franchisees used to easily publish unique content and participate in seasonal campaigns. The end result was significantly more digital engagement and, more importantly, increased foot traffic and in-store purchases. In the end, the Client focused on the following three tactics to drive success and more leads to their Franchisees: Creating a digital platform that drove real results not just traffic Ensuring the proper systems were in place to track website statistics, customer engagement and in-store sales Delivering an experience that capitalized on a brand network s inherent local SEO capabilities Other articles of interest: 3 Tips About How You can Better Qualify Technology Partners 4 Digital Marketing Tactics That Enhance Your Reach WHICH SEARCH LINK DID YOU CLICK ON FIRST? 70% OF THE LINKS SEARCH USERS CLICK ON ARE ORGANIC ORGANIC PAID OTHER 70 % 25 % 5 % Bridgeline Digital Whitepaper 2015 - Franchisee Lead Generation: A Case Study On How To Get More Leads To Your Franchisees Connect with Us: 4

LEARN MORE ABOUT BRIDGELINE DIGITAL S INTEGRATED iappsds PLATFORM PARTNER WITH A CHAMPION OF WEB EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT: If your Multi-Unit Organization is in the process of selecting a global web experience management solution, you re undoubtedly sifting through copious amounts of research and analyst reports about various products. If your business is considering a.net-based solution and SaaS licensing options, iappsds should be on your shortlist. In its 2013 Vendor Landscape report, Info-Tech Research Group recognized the iapps platform as a Champion, touting its easy-to-use tools that optimize digital assets and capitalize on growing trends in Digital Engagement. AWARD WINNING iapps PRODUCT PLATFORM iappsds is the only Multi-Unit Digital Marketing solution that deeply integrates Web Content Management, ecommerce, emarketing, Social Media management, and Web Analytics to help marketers deliver online experiences that attract, engage and convert their customers across all digital channels. Bridgeline provides end-to-end Digital Engagement solutions and boasts an award-winning team of interactive services professionals across our 11 offices worldwide. Stay up-to-date with trends blog.bridgeline.com bridgeline.com Contact Bridgeline Digital info@bridgeline.com 1-800-603-9936 Bridgeline Digital Whitepaper 2015 - Franchisee Lead Generation: A Case Study On How To Get More Leads To Your Franchisees Connect with Us: 5