Facebook Friends Franchises The social-networking giant joins the International Franchise Association, with plans to appear at the trade group's annual meeting.

By Dinah Wisenberg Brin

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Facebook Friends Franchises

The franchise industry has a new "friend": Facebook.

The social-networking giant recently became a member of the International Franchise Association and plans to take part in the big trade group's annual meeting this February in Orlando.

"Joining the IFA is part of Facebook's continued commitment to helping local entrepreneurs build their businesses, deliver value to their customers and create new jobs in their communities," Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice president of U.S. public policy, said in a statement.

As part of the new alliance, Facebook will join the IFA's technology committee, according to Matthew Haller, an IFA spokesman. The IFA will dedicate a page on its website to information on Facebook tools and get franchisors to the right team at Facebook if they have questions, he said.

Facebook already provides features to support franchises, including a new "parent-child" tool that helps franchise brands manage their franchisees' pages on the social-media site. Certain companies have been piloting it, and Facebook wants to "extend the use of that more broadly," Haller says.

A representative from Facebook is scheduled to speak at the February conference about how franchises can use that tool, according to Haller. Facebook also offers Page, Check-In and ad-targeting tools designed to help businesses attract and engage customers.

A spokeswoman for Facebook wouldn't say how many franchises currently use its site. But joining the IFA, which has 1,200 franchisor members, "gives Facebook an even greater opportunity to listen to their business needs and provide them with information on the tools they need to connect with franchisees and customers on Facebook," the spokeswoman said.

The IFA says 90% of the traffic to its own site consists of people interested in franchise opportunities. Facebook hopes the alliance will help franchisors and franchisees learn how to use the site to find potential franchisees and customers, the spokeswoman said.

IFA, which approached Facebook more than a year ago, also is in discussions with Google to join the trade group and set up a similar relationship that may include a protocol for member franchises to submit information for Google maps and other location-related services. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Photo: Photosani/Shutterstock

Dinah Wisenberg Brin is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She has covered business, politics, healthcare and general news for wire services, newspapers, blogs and other publications.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

Photos Leak of McDonald's New Space Age Spinoff Restaurant 'CosMc's'

The mega fast food chain is experimenting with a galactic-themed restaurant, drawing inspiration from an alien character featured in its 1980s commercials.

Side Hustle

This Millennial Dad Just Wanted to Help His Daughter Care for Her Bearded Dragon. Then His Cricket-Breeding Side Hustle Exploded — Earning $27,000 in One Month.

It wasn't Jeff Neal's first attempt at a side gig, and before long, the "prototypical millennial side-hustler" realized his product had major potential.

Health & Wellness

Embrace the Art of Saying No: 4 Tips for Setting Healthy Boundaries

Enforcing your own boundaries can be hard, but it's so important to master this skill. If you practice these four steps, you'll find it doesn't have to be so difficult.

Leadership

If You Want People to Follow You, Stop Being a Boss — 8 Steps to Truly Effective Leadership

Understand the key differences and embark on the journey from boss to leader with these eight vital steps. This article unveils how to inspire and lead teams with passion and purpose.

Business News

Chipotle Customer Throws Food At Employee in Brawl, Judge Offers Employment Instead of Jail Time

The video of the September 5 altercation quickly went viral on Reddit.