There is a big push from social network marketing and advertising companies to try to pick up the franchise system clients.
In other words, they are trying to convince franchisors that their companies need to be on all the social networking sites, and to get a following on Twitter.
Now, I can understand why everyone wants to jump on the Twitter bandwagon, and try to get "more bang for their buck" by advertising and marketing their companies on social networks, but at the same time franchising companies need to understand where their franchise buyers come from, and not be so quick to sign up.
Now mind you, all franchise brand names should be going after their end user or their franchisee's potential customers on social networking sites to get them to partake in the goods and services that the company offers.
However, it is not the ideal place to try to pick up franchise buyers.
The other day, I was asked by a franchise company if they believe they should exploit marketing opportunities to find buyers on twitter.
My answer may shock you, but the answer is no.
You see, most of the people on twitter, and most of the young X'ers that play around on the social networks are not the potential franchise buyers that a franchising company should be going after.
Most of them don't have the money, they don't really want to work as hard as necessary to make a franchise succeed, and they really have no business experience, business acumen, or the stick-to-it-ness it takes to run a franchised outlet.
This is not to say that the social networking crowd or the kids that are using these things today will not eventually grow up and make decent franchisees.
Everyone grows up eventually, however this should not be your target market, and if you are a franchisor going after that demographic you are going to be sorry about all the time you waste going through all the applications, all the inquiries, and all the bogus nonsense that these kids fill out on applications.
Please consider all this, as this is my true professional opinion.