REUNION RECAP
Additionally, PPC costs have gone up 70 percent since last MAP fund increase. We are working with the same budget in the midst of these new pressures,” Conway said. With the existing fund, the team will make limited adjustments to the website, minimal investments in recruiting and implement only a few user experience improvements. “Unfortunately, we cannot support the size of our system the way we need to. We have serious limitations and simply cannot afford to implement online scheduling/ estimating or outspend our competition,” she said. “We’ve already exhausted any efficiencies.” Conway said the bottom line is that Molly Maid has a very limited, national fund relative to the size of our business and what our competitors are spending. “I’m asking each owner to participate in our Bold Step Forward campaign to increase the MAP fund with an open mind and consider the possibilities of getting us back in that leadership position,” she said. “Consider the risk of inactivity – that’s a scary thought! Better yet, consider the proven track record of your Marketing team to invest on your behalf and build the brand.” Stay tuned for campaign kick off in early January.
MARKETING UPDATE FROM PAGE 29
video on YouTube or Facebook , please do! “Our videos are great – they are tongue and cheek humor with a lot of personality. Ultimately, they help us gain exposure to people who may be looking for service or even for a job,” Conway said. Public Relations has a similar brand awareness role in the marketing mix and this year, Molly Maid has received secured placements on Fox & Friends, Redbook magazine, Reader’s Digest, The Huffington Post, Sky Delta, Today Home and many more. More than ever, the value of PR has increased as the links and leads created by stories prove so unique. To keep owners educated on national efforts and how to maximize programs locally, Conway said she is committed to more educational and communications coming from the Marketing team. Since joining the brand, the team has hosted the following webinars, which were recorded and are available on Team Site : • Online Reputation Management • Listen360 Reviews • Yelp’s Request a Quote & Responding
Bringing it Forward While acknowledging the tremendous efforts and successes of Molly Maid’s MAP fund, Conway expressed her concern that the MAP is is not enough and if our brand is going to keep up and get ahead, we must fortify the MAP in a meaningful way. “Why aren’t we where we need to be today?” she said. “We can’t get caught in that circular thinking that Meg (Roberts) spoke about – we can’t rely on what we have always done and our MAP fund is the same as it was in 2013, despite all that has changed.”
Conway described the increased, external pressures on the current MAP fund as changing consumer behavior, competition, increased costs, the need to help owners attract employees and cash flow. These issues have implications such as lead decline, poor online experience and decline in franchisee revenue, which are already beginning to be felt. “Our competition has 50 to 65-percent more money than we do nationally! They are updating their websites annually and it’s already been three years for ours.
• The Future of Yellow Pages • Marketing Planning for 2017
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