Franchise operators have learned a lot about the uses of social media.

As Jason Daly notes in Entrepreneur: “Some new franchise systems are so heavily invested in social media that it’s a required part of the business. Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney’s 64-unit franchise, Painting With a Twist, which offers painting parties and wine tastings, has invested heavily in social media. The Mandeville, La.-based company’s Facebook pages now average more than 3,000 fans each. ‘It’s in our training, and we emphasize that it’s not all about self-promotion,’ says Maloney, who began using the national/local tool as soon as it was available. ‘It’s more about interacting with a community of Facebook friends. Out of our three-day franchisee training, we spend half of one day doing nothing but social media.'”

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