CityLocal Franchisees : Are You Considering?

Before the advent of online business directories such as CityLocal, searching the Internet for a local company often proved problematic. While it was possible to find a business that provided the product or service you were looking for, it was normally a challenge to gain information beyond a phone number.

Established in the summer of 2006, and the new website launched in Autumn 2010, CityLocal's mission is to make it easier for people to find the businesses they need. It's not just consumers who are able to benefit from CityLocal, though, as companies are afforded a new level of exposure that simply wouldn't have been possible from a newspaper.

The website is also providing opportunities for franchisees to establish their own local business directory under the CityLocal brand - allowing entrepreneurs to take advantage of an industry that's going from strength to strength.

So, for businesses considering CityLocal's services, what are the benefits they can expect to receive?

• By advertising in CityLocal's directory, businesses can be searched and found every day. By contrast, being listed in a newspaper lasts for a day or a finite number of days before the paper is thrown away or recycled.

• Each business profile will contain the company's name, address, phone number, fax number, email address, homepage link, a 500-word description, an image and a business logo.

• CityLocal claims that business and franchises that sign up to its service can boost their income significantly.

These benefits are being realised by franchisees looking for a new, lucrative career path. A further selling point is that CityLocal has established a reviews system, which allows potential customers to learn more about a business's reputation.

These have proven useful, but the feedback system isn't perfect. While reviewers can leave testemonials, they cannot submit star ratings - meaning that some reviews may not be complete. A further point of contention is that businesses have to pay money for their adverts, so if one received unfavourable reviews, the franchisees managing that business may choose to remove it.

However, there is little doubt that businesses and franchises have been able to achieve greater publicity by using CityLocal. Much of the website's content is search engine optimised, which means adverts rank highly on the results pages of search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo.

So, what else can CityLocal franchisees expect? Well, upon setting up their directory they'll also establish a community website, while the directory itself is updated on a daily basis by information provided from head office - including cinema listings, events listings and local news stories.

Having started to market its franchise opportunities in 2007, CityLocal now has more than 40 franchisees managing a variety of local websites, all of which have benefited from earning a respectable income while running a business that suits their lifestyle.

Referring to its franchisees as 'local business promoters', they are able to earn a living by encouraging local companies to place adverts on their site - something that increasing numbers of businesses are doing thanks to the power of the Internet. While start-up costs do have to be found, many CityLocal franchisees are earning a salary while achieving a work-life balance that may have been previously not had.

Franchise : Read More

Setting up a franchise is an endeavour that can have its negative aspects, but can also be one of the more rewarding ways to get a foot on the business ladder. Generally, franchisees are given extra support to get their business off the ground and the marketing and advertising potential behind a well-known brand name and an established business. Franchise holders tend to hit the ground running.

One franchise that is making big waves at the moment is CityLocal. They have just launched their brand new and improved website. This business directory service is packed full of information relevant to the community it serves. Locals can get cinema times, local jobs, information on property sales and much more all on one platform.

Those who buy a CityLocal franchise tend to be local people who want to work closely with the businesses in their area to establish a community profile for their clients. Simply put, CityLocal offers businesses a platform to promote themselves online. The website is packed full of features and is designed to have local people coming back time after time for all of their local information. The business can have as much space as it needs to describe itself and can even upload advertisements and videos. Community people can then get in touch with businesses via the website or go to the dedicated business website through a link.

This relatively simple concept offers those who are looking for a business opportunity a long list of possibilities. Franchisees can offer video making services, help with the design of the business page or allow them to add value by improving their profile or offering money-off vouchers and promotions. All of these factors make the product easy to sell and, more importantly, worthwhile for the client.

Running a franchise isn't for everyone however, as plenty of commitment is required. While CityLocal offers support to its new franchisees, it is also expected that they will work hard to achieve the results they want and need. CityLocal has invested heavily in the infrastructure to get the concept off the ground and to make running the business easy for its franchisees, but the hard work of finding new clients is going to be the most challenging part of running a franchise.

A CityLocal franchise is probably best for those who are part of their community and those who want to lift the profile of local businesses. It is important that they have a passion for their area and a will to succeed. Having a good grounding in computer use and some knowledge of how the Internet works would be an advantage; although CityLocal does offer full training.

CityLocal claims that its franchisees can generate a turnover of £45,000 from their first 100 customers, and the low set-up costs for clients should make it quite easy to reach this level. Clients get their adverts for just £99 plus a monthly fee, making the concept an easy sell. Franchisees pay between £3,000 and £15,000 for an exclusive area.

On balance, a CityLocal franchise is much like any other, in that the more effort that is put into development and finding clients, the more money can be made. Anyone who has a passion for sales and the ability to engage with business people can achieve great things with a CityLocal franchise.

Pros And Cons Of The CityLocal Franchise

CityLocal, a leading UK business directory and guide, presents entrepreneurs with an exciting franchise opportunity. However, as with all new business ventures, before you invest your time and money it is important to consider the pros and cons of the enterprise.

So, what is CityLocal? The idea behind the business is to create websites that offer information about specific locations across the UK. These sites are much more than just business directories. They are closer to being community hubs, as in addition to a list of local businesses they feature job vacancies, local news, events and cinema listings.

Each of these websites is a franchise, run by people who know and care about their local area. Should you decide to buy the franchise for your locality, you will become a specialist 'local business promoter', whose task is to raise the profile of local businesses within the community and connect them with potential clients and customers.

A common problem faced by many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) is a limited online presence, which essentially boils down to the fact that it’s no use having a website if nobody can find it. CityLocal aims to solve this problem by providing SMBs with a way to raise their profile. This is done through keyword targeted business listings which increase a company’s visibility on the major search engines.

There are a number of significant advantages to owning a CityLocal franchise. It is a proven business model and therefore a relatively low-risk investment. It is also low-cost as no equipment is required, and this, combined with the fact many of the services are automated, means that each franchise is low maintenance.

Another key advantage is that CityLocal is part of a growing market. A study complied in 2009 by the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers demonstrated that despite the recession, the money spent on online advertising is growing and now accounts for 32.5 per cent of all advertising money spent in the UK.

However, there are some things to bear in mind if you are considering making the investment and becoming a CityLocal franchisee. In order to be successful, franchise owners have to possess a number of attributes. You will need ambition and drive, motivation, good organisation and management skills, as well as the ability to network and build new relationships. In addition to this, CityLocal requires franchisees to dedicate at least 20 hours per week to their business.

It is important to ask yourself whether you posses all these characteristics, as once you become a franchise owner you will have to pay a monthly licence fee. Although it is determined by the size of your territory and number of customers, in order to meet these payments and make a significant profit hard work will be required.

However, CityLocal does provide intensive training, which includes instructions in marketing and sales. This training also provides new franchisees with a chance to learn how to create effective business listings. This is a crucial element of this business because in order to attract clients each franchisee must be able to demonstrate that they can get businesses to appear high on the best search engines.

With ongoing business support and a strong community of franchisees, as long as you have an entrepreneurial spirit and the determination to succeed, CityLocal represents a positive franchise opportunity.

Is The CityLocal Franchise A Good Opportunity?

Investors wanting to start a franchise that fits in easily with their current commitments and home life are well advised to fully investigate the opportunities that CityLocal is currently offering when setting up a business in its name.

The CityLocal website started life as a simple business directory, but this has rapidly expanded to become a centre of focus for all aspects of the local community. Nowadays, the CityLocal websites are packed with local jobs news, cars and properties for sale, news and events and informational items such as cinema listings.

To facilitate this enormous growth and development, a large six-figure sum has been invested in improving the CityLocal platform, while further investment is planned. The new and much improved website was only recently launched in October 2010. This investment has led to CityLocal seeking to expand its horizons by finding committed individuals to help them establish a franchise in every local area.

The successful CityLocal business owner becomes a specialist 'local business promoter', working closely and strategically alongside many local businesses in the area, raising the business’s profile both online and offline, putting them in touch with new customers and increasing the awareness that the local public have about the client and their products or services.

Starting up a franchise is relatively inexpensive and for the right applicant can be achieved quickly. Upon being accepted as a potential CityLocal franchise owner, the applicant receives three days of training which explains how they can start to build their business online. In addition, marketing and sales training is provided, which is particularly beneficial to individuals who have little or no experience in this field.

CityLocal also provides new franchise owners with a full marketing pack, containing brochures, leaflets, business cards and stationary as well as access to private online discussion forums and a knowledge base where other CityLocal business owners share their expertise with each other.

There are several benefits to the CityLocal franchise. Firstly, the service targets the small to medium-sized businesses that are often lagging behind when it comes to marketing online. In addition to providing a much-needed service to local businesses, maintaining that level of service is straightforward as the CityLocal website is updated centrally by the parent company. There is also no stock to worry about, and with low overheads and only a small amount of capital needed for start up, it is an ideal low-risk franchise opportunity for the right individual.

However, it is worth understanding that like any business, a CityLocal franchise's success will depend not only on technical expertise, but also equally on the franchisees own abilities, skills and enthusiasm. It is also worth noting that there is a monthly licence fee to be paid to CityLocal ranging in price, upwards from £175 depending on the size of your local area, though to help those starting up a business this is only payable from the third month of trading. Some understanding of marketing and sales is also beneficial.

If you are willing to make the effort to become an important part of your local business community, then a CityLocal franchise could be an excellent way to turn your modest investment into an excellent monthly income.

All About CityLocal Franchise Review

The CityLocal franchise is managed by two brothers, Nazir and Zakir Daud. It is described as "the most exciting and dynamic home based business" in their website. CityLocal franchisees get to manage their own local business directory and community website that is updated with local information daily by head office.

Their website has local information like news, events and a cinema guide. It also has local properties, jobs, cars, photos and hotels so it is definitely packed with local information.

CityLocal was established in 2006 and they started marketing their franchises in 2007. There are currently over 40 franchisees running and operating their local sites.

CityLocal likes to brag about how easy the business is for franchisees to earn money, build a residual income stream and manage their hyper local portal.

"The bottom line is that with CityLocal you can earn a significant income, while running a business that suits your life style."

The way franchisees make their money is by persuading local businesses to advertise on their site as well as on their regular leaflet drops. CityLocal terms its franchisees as "local business promoters".

The thought of earning money that gets paid into your bank account each and every month, even when you are on vacation will definitely appeal to most entrepreneurs. Does this claim stack up?

The truth is that this business is generally only suited to people that do not mind calling and visiting local businesses regularly. Although it is a business that can be managed from home, the franchisees that are likely to be successful are those that have the ability to talk to new people and enjoy getting out and about. This business is definitely not for people that want to sit in their home office all day.

To investigate the franchise further visit: http://www.citylocal.co.uk/businessfranchise

If you are seriously looking at this franchise opportunity then hopefully you have found this review helpful.