Table of Contents
- 1.0 THE PLAYBOOK AND TEMPLATES
- 2.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES (DU) OVERVIEW
- 3.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES TECHNOLOGY
- 4.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES REPORTING
- 5.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES LOCAL PRESENCE SUPPORT
- 6.0 DIGITAL UTILITES TECHNICAL SUPPORT
- 7.0 WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
- 8.0 WEBSITE DESIGN
- Website Wireframe
- Website Mock-Up
- 9.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- 10.0 ADVERTISING
- 11.0 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT WITH CORPORATE
- 12.0 BILLING & INVOICING
- 13.0 OUR SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGIES
1.0 THE PLAYBOOK AND TEMPLATES
1. In order to qualify for franchise pricing on paid media marketing services, CyberMark requires brands to develop a Digital Marketing Playbook for use in local store paid media marketing initiatives
1.1. What is the Digital Marketing Playbook? The Digital Marketing Playbook is a document that outlines the digital marketing advertising strategy and contains all the Templates available to franchisees for local store paid media marketing initiatives. As new Templates are added or revised, CyberMark will update the Digital Marketing Playbook. The Digital Marketing Playbook is saved in your brand SharePoint and is shared with franchisees during the sales and onboarding process.
1.2. How is the Digital Marketing Playbook developed? Every brand’s Franchise Marketing Service starts with a discovery call to learn more about the brand’s competition, the brand’s goals, and what we recommend to achieve your goals.
1.3. What are Templates? Templates are a collection of marketing materials, rules, and details surrounding specific marketing campaigns. Templates can include the creative assets and copy for digital marketing campaigns, as well as related website elements, such as header images and landing pages. Templates also include the rules and timing for launching
1.4. The Digital Marketing Playbook comes standard with two campaign templates. Additional templates can be purchased.
1.5. The most common templates include Pre-Open, Grand Opening, and Evergreen. Other common templates include seasonal or holiday promotions, service or product-specific campaigns, recruitment, events, etc. Separate Templates are required for each offer, promotion, or unique campaign available.
1.6. New templates will be quoted as one-time projects based on the scope of work and can take up to eight weeks to develop.
1.7. Franchisees choose which template to use in their local store marketing. Customization is limited to minor adjustments in ad copy. See below for deviation process.
1.8. Deviation process: If a franchise location would like to run an ad that is not available in the Digital Marketing Playbook, CyberMark will refer the franchisee to their corporate point of contact. If the location is approved, corporate or the franchisee are required to send CyberMark the creative asset (image or video) and the text to include in the ad, as well as the budget and start/end dates. CyberMark will create a one-off ad or boosted post as a part of the location’s digital advertising services. If the location is not enrolled in CyberMark’s advertising services, they will be required to sign up to take advantage of this option.
1.9. Template updates, such as adding, removing, or revising images or copy, will be quoted as one-time projects based on scope. Minor updates take a minimum of five business days to process, and major updates can take up to eight weeks to implement.
1.10. It is best practice to update Templates occasionally (every 3 – 6 months) to reduce ad fatigue and test new creative. CyberMark may recommend additional templates or template updates if needed during quarterly performance review calls. CyberMark offers a Strategic Marketing retainer that allows for performance analysis, recommendations, and updates to be made on a quarterly basis. If interested, please contact your account manager.
1.11. Template updates may require additional communication and collaboration with third-party tools, vendors, etc. The franchisor is responsible for all franchisee, vendor, and third-party training and communication unless otherwise outlined in the project proposal.
1.12. All marketing projects, including Template Updates and new Templates, may be subject to delays during peak periods and blackout periods. CyberMark will notify you of any planned blackout periods or forecasted delays prior to starting the project.
1.13. Marketing Template projects include one round of creative revisions. Additional revisions will be quoted based on scope.
1.14. Case studies, A/B testing, and conversion rate optimization are not included in standard franchise advertising services. Speak with your account manager for more details on adding these services to your account.
2.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES (DU) OVERVIEW
2.0 The Digital Utilities (DU) service (formerly Online Presence) is a mandatory service for all locations that includes a one-time set-up fee and a monthly fee.
2.1 The pre-launch onboarding process for the DU service is reviewed during the initial Welcome Call with the corporate team. We can provide the corporate team with a tracking sheet to see the status of onboarding during the initial website build phase only. The status of new locations that are onboarding after the initial build of the franchise platform is not proactively shared. If that is a requirement for your brand, it can be provided via an NLO (new location onboarding) corporate-funded retainer.
2.2 CyberMark’s Client Service team will provide an outline of the post-launch Onboarding process for new locations after the launch of the Franchise Website Platform. The process will be followed for all added/removed locations. Each new location will follow the process outlined in the Marketing Playbook and will feature the offer that accompanies the template designed during the initial website build. If a new location requires a different template, the corporate team will need to request a project for a new template and that may take 8 – 12 weeks depending on the time of year/peak period.
2.3 During the onboarding process, we provide locations with a User Guide for their Digital utilities and our Client Services team can review the DU service over a phone call if needed. We provide an online webinar after your new site launches that walks franchisees through how to use their dashboard and manage their location website. After the online seminar, we provide support through our support/ticketing system. If a location would like a short call for a question about their new site, they can request to schedule a call with support using a scheduling link.
2.4 Onboarding of new locations will follow the process we will share with your corporate team. Each step includes elements relevant to your brand’s Grand Opening processes. CyberMark cannot guarantee seamless Grand Opening processes unless both the corporate team and the new location owner provide CM with all information within the agreed-upon timelines.
2.5 If a location is transferred to a new owner, an Owner Change form must be completed within 30 business days of planned transfer. Failure to do so will result in the prior owner being liable for DU fees. Owner changes require a fee to complete updates to our systems. If the transferred location was running advertising services, a new owner advertising transfer fee will be incurred. That allows CyberMark’s Marketing Specialist to update campaign initiatives, update budgets and billing methods, then educate and set performance expectations for the new owner. The prior owner may incur a final ad spend invoice from the advertising platforms which CyberMark cannot control.
2.6 Should a location stop paying their monthly DU fee or should their credit card decline, CyberMark will reach out to the location to prompt them to become current on their payments. If after 30 days, the location still has not paid its monthly fee, CyberMark will notify corporate of the delinquency. If after 60 days, the location has not paid its fee, then either corporate must bring the location account current and assume responsibility for the monthly fee or the location website will be taken down and the associated DU services will be canceled. If after cancellation, a location requests to restart its Digital Utilities, a DU set-up fee must be paid.
2.7 Additional services can be included as part of your Digital Utilities, and if so, are listed in the proposal. Any additional services included in the Digital Utilities are required for ALL locations and can be cancelled for all locations with 60 days’ notice in writing (email).
2.8 The DU set-up fee must be paid prior to a location website being built or any of the services being launched. Following the new location onboarding process agreed upon during the Welcome phase will ensure that no delays are incurred during the setup process.
2.9 If CyberMark sets up the Facebook page for a new location, CyberMark will use assets from the brand standards agreed upon during the initial onboarding process. CyberMark will not proactively update any Facebook pages as a part of the Digital Utilities service unless specifically outlined in the proposal.
2.10 Logins for the following platforms are needed to launch each location’s D | U service:
- 2.10.1 Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business)
- 2.10.2 Facebook Page Access or Facebook Business Manager Access
- 2.10.3 Google Analytics
- 2.10.4 Google Webmasters Tools
- 2.10.5 Instagram
- 2.10.6 Yelp
2.11 Removing any included services/elements of the Digital Utilities is not an option. Choosing to remove elements does not equate to a reduction in costs unless agreed upon which is highly unlikely. The digital utilities services work together to provide optimal performance when each working together. Choosing to remove a service from the program will hinder your brand’s performance and inevitably eliminates responsibility for performance of the D | U from the CyberMark team. Reporting on the DU performance will no longer be a focus during Monthly or Quarterly performance reviews with your Account Manager.
2.12 If the corporate team decides to migrate the website to another provider / hosting service, then the Digital Utilities must be canceled for all locations. To receive access to transfer the website, the client must be current with all invoices and provide 60 days’ notice in writing (email or other written notification). If the client requires assistance to migrate the website including preparing files, CyberMark can provide this assistance for an additional fee. CyberMark uses its own plugin to customize and advance the WordPress dashboard to suit the needs of a franchise. The CyberMark plugin will be removed from the website if the site moves to another provider.
3.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES TECHNOLOGY
3. CyberMark uses high-performance web servers. Our web server hosts have unlimited bandwidth and a rolling 90-day average uptime performance of 99.9%. In the event of an outage, CyberMark will work to rectify the cause of any disruption in the hosting service of a customer’s website(s) and to minimize the duration of any such instances.
3.1. CyberMark has software in place to notify us if your website goes down due to a server malfunction. We also have a program in place to ping the home page only of corporate sites and location sites to make sure it is not returning a 404 error. However, there are many reasons why a website/page/specific content may not load, and we do not perform click-through checks on our websites, and therefore, we will not know if a certain functionality of the website malfunctions until notified by the client. We encourage clients to test/spot-check as often as appropriate any critical website functionality such as form submissions, data capture elements, 3rd party integrations, and APIs. We cannot provide access to our uptime monitoring system.
3.2. CyberMark will keep daily backups of all customer website files and SQL databases. In the unlikely event of a hard drive failure or other technical failure with the dedicated web server, we will restore the website as quickly as possible on a new or repaired web server.
3.3. Regarding any images or downloaded files used in a customer’s website, it is the responsibility of the customer to retain a copy of these on their local PC/LAN.
3.4. CyberMark utilizes various backup processes on our servers for all website folders and files and may, therefore, be able to save customers the need to re-upload files. This is not guaranteed by CyberMark so customers should always store a copy of all images/files and be prepared in this unlikely event.
3.5. A client may request to cancel their Digital Utilities or Webmastering Service and migrate their website to a new hosting platform. In order to receive access to transfer the website, the client must be current with all invoices and provide 60 days’ notice in writing (email or other written notification). If the client requires assistance to migrate the website including preparing files, CyberMark can provide this assistance for an additional fee.
3.6. CyberMark provides a service warranty on our websites. If your website should experience a malfunction or your website goes down, CyberMark will restore the website at no cost to the client. Excluded from this service warranty are APIs and 3rd party applications and/or integrations requested by the customer.
3.7. CyberMark grants limited website access to our customers through WordPress user permissions. This is done to ensure that our clients do not accidentally cause malfunctions with the website. Should a client want “Super Admin” access (super admin in WordPress, C-Panel access, FTP access, etc.…), then the client must be current on all invoices (see above), and the client must sign a waiver voiding the website service warranty. Once this level of access is granted, all future website and/or hosting support done by CyberMark will be billed additional even if the site malfunctions.
3.8. CyberMark provides ADA support for your website one of two ways. You can speak to your Account Manager to find out how your website is being ADA supported. Please note: CyberMark does not guarantee that either process makes a website ADA compliant, and we recommend clients seek advice from legal experts regarding ADA compliancy.
3.9 CyberMark will install a plug-in called Accessibe that renders your website specifically to the needs of a disabled person. This service also comes with liability insurance through Accessibe.
3.9. Any accessibility lawsuits received while working with CyberMark are to be dealt with by your legal counsel and Accessibe. CyberMark is not liable for any legal fees or any legal ramifications.
3.10. Any assistance required by CyberMark due to an accessibility lawsuit requires a consultative fee of $175 an hour in addition to CyberMark’s legal counsel’s fees.
3.11. The WordPress CMS and plugins used by CyberMark receive regular updates and security patches to their programming. To ensure optimal performance and the security of the CMS and plugins, our development team will update them periodically. The updates will be done on a staging server of the website to test the update prior to making those changes live on the production website. However, it is not possible to QA the entire site after every software update, and it is possible that a defect is missed, in which case it is fixed once found.
3.11.1. Please note, plugins not developed by CyberMark will be updated if they are compatible with the latest version of WordPress. If a plugin is no longer compatible with the latest version of WordPress, our team will attempt to find a replacement plugin. If one cannot be found, the functionality delivered by that plugin will have to be disabled.
3.12. CyberMark can set-up 3rd party integrations on your website for applications such as CRM systems, booking systems, lead nurturing / text back systems upon request for an additional fee. This is often done using a software tool such as a Webhook or Zapier connection between the two applications.
3.12.1. CyberMark requires the client to maintain both the account and relationship with the connection tools like Zapier. For example, a Zapier Pro account must be maintained by the client for any Zapier integrations.
3.12.2. CyberMark will test the integration to ensure it is working at the completion of development and prior to launch. However, CyberMark does not monitor these connections, nor do we warranty them after launch.
3.12.3. If a connection breaks, CyberMark will not know of the error, and this is the reason we recommend clients test critical features on their website periodically. CyberMark is also not able to determine the reason for the breakage, and the client will need to work with the connection company (i.e Zapier) to troubleshoot and determine the fix. Once a fix has been determined, CyberMark will scope the fix and send a proposal to implement it for the client.
3.13. CyberMark does not manage domains as a part of the DU service. This includes management of domain renewals, redirecting URLS, and the management of vanity URLs.
3.14. It is HIGHLY recommended that CyberMark’s SEO and content writing services are utilized for any website project. CyberMark’s knowledge of their Franchise Platform and the Google algorithms will allow your brand to be most successful. In the case you opt-out of CyberMark’s copywriting and SEO services, CyberMark can provide performance data but IS NOT responsible for rankings, organic traffic, and other SEO performance and/or results.
4.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES REPORTING
4. CyberMark includes a standard corporate roll-up report and individual location reports as part of our franchise service. Customization of reports and/or additional reports are available for an additional fee for corporate teams.
4.1. PDF reports are sent monthly to all locations between the first and fifth of the month from donotreply@mymarketingreports.com. Please note that report set-ups take 30 days to complete after the website has launched and will not be processed and sent until the start of the month following that 30-day period.
4.2. Both corporate and the locations also receive a login to a real-time reporting dashboard at reports.cybermark.com
4.3. Monthly reports will be sent to the corporate team in advance of the regularly scheduled monthly call.
4.4. Corporate will also receive a log-in to view an aggregate reporting dashboard for brand-wide KPIs and can visit each location’s reporting dashboard from within our reporting platform.
4.5. The Digital Utilities service includes website form Lead Tracking. Form fills will be tracked and reported in CyberMark’s Lead Tracking Portal (white-labeled to your brand) and will include users submitted data. Completed forms will trigger an email notification of lead received, however, it is required that franchisees login to the Lead Tracking Portal to review leads received and do not rely only on the Lead Notification emails.
4.6. CyberMark uses NinjaCat.io for all reporting but requires access to several platforms to connect data sources for each location (see table below). Additional analyses, reports, customization of reports can be requested for an additional fee.
5.0 DIGITAL UTILITIES LOCAL PRESENCE SUPPORT
5. Brand Guidelines for GBP, local citations, and social media will be developed and approved during onboarding with the corporate team. CyberMark will outline details relevant to the business which will include naming conventions for each location, business categories, images for the listings, and business descriptions. CyberMark will review this information on the quarterly performance review calls with your Account Manager to ensure details are consistent with brand standards.
5.1. CyberMark will update the GBP listings and local citations for all locations once per quarter at the request of the franchisor. The update will be reviewed with and approved by the franchisor during the monthly review call prior to the quarterly update. The months designated for your quarterly updates are scheduled by CyberMark, and your Account Manager can provide you with your update months. These quarterly updates also include any changes to Facebook, Yelp, and/or Bing Listings.
5.2. CyberMark will not update any Google Business Profiles, local citations, Yelp, Facebook, and/or Bing Listings for locations outside of the quarterly update process unless the update is part of an address, phone number, URL, or hours update or as a part of a one-time project
5.3. We will attempt to make the client (corporate) the “primary” owner for all Google Business Profile accounts; however, this may depend on the locations granting us the correct level of access.
5.4. We recommend that Google Business Profile access be granted to franchisees as “manager” level access only.
5.5. CyberMark does not grant access to GBP accounts without the written approval from the franchisor and franchisee. Please note that providing access to other agencies, 3rd party tools, or other individuals can occasionally cause a GBP account to be suspended if Google’s update guidelines are not strictly followed. Google rarely provides the reason for a GBP suspension, and if there are many GBP account users, it is often not possible to determine who or what cause the suspension.
5.6. If a GBP account is suspended by Google; we will work with Google to get the account re-instated. Reinstatement is a time intensive process, and a timeline cannot be guaranteed.
5.7. If we are not given access to a location’s existing Google Business Profile listing, we will not be able to update or manage the listing. It is up to the franchisor to enforce CyberMark’s ability to gain access and manage the listing.
5.8. The Digital Utilities service includes a non-transferable license for Synup and includes initial submission and on-going management of local citations (directory listings). As a part of the service, each location will be represented on industry leading directory listings at the discretion of CyberMark.
5.9. Any changes to listing information (phone number, address, or hours) on platforms like Google Business Profile, , Facebook, Yelp, or Bing need to be sent to support@cybermark.com and not be made by the client. If adjustments are made without notifying our team, changes may be overwritten during our quarterly updates for your brand and will result in a discrepancy in the data.
5.10. If requested by corporate, as a part of the Synup license, locations can receive review notification emails on a weekly basis which recaps the reviews the location obtained that week. CyberMark can be consulted for review responses, if needed, but CyberMark does not request new reviews, respond to reviews, or dispute reviews. CyberMark does offer Review Management services as an add-on service if required.
5.11. As a part of the Digital Utilities service, CyberMark will track up to 20 core keywords for each of your franchise location websites. We will track organic keyword rankings for your location websites’ performance on Google, including change in position. CyberMark will also track up to 50 keywords for the corporate website.
5.12. If you have selected a Tier with SEO call tracking, you agree to only use the SEO call tracking number on your website for organic search results. Each location receives one local phone number and up to 300 minutes per month. Additional minutes may be purchased for $0.05/min.
5.13. If your brand has active call tracking numbers that will need to be ported to CyberMark’s Lead Tracking Portal, there is a mandatory service fee of $35 per number and will require the brand team to complete an individual porting authorization form. CyberMark is not liable for lost calls during the porting process.
6.0 DIGITAL UTILITES TECHNICAL SUPPORT
6. All support requests must be sent to support@cybermark.com. All support requests should be sent from the @brandname.com email for security reasons (vs. personal Gmail, Yahoo, etc.). Tickets sent in from personal emails will take longer to verify and process and are not subject to our standard response time SLA’s.
6.1. All support is provided via email using our ticketing system. Phone support is not included unless it has been purchased as a separate add-on and is separately listed in your proposal.
6.2. Support requests include ANY requests for technical assistance related to your website and/or location websites. This also includes requests for updates and/or enhancements to your website.
6.3. Requests for website update or marketing projects can be made by completing our project request form located here. Please note that it takes 7-10 business days to scope, review, and have a signed proposal before work can start on a project.
6.4. Each support request generates a support ticket for internal tracking purposes.
6.5. Upon completion of the support request, we will close the ticket after 1 business day if we do not get a response. The ticket can be re-opened by replying to the response from our support team.
6.6. We do not make custom changes to a location’s website without a signed proposal from corporate. We strongly discourage location website customizations as they make the website costlier to maintain over time and often leads to technical glitches / misses when launching future website changes. In addition, that location’s customized page is removed from any top-down SEO service updates.
6.7. We provide support during our normal business hours of Monday to Friday 8am – 5pm Arizona Time excluding holidays. If you’d like a list of holidays for the current year, please ask your account manager.
6.8. We strive to respond/acknowledge 90% of support requests within 1 business day and resolve 90% of support requests within 3 business days.
6.9. We are not able to provide access to our support system nor are we able to send tickets to the franchisor. Upon request, we can provide a monthly download of the ticket requests.
6.10. All Digital Utilities support requests are classified into one of 8 buckets and are handled as outlined in the table below.
6.10.1. Location support is an optional service based on your Digital Utilities Tier.
6.10.2. Marketing support requests are sent directly to the Marketing Specialist.
The table below outlines how all technical support requests are classified and handled.
Digital Utilities – Technical Support
All Digital Utilities technical support requests are classified into one of 8 categories and handled as outlined below.
Please note that support requests for Advertising are sent to the Marketing Specialist for that location.
7.0 WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
7. CyberMark uses WordPress as the CMS for our websites. This is an open-source, non-proprietary website platform that ensures that your website investments are never obsolete.
7.1. CyberMark uses its own proprietary plugin to customize and advance the WordPress dashboard to suit the needs of a franchise. The CyberMark plugin will be removed from the website if the site moves to another provider.
7.2. CyberMark uses a 6-step process for all website projects. These steps ensure proper scope documentation and control, revision control, and quality assurance. Requests for website update or marketing projects can be made by completing our project request form located here. Depending on the project size/scope, it takes 7-10 business days to scope, review, and receive a signed proposal before we start work on a project.
7.3. The specific scope of your website project is included in the proposal. If it is not specifically included/stated in the proposal, it is not included. If you have questions, ask your salesperson.
7.4. CyberMark provides a sitemap that will layout the menu-system of your website, the structure of each category, as well as the pages that fall under them in your website’s menu.
7.5. CyberMark often provides wireframe and/or mock-ups that will visually depict where the content (both copy and images) will be placed. The wireframe will be made of visual placeholders (not the actual copy or colors of the site), and we will work with your input through one round of revisions to ensure we meet all your desired needs.
7.6. CyberMark provides 4 fully responsive breakpoints for common display types for desktop and mobile. We ensure functionality and legibility at the following 4 breakpoints to provide as large a grouping of devices as possible to receive similar consistent experience across the web. (1199px, 991px, 768px, 480px). Changes requested that are design/preference related (vs. functionality) can be made for an additional fee.
7.7. We ensure that your website is functional and legible on the most recent versions of Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Changes requested that are design/preference related (vs. functionality) can be made for an additional fee.
7.8. CyberMark includes one contact form containing up to 4 fields with anti-spam protection. While we will deploy anti-spam protection that can limit spam submissions, we are not able to fully prevent spam submissions. We highly recommend not listing email addresses on the website as that will attract bot spammers. If your site has issues with spam submissions, CyberMark will investigate and quote for any suggested enhancements.
7.9. CyberMark includes a structured blogging system via the WordPress platform built into the site. Customization of the blog and importing blog posts from a previous website are not included but may be purchased for an additional fee.
7.10. Google Analytics 4 will be installed into your site and connected with Google Search Console so you can track your performance and further develop your brand online. If you have an existing account, CM will setup as per our standards under your account. If you do not, we will set up and provide you the ability to maintain ownership of those accounts.
7.11. CyberMark will research and write SEO optimized title tags, meta-descriptions and page headings for top navigation pages or pages we outline in our scope. Additional SEO optimization can be completed with our top-Down SEO service. It is highly recommended that CyberMark’s SEO services are leveraged for optimal support and long-term success.
7.12. CyberMark can add up to 5 images per page, and should you not have enough images, or want some additional photos, we have an image software account with stock photography if you are unable to source your own images. Supplied images must be correctly sized as photo resizing, editing, and re-touching are not included.
7.13. Once the development and QA is done on our side, CyberMark will provide you with a temporary/testing link for your site. We ask that you test, review, and provide us with any deviations from the mock-up, responsive or functionality issues. The revisions must be summarized in one document and be submitted by one person and via SharePoint. We cannot accept group feedback where individuals’ comments conflict. The conflicts must be sorted-out by the client so that we have only one set of revisions without conflicting comments.
7.13.1. Any changes requested after the launch of the site that were reviewed on the staging site will be billed at $150 an hour.
7.13.2. The staging link works on all devices including mobile phones, iPad, and laptops. You are responsible for ensuring the design and functionality align with your project goals.
7.14. CyberMark requires the client to provide all location and owner information at least 60 days prior to the website launch so we can build each micro-site and to send each location their online presence proposal.
7.15. Prior to launch, we conduct a meta-check/QA to ensure the site is ready to be launched and to minimize errors. We also provide a link to the site on a staging server prior to launch so the client can review the site and make note of any revisions needed on both desktop and mobile. Even with these steps, it’s important to keep in mind that large websites contain upwards of 50,000+ lines of code and there are different operating systems, versions of operating systems, browsers, version of browsers, and device sizes that must be accounted for creating well over 5 million different coding points that need to be handled. Therefore, despite our best efforts, you should expect that website projects will require a punch list of fixes to be made after launch.
7.16. We provide a 14-day punch list window on all website development projects where our team will fix any errors, functionality issues, or legibility issues according to the website development proposal scope.
7.16.1. Please note that changes that fall outside of the original scope and require additional design changes, are not covered in the 14-day punch list process.
7.17. After all testing is completed, we will work with our developers to launch your website after business hours between Monday-Wednesday. After the site is live, all other website projects are launched during business hours. After-hours launches for projects can be purchased for an additional fee. After hour launches are coordinated with your project manager and they will share timelines and other relevant information.
7.18. Prior to the website launching, all open locations must have signed their online presence proposals and be current on their online presence fees. Coming Soon locations that should have a presence on the website should also have signed their DU proposal and have provided CM their location information. Any locations that have not signed up will not have a website. Please see Digital Utilities section 2.0.
7.19. The site is launched so that it passes the ADA checker (achecker.ca/checker) WCAG 2.0 (Level AA) with no “known” problems. CyberMark does not guarantee that this process makes a website ADA compliant, and we recommend clients seek advice from legal experts regarding ADA compliancy. CyberMark is not liable for any accessibility lawsuits or legal issues.
7.20. There are a variety of continually changing regulations surrounding data privacy (GDPR, CCPA, etc) and regarding how data such as emails, cell phone numbers, addresses etc. are captured and used in marketing. The regulations can vary by state and by country. The client must work with their legal team and direct CyberMark on how they would like their website’s form wording, data capture user experience, permissions, disclaimers, etc. to appear and work on the site. CyberMark does not validate, approve, review, or make any warranties about the legalities of how data is captured and/or handled on your website and/or in your business processes. CyberMark is not liable for any legal issues because of data leaks as CM does not hold any client data in-house. If CyberMark is needed for any consultation, there is a $175/hr fee in addition to CM’s legal counsel fees.
7.21. CyberMark uses a template system for all location pages to lower the cost of maintaining your website. Every location page uses a template that can consist of variable fields (like city and state) and location customizable features (like employee bios and local events). The variable fields can be updated by CyberMark (depends on the Digital Utilities Tier selected) and the customizable features can be updated by the locations in their website dashboard. This system enables locations to have a customized website according to the guidelines of corporate. It also enables corporate to change all location pages by just updating the page template (vs. having to change every location’s page separately).
7.22. The site is launched so that it passes the ADA checker (achecker.ca/checker) WCAG 2.0 (Level AA) with no “known” problems. CyberMark does not guarantee that this process makes a website ADA compliant, and we recommend clients seek advice from legal experts regarding ADA compliancy.
7.23. The site is launched so that it passes Google’s Core Web Vitals scanning tool. CyberMark does not guarantee that the website will continue to meet or pass Google Core Web Vitals. CyberMark can provide guidance and offers services to ensure on-going compliance of Google’s CWVs.
8.0 WEBSITE DESIGN
8. CyberMark will reference and refer to brand guidelines provided from client; this will help to determine the visual representation of required assets.
8.1. All Images, colors, fonts, brand guidelines, and any other assets shall be provided to CyberMark unless otherwise specified or contracted. These assets should be provided to CyberMark Project or Account Manager through a single method (i.e., Google Drive, Dropbox, Email, other).
8.2. CyberMark requests that all design critiques, revision requests, approvals, or any other communication are handled through a single reference point from the client. This will aid in keeping a simple and clean record of communication for both CyberMark and the client.
8.3. CyberMark does not create content i.e., images, graphic design, content unless otherwise contracted. Should your company or project need content creation, a member of the Content Services team will reach out to your company to discuss needs and details. Any requests for content creation services should be requested through your Project or Account Manager.
8.4. CyberMark designs and develops websites with a “Mobile First” approach to provide customers the best possible user experience. For this reason, we design websites with 4 breakpoints in-mind: 480px, 768px, 991px, 1199px.
8.5. CyberMark designers do not design with clients in real time. If changes are desired or needed, please provide such feedback within the provided markup tool(s) or list all changes/needs in an email to your CyberMark Project or Account Manager.
8.6. A single round of revisions (changes per page) is included with each set of wireframes and mockups. The defined set of wireframes or mockups is listed in your original proposal or agreement i.e., HOME, ABOUT, SERVICES, etc. All changes for each wireframe page or mockup page should be carefully thought out and will be considered the clients single round of revisions. Multiple rounds of revisions can be quoted and added to the project cost.
8.7. CyberMark’s design team members do not provide image selection and editing for websites as a part of the project unless included in the proposal. If your company needs this service, a member of the Content Services team will reach out to your company to discuss needs and details. Any requests for content creation services should be requested through your Project or Account Manager.
Website Wireframe
8.1. CyberMark will create and provide a website wireframe to you the client as a visual representation of your new website. A wireframe is defined as a two-dimensional skeletal outline of a webpage. A wireframe helps to define a clear overview of a given website page structure, layout, architecture, user flow, functionality, and intended behaviors. A wireframe represents product concept and as such, design elements, styling, color, and graphics will be kept to a minimum.
8.2. CyberMark will design and create a specific number of wireframe pages as previously outlined within your website proposal.
8.3. CyberMark will may create a lo-fi or hi-fi wireframe based upon the required amount of information needed per page outlined in your website project scope. Please see below for examples of both versions:
8.4. Images, content copy, colors, company logo, etc. will not be used to create lo-fi wireframes. Hi-fi wireframes may include company logos but shall not include images, content copy, colors, etc. Both lo-fi and hi-fi versions will include client brand fonts.
8.5. CyberMark uses “Lorem Ipsum” dummy text within all wireframe versions. Lorem Ipsum text is used during wireframe creation to reduce readable distractions and allow the client to focus on layout and structural design.
8.6. Once wireframes have been completed, a CyberMark Website Services Manager will present and review with the client via phone call and screen share to ensure that all requirements have been met.
8.7. It is the client’s responsibility to review and provide any changes to the newly provided wireframes. All comments and changes shall be made using an online markup tool provided by CyberMark. Once completed, the client shall notify their CyberMark Project or Account Manager to ensure that the project timeline continues to move forward.
8.8. Once all changes have been revised a CyberMark Project or Account manager will work with the client for final approval. **Please note: CyberMark will not begin the next step of site creation without written approval. If changes are needed after final wireframe approval has been provided, all design and development work will be stopped until new changes, timeline, and new work scope has been created and approved. Please note this may result in additional charges.
8.9. Once the wireframe process has been approved and completed, the client should begin the process of content creation, this includes text copy and imagery.
Website Mock-Up
8.10. CyberMark will create and provide a website mockup to you as a visual representation of your new website. A mockup is defined as a full-size model or replica of a webpage. A mockup will show exactly what can be expected in the final product. A final mockup does not include site functionality and is still a two-dimensional representation.
8.11. CyberMark will design and create a specific number of mockup pages as previously outlined within your website proposal, these pages will match wireframe pages.
8.12. CyberMark will design each desktop mockup with an accompanying tablet and mobile version.
8.13. CyberMark will design each mockup with current brand colors, logos, fonts, and imagery (if applicable). If no images have been provided, CyberMark will fill image placeholders with stock photography. These images can be replaced later during development.
8.14. Content copy will be placed into placeholders during development.
8.1. Once mockups have been completed, a CyberMark Website Services Manager will present and review with the client via phone call and screen share to ensure that all requirements have been met.
8.2. It is the client’s responsibility to review and provide any changes to the newly provided mockups. All comments and changes shall be made using an online markup tool provided by CyberMark. Once completed, the client shall notify their CyberMark Project or Account Manager to ensure that the project timeline continues to move forward.
8.3. Once all changes have been revised a CyberMark Project or Account manager will work with the client for final approval. **Please note: CyberMark will not begin the next step of site creation without written approval. If changes are needed after final mockup approval has been provided, all development work will be stopped until new changes, timeline, and new work scope has been created and approved. Please note this may result in additional charges.
8.4. Once the mockup process has been approved and completed, CyberMark will begin the development of your website.
9.0 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
9. Projects are managed based on scope as outlined in the proposal provided by the CyberMark Business Solutions team.
9.1. New franchise website platform projects include a 10-step process.
9.2. Existing client website projects or advertising projects utilize our 6-step process.
9.3. Each step is considered a milestone in the project and requires a sign-off from the client to move to the next step. Moving backward or jumping a step can result in substantial challenges related to the completion of the project.. Moving backwards to previously closed milestone may require a “re-opening” fee.
9.4. Project updates are shared bi-weekly. Clients will be provided with a timeline including expectations, deliverables, and deadlines.
9.5. All projects require a Project Capitan from your organization that is responsible for the outcome of the project including the sign off/approval/feedback and final authorization of payment. The project captain should be on each update call and assist in providing assets and other materials required for the project.
9.6. Website or Marketing projects that become “abandoned”, meaning there has been no response or action for 90 days, will be moved to an archived status. Projects that are moved into archived status will most often require a re-opening fee.
9.7. All projects require a final authorization prior to launch and most projects require 50% of payment before beginning and 50% prior to launch/completion of the project. Without the final authorization and final payment, the launch will be delayed.
9.8. Smaller scale projects will not require weekly pre-scheduled calls, they will follow the milestone calendar and calls will accompany each closure or opening of a milestone.
9.9. CyberMark does not begin a project until all technical requirements have been met. Including the providing of logins to current website, FTP creds, any tracking logins, any hosting logins, etc.
9.10. CyberMark will complete one project at a time to ensure timelines are able to be met by both CyberMark and the client. This also allows you to focus on one project at a time and has proven to be most effective.
9.11. CyberMark reserves the right to deny services to any client. Respect is key to a successful partnership. Unprofessional communication from a client to any CyberMark team member will not be responded to but will be held and discussed with the Account Manager for further discussion. Multiple instances of unprofessionalism may result in termination of partnership.
9.12. We are working very hard to ensure growth and long-term success is being developed for your brand. Your success is our success. Your failure is our failure and that is the last thing we want for any of our clients.
10.0 ADVERTISING
10. CyberMark’s advertising services are month-to-month and require 30 days written (email) to cancel. CyberMark does not charge management fees while a marketing campaign is paused; however, call tracking is charged during the pause so that the phone numbers are not lost. Management fees for cancellations are not pro-rated.
10.1. The lead time to set-up a new advertising service is up to 4 weeks from the time that CyberMark has all the information needed. A one-week expedited setup can be requested for an additional fee. All set-up lead times are the time from when CyberMark has all the information needed from the client to the time when CyberMark is ready to have the kick-off call with the client.
10.1.1. Advertising Onboarding
10.2. If there are issues with gaining access to a page, ad account or a deactivated ad account, CyberMark will notify the franchisee. If we are unable to gain access to an account after 3 attempts, we will provide alternatives such as creating a new ad account, running ads from the corporate page, or crediting the set-up fee after deduction for time spent on attempting to gain access.
10.3. If an account is hacked or there is malicious ad spend, CyberMark will assist to the best of their ability, but the management fee will not be waived for that month.
10.4. Hacked accounts or malicious ad spend is not a liability of CyberMark’s and our team cannot recoup any dollars due to a hacked ad account.
10.5. If you are unable to gain access to your account or do not have the correct permission levels to run ads, CyberMark can work with FB Support on your behalf for an hourly rate of $120/hr.
10.6. Paused campaigns can be restarted within 90 days for no additional fees. However, campaigns that are paused for more than 90 days require a restart fee. Restart campaign launch timeframes are typically 2 weeks after completed/signed proposal.
10.7. Only offers/campaigns with a completed Template can be run for a location or corporate (See Playbook and Templates).
10.8. Change requests to advertising campaigns (ad changes, budget changes, targeting changes, etc…) can take up to 3 business days to implement. Complete campaign changes can take up to 2 weeks to complete.
10.9. For clients that receive performance review calls (this depends on the level of service purchased) with their Marketing Specialist, these calls must be scheduled by the client using the scheduling link provided.
10.10. CyberMark builds location campaigns for Google using Google Ad Editor.
10.11. CyberMark builds location campaigns for Facebook/IG using Facebook Business Manager.
10.12. Media spend is billed directly to the location’s credit card by the advertising platforms (Facebook/Google). The advertising platforms charge for ad spend retroactively, meaning that locations who cancel or pause their campaigns will see final charges from the advertising platform from spend prior to the cancellation date. For more information on how the advertising platforms bill for media spend, please refer to the links below.
10.12.1. Facebook ad billing
10.12.2. Google ad billing
10.13. If receipts are needed from the advertising platforms, location owners must submit a request to support@cybermark.com. CyberMark will provide the receipts within 3 business days. If receipts are needed each month, location owners will need to submit a support ticket each time.
10.13.1. CyberMark is not responsible for charges billed from advertising platforms or other 3rd party providers. CyberMark is not responsible for charges incurred from a hacked ad account. We strongly recommend utilizing 2 factor authentication for any web platforms. Resolving or restoring a hacked ad account is not covered by CyberMark. If needed, CyberMark can provide guidance and will bill hourly for any corelating support.
10.14. CyberMark will provide recommendations on a media budget, but the franchisee must select their final budget. CyberMark will then apply the budget to best optimize the campaign.
10.15. CyberMark will set an average daily budget on each campaign based on the monthly budget set by the client and will manage the spend to get as close to the budget as possible. However, Facebook and Google may bill more than the average daily budget on days where there are more opportunities for results and average out the spend over the rest of the 7-day period.
10.16. Ad management of newly opened locations and accompanying performance is discussed with the franchisee directly. Corporate NSO involvement in performance review can be done one of two ways. A. The Account Manager will share the status of new locations’ performance on of the Monthly Performance review call. B. The status of newly opened locations performance can be shared and discussed weekly via our NLO (new location onboarding) corporate-funded retainer. Either option includes the ability for the corporate team to review each location’s NSO performance in the corporate account reporting dashboard.
10.17. The Marketing Specialist assigned to an account (location) is the discretion of CyberMark and may change due to a variety of reasons. If the assigned Marketing Specialist is changed, an intro email will be sent with an offer to schedule a hand-off call to the new Marketing Specialist. We appreciate the implied compliment when a client requests a particular Specialist; however, we may not be able to fulfill the request based on resources and/or workload balancing.
10.18. Boosted posts on social media platforms can be provided if a location has active social advertising services with CyberMark. Active social ad clients must provide the content that is to be boosted. If no active services, the brand’s corporate team can provide or boost posts on FB/IG. CyberMark can provide guidance to corporate teams via a paid consultation/training session. Limitations from FB/IG may apply to certain post types. CyberMark is not responsible for performance of corporate driven boosted posts.
10.19. CyberMark’s advertising optimization process is shown below. All the advertising campaigns use Templates that are part of your Marketing Playbook. Templates for campaigns must be purchased by the client and take 4-6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) to complete. Updates to a Template require scoping the desired changes, and a proposal will be sent to the client based on the scope.
11.0 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT WITH CORPORATE
11. You will be assigned a Franchise Account Manager to handle corporate communications with CyberMark.
11.1. The Franchise Account Manager will ensure that the CyberMark team working on your business is kept aware of any changes and/or requests that you make (see diagram below). All requests from the Franchisor should be directed to your Account Manager unless the Digital Utilities Tier you have selected does not include a dedicated account manager. In that case, you should submit the request to support@cybermark.com. Otherwise, no franchisor requests or emails should be sent to support@cybermark.com .
11.2. Your Account Manager only has the authority to execute the scope that is in an approved proposal and according to our Franchise Service Policies in this document. They do not have the authority to negotiate pricing, add scope or change scope, offer discounts, start new projects, etc. … All these types of requests are handled by our Business Solutions team.
11.3. You will also have a Project Manager assigned whenever there is an active project that has been purchased.
11.4. CyberMark can create webinars covering general topics such as GBP best practices, SEO best practices, and other CyberMark service offerings, which your account manager can present to your locations at the request of the corporate team for an additional fee.
11.5. We use SharePoint to store and share digital assets, project updates, follow-ups, etc. CyberMark will set up the SharePoint site and provide corporate team members with log-in credentials. The SharePoint account is at the corporate level, and nothing is stored (assets) at the location level.
11.6. As part of CyberMark’s Digital Utilities Service (depending on the Tier selected) the corporate team receives:
11.6.1. A Monthly Performance Update report. There will be a call which is focused on advertising performance KPIs and the top and bottom performing locations. In addition to reviewing the prior month’s performance. CyberMark will make recommendations for improvements, but it is the client’s responsibility to notify their account manager if they want to proceed with the recommendations. The account manager may provide recommendations for larger one-time projects based upon the performance and various other factors.
11.6.2. If more in-depth analysis is requested by the corporate team, CyberMark can provide a quote for our Strategy and Performance retainer program which includes the review and analysis of each aspect of the brand’s digital marketing performance.
11.6.2.1. AND/OR
11.6.3. A Quarterly Performance Deck and a Quarterly Strategy Review call (replaces the Monthly Performance Update) is provided which is focused on overall digital performance and evaluating the success of the current approach. If requested, discussing new opportunities and recommended changes to the strategy, and updating/new marketing strategy templates for future holidays and/or promotions can be discussed but may require additional fees for research and recommendations.
11.7. Optimal performance is achieved by leverage all of the various foundational digital marketing services that CyberMark offers including SEO, social media, and SEM.
11.8. Additional analysis, reports, customization of reports, changes to goals/event tracking can be requested for an additional fee. The Account Manager does not provide strategic recommendations or analysis for other element of digital marketing unless client is opted-into the service with CyberMark.
11.9. Additional performance analysis, strategic recommendations and strategy can be provided via our Strategy and Performance retainer program.
11.10. If the corporate team opts to bring in a 3rd party provider of services, CyberMark’s Account Manager will no longer be able to provide performance recommendations as we do not want to have conflicting strategies. All 3rd party vendors of services must work through CyberMark’s Account Manager and depending on the amount of time/work, there may be additional fees for project management of the 3rd party services.
11.11. The chart below illustrates the points of contact for corporate communication and how they work with our internal teams. When you have an active project, a project manager will communicate updates, deliverables, timelines, etc. Your franchise account manager should be the primary point of contact for everything that is not project related. Your franchise account manager ensures the relationship is well maintained.
12.0 BILLING & INVOICING
12. All services for both Corporate and the locations require having a valid credit card on file for billing.
12.1. All monthly invoices are created and billed on the 3rd of each month for that month’s fees which must be paid in advance and upon receipt.
12.2. All sales/payments are final, and no refunds are provided.
12.3. Mistakes or errors in service delivery does not equate to a refund or a credit being provided.
12.4. Initial invoices for recurring services will be pro-rated from the service start date to the end of that month with immediate payment terms. Our pro-ration schedule is as follows:
12.4.1.1. Services start 1st – 5th , client is billed full month
12.4.1.2. Services start 6th – 19th, client is billed half of the month
12.4.1.3. Services start 20th or later, client is billed starting the next month
12.5. For all project work, CyberMark requires 50% down prior to starting the project and 50% upon completion of the project. All projects require a signed final approval from the client before being made live. The final approval outlines important service and support details for post-launch.
12.6. If a credit card is declined, CyberMark will reach out to the client and request a new and valid credit card for billing. If after 30 days, a location is still delinquent, CyberMark will notify Corporate. If after 60 days, a location or corporate is still delinquent, service will be temporarily suspended until payment is made in full and a valid credit card is placed on file for future charges.
12.6.1. Suspension of service can include removing a location’s micro-site and the termination of related services, such as online local presence and advertising services.
12.7. Any chargeback fees incurred from a location owner will be passed onto the corporate team and the corporate team will be invoiced for the lost revenue. Any client who does a credit card chargeback will no longer be permitted to work with CyberMark.
12.8. Multiple declinations of credit cards will not only impact your digital marketing performance, but it will lead to an owner no longer being permitted to work with CyberMark.
12.9. As per Google’s and Meta’s billing policies, there can only be one card on file per ad account. Advertising supplementation must be discussed and approved with CM billing manager.
13.0 OUR SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGIES
13. Google Analytics 4 – Used to track the performance of websites.
13.1. Google Tag Manager – Used to easily add and maintain scripts on the website.
13.2. Google Ads – This is Google’s advertising platform
13.3. Facebook Business Manager – This is Facebook’s advertising and location management platform. See how we use this system here.
13.4. WhatConverts – Used to store and track leads generated by the website and any digital advertising.
13.5. NinjaCat – Used to build, maintain, and distribute reports as well as provide a real-time reporting dashboard.
13.6. WordPress – Used as the website’s CMS. We also use various 3rd party plug-ins which change over time and based on client needs. For a list of the plug-ins used on your website, you can contact your project manager.
13.7. PandaDoc – Used as CyberMark’s internal sales and proposal management system. This system stores signed proposals and encrypted client credit card information.
13.8. LastPass – Used as CyberMark’s internal secure password management system. This tool ensures that team members can access secure sites but do not have access to the passwords.
13.9. QuickBooks – Used as CyberMark’s internal accounting system.
13.10. Recur360 – Used as CyberMark’s internal recurring services billing system.
13.11. Synup – Used to create, manage, and update the locations’ online presence. Synup will be sunset as of 12/1/22.
13.12. Yext – Used to create, manage, and update the location’s online presence and local listings.
13.13. SharePoint – Used as the information sharing hub between CyberMark and corporate. CyberMark will set-up the SharePoint site and provide log-ins to the corporate team. SharePoint is used to share digital assets, project status, follow-ups being worked, etc.
13.14. EasyProjects – CyberMark’s internal project management system. EasyProjects forms are used to gather information from locations and/or corporate. EasyProjects will be sunset as of 11/1/22.
13.15. Accelo – CyberMark’s internal project management system. Accelo is used to gather information from locations and/or corporate
13.16. AWR Cloud – CyberMark uses AWR to track and report on organic keyword rankings.
13.17. Google Map API – CyberMark uses Google’s map API for location map services.
13.18. Cloud Hosting – CyberMark hosts your website(s) using the latest technology available with Google Cloud Hosting.
13.19. ScreamingFrog – CyberMark uses ScreamingFrog to obtain detailed analytics and technical analysis of website/SEO performance.
13.20. SEMRush – CyberMark uses SEMRush to monitor SEO performance and perform SEO and website audits and analyses.
13.21. AWS – CyberMark hosts your website(s) using the latest technology available with Amazon Web Services. AWS will be sunset as of 11/1/2022