Your business is booming; revenues are up, employees are happy, but there’s still something missing. Or maybe things are a little slow right now and you’re struggling to get people engaged with your brand’s concept.
Whichever boat you are in, keeping an eye toward a solid Franchise PR strategy is key, so it may be time to take the next step toward long term success. We’re talking about increased brand visibility and presence in the media.
You may think sending out a couple press releases about your business will do the trick – talking about the best your business has to offer – but media members are fickle. What you think sounds like a dynamite story can fall flat once it reaches a newsroom.
A good PR firm is well-versed in media dynamics – they know which reporters and writers may write about your kind of business and what publications and broadcasts have covered your type of business in the past.
The key to a good media presence is to tell the right story. The media wants to tell stories about people – not businesses. Your business benefits from a PR firm’s expertise when they reach out to your franchisees to uncover the truly great stories waiting to be told.
Questions like…
“Why did you start this business?”
“How did you fund this business?”
“What obstacles did you overcome to create a solid business?”
…can help uncover interesting details about your franchisees. A PR firm can use these stories to pitch local, regional and national outlets to attract more media attention to your business, expanding visibility and, ultimately, raising your profits!
Beyond interviewing your franchisees, employee surveys can also reveal hidden media gems. Your PR firm can craft a survey designed to uncover new franchisee story ideas, and that can be distributed by the franchisor to a select group of franchisees. Franchisees answer questions about their business, background and plans for the future, giving your PR firm fodder for stories when the media come calling. With a wealth of story ideas at their fingertips, your PR representatives will be armed and ready to go when a reporter wants to tell a particular story.
What questions do you have about telling stories to hook media attention?