Why Public Relations is Important for Franchise Sales

Why Public Relations is Important for Franchise Sales

As a franchise Public Relations Agency, we understand that businesses large and small want to increase their sales.  The emergence of social media has definitely helped small franchisors get the word out about their brand and communicate to their audience; however, social media is not enough to do the job.  We also know that it is great to build your customer base by with friends, family, or other people who would take an interest in your brand.  But again, even those personal connections will not build a base as large as social media or large enough to increase sales as drastically as many companies would like.

Realistically, the best way to increase your franchise sales is with the help of our Chicago PublicRelations Agency.  The responsibility of franchise public relations entails crafting the message of your franchise opportunity targeted at a variety of different publics, and it should also be an objective of the overall strategy of your franchise.  Our Chicago PR firm evaluates public attitudes, identifies policies and procedures or an individual or organization with the public interest and creates a PRcampaign and executes a program of action to earn public awareness, understanding and acceptance.  Our seasoned professional and franchise PRconsulting will line up the best publications and broadcasts with your target market. 

Here are some tips on how to increase your franchise sales with our PR agency:

1. You need to know your audience, customer, and market.  We assume that you know your audience considering you purchased your franchise, however, you need to stay in tune with trends and your geographic needs.
2. Know your competition and how to market your product or service to appeal better than the rest.  If you cannot pin point your competition, we have a great hand in helping you narrow that down.
3. Create as much awareness as possible about your brand and product/service.  The more you promote through PR campaigns, advertising campaigns, media, radio, direct mail or internet, the greater awareness your brand will have.  Society tends to trust the brands they hear more about.  We know you are busy, so let us reach our public relations agency. reach out to your surrounding media outlets.
4. Create a loyalty program or something to keep your audience coming back for more and trusting your services.  If you don’t know what will keep them coming back, this PR agency does!
5. What you do in short term effects the long-term.  Make wise decisions regardless of the time constraints.  We are experts in time-management and crisis communications, let us be your voice to avoid any communication mishaps.
6. Lastly, be an expert on your services and similar serves.  The more knowledgeable you are, the more followers you will gain by trust alone.  We can help you gain trust and show you exactly why we are so trusted.

April Fools Day and a Good PR Moment

As a Chicago PR firm we love all things public relations and love seeing companies embrace unique ideas to separate themselves from the competition.  Just recently we stumbled across a brilliant PR moment and April Fools Day joke all rolled into one provided to us by popular clothing brand, American Eagle Outfitters.  As a franchise PR firm we are always trying to think outside of the box and come up with original PR strategies and PR tactics for our clients.  At the end of the day, that is what good PR is all about.

American Eagle certainly hit originality and humor on the head with their latest video for what they claim will be their newest jean called the "Skinny Skinny." At first glance this looks like a typical video for the clothing retailer, but as the video progresses it looks more and more like this video is a joke-- and lo and behold, it is a joke and a relatively good one at that.


Why is this a good PR moment?

To us this is a good PR moment for a multitude of reasons.  AE is able to poke fun at themselves and even poke fun at their most prized possession, their clothing line.  The video was published on March 20, 2013 and was able to attract more than 300,000 people in that time.  We've talked about the power of video and the ability to make a video a viral sensation and it appears AE is on to something.  They have done something with this particular video that all PR professionals can take note of.  AE did not originally disclose that the video was a joke, in fact they kept rather tight-lipped at first. Eventually an AE representative admitted (to Yahoo!) that the jeans and video are all a part of an April Fool's joke.

Carrying on with the joke, AE claims that there are only 1,000 pairs of the jeans available and are also offering a limited edition package.  If a shopper goes to the website in hopes to buy the "Skinny Skinny" jeans they would currently find the jeans and be able to click on them as if they are a real product.  From here a screen pops up with two spray paint cans offering the jeans in one size only.  If a shopper goes to add the jeans to their bag a pop up window appears stating that the jeans are "sold out," but entering in your email will allow you to be notified when they return.  What a genius way to capture genuine emails!

Not only did they make a fun, popular video, but they were able to grab a ton of media spotlight within just days of putting the video up.  They were successfully able to carry the idea over on to their website by making the "Skinny Skinny" jeans a "real/fake" product.  Genius!  The transition from video to product was incredibly successful and a great PR moment for the retailer.

What do you think about American Eagle's PR tactic?  Let us know your thoughts in a comment below or feel free to contact us.

Check out the links:

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfNF57jHbFc

Yahoo! Article: http://shine.yahoo.com/the-thread/american-eagle-skinny-skinny-jeans-are-an-april-fool-s-joke--say-sources-170449508.html

On the American Eagle Website: http://www.ae.com/web/browse/skinnyskinny.jsp?catId=cat6280060

What to Look for in a Publicist or PR Firm

Choosing a publicist or public relations firm to work with can be tough. As a Chicago franchise public relations firm, we know how difficult it can be finding the right publicist or PR firm to work with.  Not all public relations firms are built the same.  Some publicists and  PR firms can be flaky and others are strong and dependable. In the market for a publicist or public relations firm to work with, but unsure of what to look for?  Here are some traits to look for in a public relations firm or publicist:

1- Offers a consultation:  A PR firm or a publicist should offer a consultation to potential clients. Some consultations will be free of charge and others will charge. When attending a consultation with a publicist or PR firm they should touch on a few learning points and give you a bit of an education and offer value. During the first meeting with any firm or publicist, they should immediately be able to share some tips, ideas and tricks of the PR trade.  A good firm or publicist isn't all about just being able to get you to become a client, they should show some genuine want to help you.

2- Should have referrals:  A publicist worth having on your side should have a list of referrals or case studies to help show their successes.  What good would it be for a publicist to say they are successful without having any proof of that success?  Not much and would you really be able to believe them?  Probably not.  Having evidence of that success, however is much more believable.  Case studies, testimonials and referrals should all help show whether you have a good publicist on your hands or not.  Be wary of PR firms or publicists who do not have referrals, testimonials or case studies to show you.

3- Experience in your industry: There are public relations firms and publicists out there for everyone and for every industry.  Do you work in a very specific industry that requires your publicist to have prior experience working in your industry?  If so, you should consider this when attempting to find a publicist.  When searching for an industry specific publicist or PR firm, make sure you take some time to research firms and publicists that will fit your requirements.

4- A slew of media connections: Odds are you are trying to work with a publicist because you know they have all the media connections you need.  If so, then consider this on the top of the important list when looking for a publicist or agency.  If you think the publicist or firm you are going to work with is simply boasting about all of their contacts, ask if you can get the name and contact information for a few relevant contacts as a reference check.

5- Solid follow up methods: If a publicist or public relations firm seems hard to get a hold of, then consider working with someone else.  A good publicist or public relations firm will provide you with regular updates and will keep in constant communication with you.  Over-communicating is far better than the opposite.

Looking for more tips on what to look for in a publicist or public relations firm?  Feel free to leave us a comment below or contact us.

What to look for in a PR Firm: The Good and the Bad

When a company hires a Public Relations Firm, they expect to start gaining some publicity fairly quickly. Why? Because the effectiveness of Public Relations can be seen almost immediately, if the right processes and steps are taken to secure coverage. It also helps to have a firm on your side that understands the business and industry they're working with: the media.

After working in the Public Relations Industry and at a well known PR firm, it's time we take stock in our own firm, and give advice to all of you in what to look for.