Why Your Small Business Can Use Franchise PR

Every small business looks to grow; they look for new and creative, yet effective, ways to grow. One great way to grow is by using franchise public relations to help your brand build a presence in the world, both online and in person. So what are some specific reasons to use a PR firm, like a Chicago PR agency? Well, we have a few reasons.

When you use a PR team to help your company, what happens is that your company is building a general exposure online and in person. A constant growth factor is in play. The job of a franchise PR agency is to get your name in front of people, mainly journalists, so people get to realize that your company exists and what it does. That is a big part of what PR people do, they work to get you noticed by people. Yes, you can try to accomplish this task on your own but here's the thing: a PR agency will have a lot of connections to people, especially those in the media, who are able to really take a story about you or an interview and run with it; this gets your name in front of a lot more people than just submitting your own article to the online version of your local paper. One way the PR people get your name out there is via press releases.

When your company is having a general exposure constantly being built and your name is being put in the media for people to see, this means people are seeing an objective third party talk about you. This is huge for business growth. When people see someone talk about a company and that person has no incentive to do so other than they want other people to enjoy it as well, that speaks volumes. News outlets get no money from a company to run a story about them or to do an interview; the news outlets do this because they think the story is worth telling. Having a news outlet decide a story is worth telling is not always an easy thing.

Going with franchise PR is that it is an alternative to advertising. While they can be very similar, PR is often cheaper, yet can be just as effective. The perk to ads is that you can get them to be placed anywhere, you just have to pay for it. The perk to PR is that it is seen as more genuine and thus the products or companies doing it are more easily accepted by the public, ads are more likely to be ignored.

As a Chicago franchise PR agency, All Points PR is all about building brands through effective PR efforts.

5 Examples of Great Crisis Communications

A crisis can happen at any moment and can make things very difficult for a business or person. You never know when they are going to happen. Consequently, it's important to always be prepared for what might happen. When you have the plan in place, it's important to put the plan into action as soon as possible.

Here, we have a list of 5 great examples of companies having disaster plans ready to go, demonstrating their plan for crisis communications. 

1. The first example is from Southwest Airlines when they had the plane land nose first at LaGuardia Airport in New York. When the plane landed, the airline was immediately on social media updating people on the situation and keeping their calm. They gave statements about what was going on. The airline's example of franchise public relations was commended by many people who gave thanks to the airline for their open communication and quick timing. 
2. The second is from the Red Cross. Social media has been known to be the cure (or at least a help) to a PR crisis, however, it has also been known to be the cause. Back in 2011, the American Red Cross had a goof on their twitter when an employee tweeted about "getting slizzerd" from the organization's twitter. The company responded with speed and assurance to their followers by saying that they'd deleted the tweet and had "taken the keys." The person at fault then responded later with a tweet from her personal twitter about how she didn't know how to use Hootsuite and was confused if she was posting to her twitter or RC's. 
3. The Hitler kettle from JC Penny. A couple years ago, JC Penny had ads featuring a kettle they recently debuted but there was a problem; in the ad, the kettle looked like Adolf Hitler. JC Penny realized that they had a situation that could turn into a really bad situation if they didn't handle it with grace. They responded to tweets about how it was unintentional and what possible redesigns they could do. 

So now we have seen some examples of great crisis communications and how it's important to have those plans in place and utilize them. Also, we see that sometimes, to help the situation, some humor helps the crisis. If you want a franchise PR agency to help you with any PR issues, then contact All Points PR. 

5 Tips- The Importance of Press Releases

If you have heard of franchise PR then chances are that you have heard of press releases; even if you have not heard of franchise PR but know of other kinds of public relations, then you most likely heard of press releases anyhow. They are a staple of the public relations industry and they hold a lot of power. While the way press releases have changed over the years due to technology and the importance of them has changed some due to new aspects of PR, the press release is still a top priority.

So if press releases are so important, how can your business benefit from a good press release from a good franchise PR agency?

1. Well, for starters, all businesses can use a good press release and benefit from them. Any industry that you are in, having press releases about your business submitted to the media can get you some results and gain exposure for your company. You do not need to have some crazy story to make a press release about your company worth while; all you need is news about your company. 
2. It is a relatively cost-effective way to gain exposure for your company. With press releases, the only real expense for your business is the fee for hiring a franchise public relations agency or if you write them yourself, then whatever you pay yourself. To submit a release does not cost money and having them printed does not cost money. If you compare this to paying for an ad, then you will see that it is much cheaper than even a TV ad on a local channel at 2 AM. 
3. A press release will get you increased exposure in the media. If you get increased exposure in the media then you will be noticed by more of the public. When people in the public know about your company, then you have a much better chance of being on their minds, which is what encourages them to check you out and utilize your services or purchase your products. 
4. A press release gives you credibility. If people see your business and like what you have to say, then they will regard what you say as trustworthy. When people believe your are trustworthy because you have the right credibility, then they believe they can trust your company and what you have to offer. 
5. People can keep up on your business if you notify the media. When people are able to keep up on the news about your business then there is less doubt. If there are people who want ton know more about your company, such as investors, then they will want to know the latest info. 

So a press release is a big deal for companies who want to gain customers and get larger. If you do not currently utilize the power of the press release, then you are missing some real fire power. Contact All Points PR - a franchise public relations agency. 

Social Media Etiquette

So social media has just about infiltrated its way into the heart of human life; almost everyone uses social media to some extent; maybe you only use one social media platform and/or you only post to your social media account(s) once every few months. Regardless of how much you are invested in social media, there are certain unwritten rules, or social media etiquettes, that those of us who do use are expected to obey. Whether you are in the world of PR like franchise PR or marketing or some other vocation, on your personal social media accounts, you should be doing your own PR by following social media etiquette.

1. Be careful who you friend/follow. This day and age of social media, we like to be popular on those platforms; the idea of having thousands of "friends" or followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are very intriguing and exciting. However, the people you friend/follow or let follow you can bite you in return. When people, like potential employers, see you following someone or someone following you who is less than respectful or appropriate, it can look bad on you. 
2. Be careful of what you post. It can be easy and even tempting to post something on social media when we are angry, sad, or intoxicated but these can be less than opportunistic times to post to social media. If you are angry at someone and decide to post it on one of your accounts, then someone else can see it and it can become popular and you can get stuck in a bad situation later; even if you delete the posting but someone shared it already, then there is not much you can do to undo the damage. Poorly planned social media posts have gotten people in trouble many times. 
3. Take a deep breath. This is almost a sub point of the second point because it is more focused on the posting while angry point. If someone posts on social media and the post offends you in some way, take a deep breath and walk away for a few minutes or even longer. Posting something while angry might feel good in the moment but it will not del so good later on when you have calmed down (and especially if there are repercussions from your post). 
4. Watch the photos. Posting photos on social media is half the fun of social media but some photos we take should not go up there. A classic example of photos to watch out for are the ones that were taken while intoxicated. Sure, the times were fun but posting a photo on social media of someone, or even yourself, being drunk or foolish might not be so fun later on. A big thing to consider if you do indeed do this is whether or not to tag someone; you do not know who that person is fiends with or what they are allowed to post so don't post without their consent. 

As someone at a franchise PR agency, I can tell you that social media etiquette is not just for those who take social media seriously, it is for those who don't want to have lame regrets later on from something they could've totally avoided. 

Successful Uses of Social Media in Franchise PR

Social media is all about being out there in the open. Being out there in front of people. So naturally, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and others are great for keeping your franchise public relations efforts in front of people. In addition to getting you noticed by the general public in an easy way, it is a great way to monitor the talk about your company and do any necessary damage control or crisis communications. 

So what are some ways that social media can really make an impact for your franchise PR efforts?

1. Monitor the chatter about your brand. People talk about companies on social media all the time; if you were to do a search for a company on twitter or FB, you would find they name coming up in tweets and posts and not just the ones coming from that particular company. You will be able to find their name and keywords there. So, you can see what people are saying about the brand, their thoughts, and who is a fan. 
2. Sharing the news. When you have something good happen or other news related about your company, social media is there for you to use as a vessel to let people know. Another great reason to spread the good news is for other companies (that you're friends with) and let people know you support other business. It looks really good for your company to show love to other companies. 
3. Post photos of interviews with exciting photos. When you have an interview with someone, take a picture of them with the interviewer and post it on your social media accounts, especially Instagram, as a way to promote the interview so people will watch it or read about it. 
4. Have special news exclusively for social media. Try to create a few special messages for social media when doing an interview or other events; include a sit for social media messaging. Write some tweets or FB posts about the information and just copy it onto your social media accounts. Why do this? It will help spread the news and doing so in an easy way. 
5. Let people know you're a resource. Journalists have resources to turn to for information that they need for stories; with your social media, you can establish yourself as a source for journalists. Check out their conversation about your industry and see what is happening. See when they turn to twitter for a request of information because you can be the first one to respond if you're fast enough. 
6. Keep watch for opportunities. Browse social media for journalist inquiries and insert yourself for your client and get them noticed. 

Social media is not just for fun and for the kiddos; it can be a real asset for a franchise PR agency and help them increase their results for getting clients noticed and their brands.