No matter what sector your franchise operates within, consumer public relations that promotes your product or service is a great strategy to reach your prospective franchisees. A lot of franchisors tell us that some of their best franchise leads come from referrals and, in particular, those who have been customers of the brand.
Here are just a few reasons why consumer PR can revive the growth of your franchise network.
- Generates awareness: providing newsworthy information to target media raises the profile of the brand, its benefits to the customer and allows the seed to be sown about the franchise opportunity itself.
- Establishes trust and credibility: customers will begin to recognise your brand as long as you keep your messaging consistent. Highlighting just a few key benefits within your PR will create a brand identity that starts to harness brand loyalty. Franchises with loyal customers are always going to be a more attractive option to a prospective franchisee. The media savvy general public understand the difference between advertising and PR. Brands pay for advertising but editors publish or broadcast PR for free – clearly one is more credible than the other.
- Creates “buzz”: according to Nielsen’s global research on consumer trust in what is known as “earned advertising” more than 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family and anywhere from 20-50% of purchases are the result of word-of-mouth. Clearly, consumer PR can be a catalyst for franchise referrals and that positive buzz must be an essential part of your recruitment strategy.
So, consumer PR for your brand has a two-fold result that many franchisors should consider – especially when their consumer and franchise recruitment teams can often be working as two completely separate teams. Get more customers and receive more of those quality franchise referrals by combining your PR efforts.
Contact us to find out more about harnessing the power of your brand for franchise recruitment.