Tweet

How hiring a PR firm can produce business for franchises

Written by: Doug Schadle

Article Overview: Just as you, as a franchise professional, know how to set people up with their own business, public relations professionals know how to drive customers to your business. PR professionals know how to gain publicity, utilize social media, plan campaigns and much more and if you have the financial ability to do so, you should let them do it. No sense in using all of your time to try to write and distribute a press release when a PR firm could do that in a much better fashion. Here I discuss why I believe it is beneficial to people in the franchise industry to hire a PR firm if they have the financial ability to do so.

How hiring a PR firm can produce business for franchises

Owning your own business or franchise is a great way to earn a living. You get to work for yourself and know that everything you do drives success for your business. Sometimes though, when you get into that mindset of doing everything yourself, you end up trying to do things that are not part of your skill set. Well as an extension to one of my previous articles, entitled "Be in business for yourself, but not by yourself," I am a believer in hiring a public relations firm to promote your business. As I said in the aforementioned article, it is best to get into a franchise with a solid background that will help you when you are launching your business. The reason for that is because they have experience, and know what it takes to start your business. The same deal goes for public relations firms. PR professionals have experience in promoting businesses and know the best ways to drive business for a company through press releases, news coverage, social media and other campaigns.

A PR firm is trained in how to land your company in the news and has the tools to do it. They have practiced their craft just as you have yours. I can't tell you how many times I have seen franchisees try to write and distribute press releases that don't include the information media members want and aren't crafted to tell a story.

Plus, once they have something written, they have no idea where to send it because they don't have relationships with reporters and members of the media. PR professionals know what needs to be included in a press release in order to catch a reporter's attention and make them want to cover a story.

So, if you have the financial ability to do so, I suggest hiring a PR firm. They are a wonderful resource for people in the franchise industry and will help to drive your business in ways you have never considered. In fact, it may make you will look like a genius (and if you're lucky, the PR firm will promote that as well).

Related Articles
  When Hiring A PR Firm Think Small
  Numbers Show Employment Franchises Won't Slow Down
  A Reliable Predictor of Job Performance
  Franchising FAQs
  Restaurant Franchising

Article Tags: believer, campaigns, financial ability, franchise industry, franchisees, genius, information media, media members, mindset, owning your own business, pr firm, pr professionals, press release, press releases, public relations firm, public relations firms, relationships, releases news



Related Forum Posts
Re: looking for experienced affiliate feedback - Hi All, I appreciate everyone's input. Thank you. I don't feel as though we've gotten to the core of the issue yet. "Hiring" or enlisting the service of affiliate salespeople shouldn't really be any different than hiring someone straight out to market the product. The difference is in the way payment is made, ie. through a type of commission taken from the sale near the time of the sale. Whereas I could just pay someone a flat fee or a by-the-hour rate and directly hire him/her or a firm to market and sell my product. The firm I hire doesn't expect me to do their work for them, do they? Isn't that why I'm hiring them .... because they have the interest, skills and a functioning business already in place to do the job I'm hiring them for. Why am I supposed to do the sales work beforehand to hire, entice or interest an affiliate? If it's their business shouldn't they be the ones seeking me and my products - or you and your products? Obviously I have to make them available. Am I misunderstanding roles here? Nancy
Each Franchise is different! - No two franchises are alike. Build the fee structure that makes most sense for all parties involved, franchisor, franchisee, and vendors. Yes vendors, some franchises take the the % that vendors (for example coke and pepsi) give them and contribute those to the advertising fund. Many franchises don't manage the advertising fund by themselves but seek franchisees to have a say in how the money is spent, some times thru regional franchisee groups. Speak to a few of the franchise development companies (franchise mills) be careful for the fill in the blank, one size fits all franchise development companies, those companies seldom produce successful franchise systems.
Re: Using PR in the Franchise Business - On the other hand, outsourcing can also be cost effective as long as you've chosen the right firm in the right place meaning they've already got the service and the systems that you need to do the marketing. Most entrepreneurs find it too costly and threatening to outsource because they believe they will just have to spend thousands of dollars but for me, it's a matter of creating the "right" choices and then sticking on it to get a feel with the firm and build good relationships. That way, you're making business wiser without even turning from one firm to another which will also cost you a lot of time and energy.
Re: Re Franchise etc - [quote="bmueller47":e0j0nu4t]Can you see a shift of various types of franchises? What I am thinking about is that today it is more difficult to create franchises, that has great appeal. More and more people want to have their business, but no interference of someone else.[/quote:e0j0nu4t] Not sure what you mean exactly but it is certain that more and more people want to have their own business but not more and more people know what they really want to do, or how to do it. And that's what franchising is all about. Franchising is not for an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur will do his own thing. People who buy franchises want a turn key business, with a proven model. Franchising in the US had never been that good. I don't have the exact numbers in mind but I know for sure that franchising is growing more and more as people are getting more and more aware of this business model.
Re: Kevin's Case Study #8 - How do you attract a finance expert? - [quote="BuzzAroundBooks":2aaheo2o]How do you attract a finance expert to come and work for your small business? The reason I ask is because I know of someone who is looking for help in managing the numbers in her business plan and obtaining financing. Moreover, she is looking for an individual (or accounting firm) who would be interested in working as a "part-time" CFO or a hands-on, entrepreneur friendly accountant that will work with her company and take it to the next level. Thanks![/quote:2aaheo2o] I used to be in a BNI group in Virginia and there was an accounting firm in the group who had several specific accountants in their firm who did this sort of thing. They are a big firm and could have a couple of people out of the office on a regular basis - since they did this for different companies. If I was looking for someone to do this, I would put together a financial business plan which included a proposal and details for the position I wanted to fill. Make it clear what is needed, what you want to accomplish and compensation and/or incentives that are being offered with this position. It would also be good to call local accountants to see if they currently offer this service and if they are considering new clients. Chris


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

9 Steps to Improve Performance

How To Be Happy at Work? Acknowledge Yourself

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.