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After referrals, public relations is the most cost-effective way for franchisors to sell franchises. So why aren’t more franchisors using PR?
Two major reasons. Franchisors say:
- “We tried it, but it doesn’t work.”
- “We don’t have the budget for it.”
And neither reason makes sense.
Obviously public relations works – just ask franchisors that have been using it successfully for years. As for not having the budget for it – that’s not possible, unless the franchisor isn’t spending any money to generate leads, or has discovered a unique and guaranteed lead generation process.
What’s your company’s PRP?
Based on my 30 years of experience, I’ve found that franchisors don’t use public relations because they don’t know how. They haven’t developed their Public Relations Potential (PRP), and consequently they miss out on the second best means of lead generation. Without PRP no PR campaign works! (And in that case it’s better that you don’t spend any money on it, but don’t tell yourself that PR doesn’t work, or that you don’t have the budget for it).
I learned about the value of franchise PR early in my career when a franchisor called me with a problem: “We need to sell more franchises,” he said. “What can we do to find more franchisees so we can expand our franchise network?”
The short story is that I wrote a book for that franchisor (Franchising: The Inside Story) and it generated leads for years thereafter. (I’ll write about using books and eBooks for lead generation in future blogs).
Most franchisors won’t write a book (which is usually a mistake, and I’ll explain that in future blogs, too), but there are many other ways to take advantage of PR. However, nowadays it’s important to put the cart behind the horse. You can’t take advantage of PR until you create an opportunity to do so. Which means you must develop your PRP. Make a case for why your company deserves PR.
Who cares about your franchise?
“Why would anyone care about your franchise?” I’ve asked many franchisors through the years. If you can’t answer the question intelligently, you don’t have any PRP, and a company without PRP isn’t worthy of PR.
Another question: “What differentiates your franchise opportunity from all the others?” Once again, you’ve got to answer that question meaningfully. And the truth is, the answer is usually, “Nothing,” or “Not much!” (That’s where a good PR person earns his or her money).
Why would the media care about your franchise?
It used to be that most franchise companies could get some PR just because they were franchises. But that’s not the case today (although social networking makes it easier, but it’s not often effective). It’s as though the traditional, mainstream media have burned out on franchising. Nothing new about it. Nothing unique about it. Many of the media have even tired of writing negative stories about franchising, which goes to show that “franchising” is no longer a hot button. No one seems to care, especially not in the current financial environment.
And yet, of the franchisors selling franchises today (with the exception of the mega franchisors), the majority will report that PR produces a large percentage (sometimes more than half) of their franchise sales annually. And, on closer look, it’s easy to understand why. Those franchisors have developed their Public Relations Potential and hired someone (internally or externally) to exploit it.
If no one’s exploiting your PRP, why not? (You’re fooling yourself if you say PR doesn’t work, or you don’t have the budget for it).
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Twitter: @chrisnolan8
Spot on John. In my experience working with franchisors, because they don’t have experience in PR, they just don’t appreciate the powerful tool it is. I also think their advertising firms should provide more guidance and educate their clients better about the value of PR.