The franchise industry is in the midst of a shift in marketing and public relations. How prospective customers respond to information has changed and how companies provide information that people need and want must catch up.
Forward-thinking companies realize they need a different approach but don’t know where to start.
We do.
In the past, companies produced press releases and hoped journalists at publications would write about their brand. If you were lucky a publication would write positively about you and your business would increase. Called earned media, we relied on others to shape public perception of our brand. If a journalist got it right, we were thrilled. If, as often happened, they bungled the pitch, we see a decrease in business.
Today, the role of a company is to be its own publisher. Rather than rely on others to shape how the public perceives your brand, smart companies today are using media they own and control – called owned media – to begin publishing stories about themselves that shape public perception. Far beyond the traditional role of a PR firm, this involves PR, blogging, social media, website content, organic SEO and media outreach.
Brand Journalism is the key.
At the essence of human communication is the story – a compelling narrative that connects humans with ideas and concepts. The story is what creates emotional engagement, what propels customers to do something and what builds trust.
We are, at our core, storytellers. Like all good stories, our work has a beginning, middle and an end. We use plot, character development, tension and descriptive, plain language to emotionally connect with customers.
Because we are journalists, we know how to tell stories that break through the noise of today’s hectic and busy online world.
Brand Journalism involves telling stories about a company that makes readers want to know more, stories that don’t read like marketing or advertising copy. It means having conversations with them – not preaching at them. People today are so inundated with advertising and marketing speak they carry with them a filter. If something sounds at all like it is advertising copy or messaging, they tune it out. If your message can’t get through this tough filter, your company is doomed to underperform.
The Internet and social media tools have reshaped consumer attitudes, creating an appetite for authentic communication. Our team at Brand Journalists believes that, in today’s marketplace, attraction trumps promotion. This approach builds trust and distinguishes a company from its competitors.
We are a hybrid firm: we do traditional and social PR for franchise companies, we blog, we manage social media campaigns, we build and manage WordPress websites and we organize and track organic SEO campaigns. These days, you can’t afford to hire separate firms for each piece.
One of the best descriptions of Brand Journalism comes from David Meerman Scott, an online marketing strategist and book author who writes Web Ink Now, a leading industry blog. “Brand Journalism is when any organization – a B2B company, consumer products company, the military, nonprofits, government agencies, churches, rock bands, solo entrepreneurs – creates valuable information and shares it with the world,” he writes. “Brand Journalism is not a product pitch. It is not an advertorial. It is not an egotistical spewing of gobbledygook-laden corporate drivel.”
It is honest, informative and engaging.
Brand Journalism goes beyond product launches and year-end sales stats to tell stories about a company’s industry, visionaries, customers, suppliers, communities and even its struggles. Of course we treat big news appropriately, but the overall strategy is finding and telling bits of the story – in press releases, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other new tools always coming online – that clearly show what the company is about and where it is going. This integrated strategy produces results.
Smart companies know that a catchy news release still gets traction and creates buzz, often starting on industry blogs and then hopping to television affiliates and newspaper stories. They understand social media is part of the bigger picture but struggle to keep up with it.
As professional journalists, we bring to the table unique skills that set us apart from traditional PR firms. Before we write a word, we research your industry and the trends driving it. We interview key players in your company. As journalists, we are trained to spot the story – the hook – in a sea of information. Details count and individual words and phrases can make the difference between a turnoff and an intriguing opportunity.
This is what we do. Between us, we’ve done it for 75 years. We simply apply our time-tested skills to these new times. And exciting times they are. If you are curious about how we can help you navigate them, and take a new look at your PR and marketing, start a conversation with us.