Slick Websites and Videos are Just Part of the Equation in Franchise Development, says Brand Journalists President David Sparks
Brand Journalists President David Sparks says that emerging franchise brands are his company’s sweet spot. Even though Brand Journalists is best known for its engaging franchise recruitment websites and documentary-style videos, he says there’s much more to the franchise development agency than most people realize. “We are essentially a mini-franchise sales organization (FSO). All emerging brands go through growing pains, and that’s where we come in. Emerging franchisors reach a stage where they are suddenly booming, but they don’t have the bandwidth or know-how to handle all the prospects who are interested. We essentially act as a franchisor’s development team during this important growth phase,” he says.
Brand Journalists’ Recipe for Success
The Brand Journalists team gives emerging franchise brands a running start so they are better positioned to manage the work themselves. “We set emerging brands up for success. We teach them how to get candidates to the finish line and how to sell franchises,” he says. “The significant part of the work is getting on that phone and talking with prospects. It’s not hard, but it’s a heavy lift. You have to put in the work and have a systematic process.”
Most people in franchising are familiar with Brand Journalists’ work even if they never heard of the marketing and franchise development agency. The Brand Journalists team has created some of the industry’s top websites and has received many accolades for their mastery of storytelling and engaging content. In fact, the company has produced 75% of the top 10 sites ranked on 1851’s annual Top 100 Franchise Development Websites. Sparks says that after creating countless franchise development videos and websites, it seemed natural to take it a step further with sales. “We offer a full-service approach. We create the website and videos, promote the brand, drive traffic, generate leads and deliver ideal candidates.”
Success With Franchise Development
“We’re intimately involved in every step.” And Sparks says that involvement is a win-win for all. “Because we follow up on the leads after we create the website and videos, we have the opportunity to see the results of our digital marketing and SEO efforts and learn what worked. It makes us better at what we do. But most important, it gives the emerging brand a head start in multiple areas, all from one dedicated team,” he says.
Sparks says that Brand Journalists’ success with franchise development is based on more than a formula — it’s driven by a passionate team. “We love helping franchise brands grow,” Sparks says.
Painting a Picture Through Storytelling
Storytelling is Brand Journalists’ secret sauce for engaging candidates. Through documentary-style videos and social media marketing, Brand Journalists creates a vivid behind-the-scenes look at franchise ownership of the brands they showcase. Content includes franchisee interviews and testimonials, day-in-the-life scenarios, corporate interviews and more. “The result is a compelling brand story that candidates will view over and over again,” Sparks says.
The videos are part of Brand Journalists’ formula for creating top-notch franchise development websites. “It’s not just about pretty pictures and graphics,” Sparks says. “It’s about engaging prospects and driving traffic.” Sparks says that franchise buyers do extensive online research and will visit a franchisor’s website over and over — an average of 16 times. “Clearly franchise buyers have a voracious appetite for content, information and data points to help them make an informed investment decision. We create SEO-rich websites that drive traffic. Then we engage, inspire and recruit ideal franchise candidates. That’s how we grow franchise brands.”
For more information, visit brandjournalists.com or call 866-792-5785.