How Franchise Brands Use Video to Increase Franchisee Survey Participation

One of the keys to a successful communications strategy is hitting your audience with the right message at the right time, in a format that resonates with them. And because everyone responds differently to various formats, the most successful communications include a multi-channel approach.

Franchise Business Review spoke with Shannon Wilburn, Co-Founder & CEO of Just Between Friends, and Loretta Sexton, Director of Human Resources & Recruiting at Tropical Smoothie Cafe, to learn how they have successfully incorporated video into their communications with franchisees to boost participation in their annual franchisee satisfaction surveys. Both brands achieved survey participation rates over 70%.

What prompted you to use video as part of your communication strategy to franchisees regarding the survey?

Shannon Wilburn: We received an email from FBR suggesting that we may want to do a fun video to send out before the survey to stir up excitement about the survey.

Loretta Sexton: We use video regularly when communicating with our franchisees.

What impact has the video had on survey participation rates?

Shannon Wilburn: I think it helps people see and hear from me in a different way. Our franchisees are used to communicating via Facebook Live to their participants, so seeing me on video tends to elicit more participation than a simple email ask. Plus…I had a lot to say!

Loretta Sexton: This was the first year that we asked Area Developers to film videos to ask franchisees to complete the survey. Participation was up this year and part of that increase could be attributed to hearing from others like them encouraging them to fill it out.

How much time and money did you invest in making the video?

Shannon Wilburn: We didn’t spend any money. I filmed it on my computer. It was a short upbeat video, encouraging franchisees to participate and to share their names and why.

Loretta Sexton: Actually we didn’t have to invest anything in making the videos. The Area Developers filmed themselves and emailed us the video files. We have video editing software and a video editor on staff and they were able to clean up the videos and post them on our intranet site.

At what point in your communication plan did you share the video, and what role did it play in your overall communication strategy?

Shannon Wilburn: We shared the video a couple of weeks before the survey went out and again, the day the survey went out.

Loretta Sexton: We distribute the videos before and during the process. We also created reminder videos with Mike Rotondo, our CEO. He encourages them to fill it out and lets them know we take their feedback seriously.

Watch Co-Founder & CEO of Just Between Friends Shannon Wilburn’s video to franchisees encouraging them to participate in their annual franchisee satisfaction survey.

Franchise Business Review offers customizable templates to help you communicate with franchisees about your survey. In addition, we offer consulting on crafting a more effective franchise communication strategy. To learn more, contact us at [email protected].