Opening a new location should be a celebration that can be enjoyed by everyone in your community.
But, too often, the grand opening of a new store is only appreciated by the store owners and their employees.
That’s because you aren’t using a vegan franchise public relations strategy to extend your celebration to potential customers and other stakeholders in the community.
Think outside the ribbon cutting
It’s become fairly standard for new stores to turn to ribbon cutting or groundbreaking ceremonies that offer little more than a photo opp. In this day and age, a giant pair of scissors with a large red ribbon only conjures up cheesy images of stiff business owners with fake smiles.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
The kickoff doesn’t have to involve ribbons or shovels of dirt at all. It can and should be a celebration of a store. And this store provides the public with a new product, extends the local tax base and provides owners who are invested locally. The employment site, Indeed, suggests that you should spend a considerable amount of time preparing your grand opening to get off to a good start.
Tell your story
It’s important that you let your community know who you are and why the locals should shop at your plant-based establishment. Use your grand opening as a way to get your story out.
Plan an event that showcases your products and lets the customer know why you do what you do. Involving the community in your events not only brings in potential clients, it also provides you an opportunity to spread the news of your opening via word-of-mouth.
By offering the community an event that includes their participation, you can also garner the interest of local and trade journalists who want to tell an interesting story.
Amplify your message
In addition to intriguing the interest of reporters, you should use social media and online influencers to get the word out about your grand opening.
Chances are the people you want to attract to your event are already following the local bloggers and social media superstars that promote the vegan lifestyle. Getting them on board for your grand opening helps solidify your message and tells your story in other venues.
This is where an experienced public relations agency well emersed in how to advocate for both the plant-based community and franchising can help you make your grand opening a success. At Orange Orchard, we will be your advocate and work with our contacts in various cities and in the trades to get your franchise started off right.
Contact us today at (865) 977-1973 or online to start a conversation with our experts on your vegan franchise’s grand opening strategy. Let us tell your story.