Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2012

Guerrilla Marketing businesses and saw that when they did a to wear company shirts and always take job they’d go to 10 houses on either side business cards with them. “I have had of the street. “I talked to one of the guys franchisees who’ve met people on crossand asked, ‘How has this helped you?’” country flights. I sold three franchises It was the owner, who told Rennick that because people saw the shirts.” he couldn’t afford the Yellow Pages any • Keep it fresh. Look for new ways more, and had to cut his spending there to get customers interested in your busiby 75 or 80 percent. ness, he says. If you have “I see your trucks a mobile service concept, parked over at the shopfind ways to market yourping centers,” said Renself at a reasonable cost. nick. “Use door hangers when“Yup, I sit there for ever you do a job, saying several hours. It’s a mov‘I just did your neighbor’s ing billboard.” house.’” Use inserts into “How’s that working?” local papers because direct “I used to run 50 permailing is too costly. The cent of the company’s busigoal is “neighborhood ness and that was all me. TOMA” (top-of-mind Now, a year later, I have awareness). “You want three trucks. It’s all about everybody to remember Dick Rennick who you are.” doing the job and getting Just be sure to get your fabulous new people to know who I am.” Looking back, says Rennick, “He said plans approved by corporate before you he never sat there more than an hour be- hit the streets. Rennick says 90 percent fore people would approach him, and he of the time the response will be wellgot a ton of jobs from that.” Later, when received. “You’re the one in the trenches. the owner got hurt on the job, Rennick The franchisor will want to pass it on to bought the company. His advice from that other franchisees.” experience? “Get your name out there, big, bright, and bold,” he says. “Everything we do is free” “One of best tips I’ve learned is to Nick Frantz, 24, is another young marwatch what your competitors are doing keting whiz. According to Chris Jackson, to get their name out. Are they spending director of marketing and branding at big money online? For SEO? Social me- College Hunks Hauling Junk, “He lives dia? Going door-to-door and dropping College Hunks. If he is in the grocery things on doorknobs?” Here are some store, it’s a marketing opportunity.” more he recommends. Frantz worked at the brand’s Washing• Free stuff. “Give departing custom- ton, D.C., flagship franchise for 3 years, ers a takeaway,” says Rennick, such as a followed by a summer with the brand’s key chain holder or a phone sticker for Tennessee franchisees, before becoming emergency numbers. “It’s very cheap ad- a franchisee in Northern Virginia in late vertising, but it gets your name out there.” 2010. So far he has just one territory, • PR, he says, is a very good way to Loudon County and a few neighboring increase sales.” I never spent a dollar ad- areas in Fairfax County, where he’s exvertising, though I did hire a PR firm,” he ercising his marketing talents. says. Examples include newspaper articles, “You can spend a lot of money on getting behind local Boys & Girls Clubs, advertising. It adds up fast,” he says. “Evsports teams, etc. “You’d be surprised erything we do is free or a team cost.” how that little bit of press gets people One example: an online video of a to recognize that you’re there and have day in the life of a College Hunk—100 an interest in the community. The key percent employee created and edited. is giving back to the community. People The videographer, a crew member’s girlwill start coming back.” friend, spent a day in the truck recording • Uniforms. At American Leak De- what the crew did, where they went, how tection, his UFOC required franchisees they found new jobs, etc. (youtube.com/ 58 Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s ue III, 2012 watch?v=o9UC1P17rF8). “They nailed it, hit all the bullet points. It’s awesome. We sent it to Chris last summer, who told all the employees to put it on their own Facebook page,” says Frantz. “There’s no way of showing a direct return on it,” but at this stage of his business, he says, “I’d rather do it cheap.” Innovative, creative marketing initiatives are part of the culture at College Hunks. “Our whole company does a lot of guerilla marketing. They had it set up when I came along,” says Frantz. “It’s definitely an advantage to be part of a franchise system so we can see what others are doing, what’s working.” One popular, low-cost activity across the brand is standing o n the side of a busy street in their uniforms, waving a big orange foam hand. They also park their trucks at busy intersections to “get in front of anyone that we can,” he says. Frantz and his team often come up with their own ideas, or with creative, low-cost variations on existing marketing activities. These include a food drive at a Loudon County public school. “We left the truck there. As long as it’s visible, it’s free advertising for very little cost.” He and his crew also participate in community events, making the truck available for river cleanups, or showing up at neighborhood yard sales to cart away anything unsold—“as long as we can park the truck at the entrance,” he says. “It’s not really to drive revenue, but to drive community awareness.” They also are busy taking advantage of any and all online and social media marketing opportunities. “Facebook and Twitter have connected us to community events, tag sales, and Chamber of Commerce events,” he says. They also work with nonprofits who either have volunteers and need a truck or the opposite. “We do it for free and they do it for free,” he says. “We’ve struggled with referrals in the past. We’re not like a landscaping service. Our customers need to have junk, or some other need for us,” he says. To help, they contact bankers, real estate people with foreclosures, and anyone else who can point them to new customers. And with corporate approval, they’ve redesigned their business cards into what

Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 62