The British Franchise Association (bfa) has recently welcomed a new Digital Marketing Officer, Jessica Smith, into the External Relations team to help drive forward its integrated approach towards embedding member communications and our own into its digital channels. Jessica is working with the wider External Relations team to help further develop a digital communications plan that will make franchising information accessible to a wider cross section, with a key focus on more audio-visual content and human stories. All of this content will help to develop understanding of the benefits and business fundamentals which drive successful ethical business format franchising.
Jessica brings a wealth of digital communications experience into her new position from previous roles in the hospitality sector and has previously successfully delivered digital innovation for all of the companies that she has worked for. She is highly experienced in composing high impact audio-visual campaigns with significant experience in public broadcasting. She has integrated this understanding into the bfa’s current communications approach and is already helping the association to drive forward its digital agenda.
The bfa’s new digital approach will also focus on how the bfa translates, develops and delivers all important key information on the bfa website into a more user-friendly format. Audio-visual content communicating franchisee stories is already a key component of the bfa’s social channels and is a perfect platform to showcase the franchise journeys of bfa members. This new communications strategy and wider approach will very much benefit the wider franchise industry and will also allow the bfa to showcase digital journeys.
Jessica notes, “This new strategy is all about aiming to break down barriers and misconceptions about franchising to make the information easier to digest as well as physically accessible, to people who wouldn’t have seen it as an option before. I want to show that franchising is an option for people from all sorts of backgrounds. I want to show the human side to the bfa. The important things on the website will be going into video format; through educational and entertaining short form videos, face-to-camera including bfa staff members showcasing their individual expertise as well bfa member case studies.
I really want to provide a platform for our members to share their stories – how they got into franchising, what their experience has been with the bfa and any advice or tips they have about getting into franchising. MYBFA is now switching to audio-visual format to allow our franchisee members have the opportunity to take part by submitting video footage of their business journeys.”
Pip Wilkins, CEO of the bfa, notes, “Jessica has really hit the ground running in her new role and is already setting the standard for digital content while engaging with our members. She has helped to realign the MYBFA series and is actively working to help us to really deliver with our digital communications which is a very important communications channels for the association.”
To find out more about how you can get involved with the bfa’s digital campaigns as a franchisee member, please contact press@thebfa.org.