As an entrepreneur, you are well aware that the creative process of developing a brand, whether in the form of a simple logo or a more comprehensive corporate identity, relies upon an extensive set of skills, imagination & experience which will undoubtedly be a significant factor in the long-term success of your business.

With any brand, the message has to be clear & consistent, but the challenge with a franchise brand is retaining the brand's integrity when you have 10's if not 100's of franchisees in the mix!

Establish Control

Establishing brand control across your network is vital. If you are just starting out, make this a priority from the outset. Invest in a set of brand guidelines, write a review & approval process into your franchise agreements & provide training for your head office team. The last thing you want is for something to be published by you or a franchisee that could ‘damage’ your brand. With social media, this can happen in seconds!

Control however does not have to mean bureaucracy. Think carefully about the creation, review & approval process to ensure that marketing pieces can be dealt with quickly & effectively with minimum admin. Even one member of your head office team dealing with brand approvals is one too many, so think about technology & an out-sourced brand management partnership.

Brand Buy-in

It’s all well & good creating a nice shiny brand, but unless your team & your supply partners know how to use it, it will quickly lose its impact & the engagement factor. Firstly, make sure that your brand guidelines are readily available both internally & externally & that you spend time educating your head office team. As part of your franchisee training, spend some time going through your brand guidelines & communicating best practice. The reason they have bought the franchise is because of the brand & its reputation, so it’s in their interest to use it correctly! Once again, use technology & documented processes to avoid too many support calls to your head office.

Flexibility

Franchisees will require a local approach to their marketing, so ensure that B2C side, your brand & any marketing pieces created allow for these scenarios. When creating advertising material for example, create a suit of templates that work in different sizes & formats so that they can quickly be personalised by the franchisee. These & other centrally approved designs can then be offered across a range of products & services such as print, promotional merchandise, point of sale & workwear.

Technology is key in offering flexibility to your franchise network, so do your homework. There are many online companies specialising in print, promotional merchandise & workwear for example, but each of those in turn will need to be managed in terms of brand management, product range, commercials & systems. Consider the benefits & flexibility of out-sourcing these services to a supplier who can bring this together under one roof with a single system & personalised franchise network support.

An Experienced Partner

besley & copp has been helping franchise networks balance the need for control & the desire for enterprise for over 15 years.

The BrandHub is an elegant web-based solution designed to deliver your brand assets, stakeholder communication, marketing & operational product portfolio across your franchise network.

From simple asset management through to supply & ecommerce services, the BrandHub enables your network to find & personalise a centrally controlled product range at the touch of a button, reducing central administration & lowering costs.

To find out why some of the most established and well known franchise brands choose the BrandHub, why not contact us today for a demonstration.