Branding Your Franchise

More than having a snazzy logo or a catchy jingle, franchise branding includes every small minute detail up to and including the largest consistent message. Having a known brand or a well known brand is in and of itself one of the most important items to be shown in your FDD. This enable the potential franchisee to see how well the franchise has grown and to what extent it has a following.

The costs involved in franchise branding outweigh the emotional tie back to the product itself. When looking through your franchise system consider the appeal it has as a whole. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the overall image and graphics appealing
• Does the product speak for itself
• Could a focus group pick my product over another based on prior knowledge of the market.

This is an ongoing battle for most franchise owners. The outlay of capital and time to build the message your system needs to convey are controlled wholly by you in the beginning. As time goes by and more franchises are sold the advertising can be controlled by the franchise association members. This will certainly help in that this is one more thing you don’t have to worry about getting accomplished offering you more time to work on other markets.

Stay consistent with your advertising by always using the same logos, colors and marketing material. This lets your customers know that the product is strong and will always stay the same. Repetition is key to a well known company image. For example; do you know any corporate jingles that you know by heart?
Along with this stay consistent with the paperwork that you use with your franchisees. Having the same work and the same form numbers shows consistency in your business and gives them comfort knowing that things will only change if necessary.