Building a Robust Franchisor Brand

Building a brand is a painstaking task, it needs belief, grit, determination, positivity and of course a grand vision. But building a franchise brand needs a little more than all of this. Here are ways you can look at building yourself a successful franchise brand:

Consistency in Quality:

Whether it is your franchisee, (this is your immediate customer) or your customer itself, consistency in service or quality of product is paramount. If you have a Food and Beverages business, remember that a customer comes back to you not just for your excellent service and mannerisms but also because he or she loves what they are consuming. So, never fool with their taste buds and the likes. Experimenting can be done at a stage where the market is ready to take your creativity and not thrash it.

Steive Fredman is a franchise consultant and suggests, "Successful franchise brands are built over time by consistently setting and meeting customer expectations of the brand experience."

Educating the Franchisee:

They are the first window to your brand building effort and will do the magic. Invest in interacting with your franchisees and teach them the need to promote, advertise and employing ways to create brand awareness. Remember, not everyone may have deep pockets to advertise. So good brand promotion techniques which are out of the box, creative, engaging and strong communication tools for a local audience are a must. Because, most new franchisees might not have been exposed to this nuance of running a business, the franchisor must be willing to engage in these regular briefing sessions with fellow stakeholders.

Create an Emotional Connect:

Creating an emotional connect to the brand is the best way to get across the same ideology that you hold. If you can get your franchisees to believe in the brand and service they are representing, chances are, they will surely go an extra mile to do the best they can and promote and protect the brand as their own. Sometimes, all it takes is the sense of belongingness that differentiates one business from the other. Engage your franchisees in a manner that the brand philosophy resonates with something close to their heart. Look at what your franchises are looking for and connect it with the larger picture of the brand. This is a best way to create a long lasting brand building exercise and determines overall growth of the franchise business.

The article was originally published on Franchise India by Uttara J Malhotra.