Franchising. It’s not necessarily an inevitable step for all entrepreneurs, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction if you’re aiming for growth. That, and you may want to present lucrative business opportunities for other people. It’s never a bad idea to franchise your business, regardless of its size. It’s a way to expand your brand, and if done right, it’s a win-win for everyone.
But don’t take our word for it. The Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) has also said that franchise businesses in the Philippines enjoy a higher success rate of 90% versus the general retail industry’s 25%. The results bare out whether franchising your business is a risk worth taking, on both sides. Now all you need to do is become the right brand to franchise.
Let’s focus on that for a minute. The branding aspect of a business franchise. When you’re franchising your business, your branding has to fully resonate with your target market—and we’re not just talking about the pretty visuals. Your brand should go beyond its name, logo, and colors. It should be the sum of multiple touchpoints that go beyond the first impression. It’s about the complete experience of your customers with your business. Here’s what we mean:
- It’s what they see through your visual identity, be it the logo, packaging, and store design.
- It’s what they hear through your marketing and advertising campaigns.
- It’s what they feel through your customer support and product experiences, in-store or otherwise.
For starters, take our studio’s visual identity. Illustrations and vectors aside, we have rules in place that keep our branding impactful and consistent across all platforms. These rules, invisible as they may seem, are crucial in maintaining your business’ credibility.
We’ve written down these invisible rules and turned it into a handy guide. If you’re aiming to franchise your business to prospective entrepreneurs, keep these three things in mind.
1. Establish your strong branding 💪
The term gets thrown around loosely, but what does strong branding actually mean? Essentially:
- It attracts customers.
- It attracts franchisees.
- It plays well with its competition.
Your branding should be bold, right off the bat. It should be straightforward so that it quickly resonates with your audience. Take M-GAS’ branding, for example. We designed their brand identity keeping in mind that it represented the brand’s history, but also expressed its reliability and timelessness. It’s the visualization of the brand’s strength, which is a motif when it comes to business franchises.
2. Consistency is key 🔑
When you franchise your business, you’ll be working with partners who aren’t a part of your in-house employees. Namely, your in-house designers. Because of this, your franchisees are easily susceptible to mishandle your brand if they wield it unguided. That’s why it’s necessary (and a non-negotiable) to establish a design system and brand guidelines. This will be your single, go-to resource for your brand identity without coming across as being overly protective of your business.
However, as crucial it is to remain in control of your overall brand, you should also give your franchisees autonomy. You should allow your franchisees enough flexibility to be able to tailor individual pieces of collateral (digital or physical) to suit their needs. Provide them with the tools to create their own marketing and advertising campaigns, which will be aligned with your business’ identity and message, thanks to your brand guidelines.
Following your brand’s guidelines will result in cohesive-looking collaterals, no matter who your franchisee is and where they choose to set up their business. Take a look at Hello Beef! and Mr. Kimbob’s kiosk designs that abide by their respective brand systems. They’re true to their brand identities but are adaptive at the same time.
3. Make a franchise onboarding kit 📁
Franchisees are investors. Making a compelling first impression will make or break your business proposition. To effectively seal the deal, have a beautiful presentation, interactive videos, and leave-behinds because these things will make your pitch more memorable. Like we stated above, it’s never a bad idea to franchise your business. It’s also never a bad idea to go the extra mile in making sure you have people on board. Be meticulous, it never hurt!
To summarize: make an excellent first impression, be bold with your branding, and prioritize consistency. Make sure to cascade that message with your franchisees. These guidelines will launch your business into the stratosphere and become a “known and loved” brand, like many others in the country.
And while sealing the deal with franchisees is the goal, never forget about your customers, too. That should be every entrepreneur’s #1 concern over anything, but it still needs to be said. All this hard work in creating a good brand is for their satisfaction and trust. Without them, there wouldn’t be any business to franchise. Or any business at all.
With that being said, if you’re a business owner eyeing to franchise your brand, we’re here to help! Strengthening brands is our forte, among other things. If you’re feeling up to it, send us a message at hello@sundayelephant.ph to get started. We’d be stoked to have you on board.
