Many people think of franchise systems as marketing machines. Yet not all companies have a clear brand positioning strategy. As a consequence, some struggle to gain franchisee engagement and confidence in both brand and marketing execution.
Issues often manifest in group marketing fund discussions where, to franchisees, decisions maybe questioned, planning appears short-term, and reporting maybe infrequent or light. In our experience, a step back is often needed, to think about what sits behind both marketing and franchisee operational execution.
At a basic level a clear brand positioning strategy is important for explaining to franchisees who the business is, what it is trying to achieve, what the brand elements are, how the brand is positioned in the market, and how everyone needs to market and operate to execute in unison to achieve the desired positioning.
A clear brand positioning strategy is therefore important as a pre-step for explaining how marketing and business execution fits in. A long-term brand positioning strategy is important for explaining how marketing and business activities need to evolve over time.
A clear brand positioning strategy involves consideration of your overall business strategy, along with understanding and research of your target market and customers. The future brand positioning strategy work then follows.
Considerable work in this area is important, including the involvement of franchisees, and often outside specialists, so that franchisees can be brought along on the journey and can feel confident that their franchisor knows what they are doing, have a sound vision for the business and brand, and, in turn, make the most effective use of any brand / marketing / advertising resources.
Franchisees naturally expect the franchisor to be a marketing expert. A clear brand positioning strategy is needed to demonstrate the franchisor knows what they are doing and heading down the right path.
Relevant questions:
- Do you have a long-term brand positioning strategy?
- If so, how will your franchisees (and franchisor business) need to evolve what they do to meet your long-term brand positioning vision?
About the Franchising Best Practice 500 Series
This is part of a series of franchising best practices. Franchize Consultants is sharing and publishing these best practices weekly for the betterment of franchising. We know that better knowledge and execution of franchising best practices leads to bigger and more valuable franchisor and franchisee businesses.
We have assembled the first 40 best practices into The Best Practice Handbook, which is available for purchase.
