Discover strategies for crafting a brand story that connects and converts.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- If your differentiation strategy looks or sounds like your competitors, it probably isn’t doing your brand any favors.
- A unique brand story can set your franchise offering apart, convert leads and help prospective buyers connect with your core values.
- By learning the difference between brand identity and marketing fluff, you can improve your brand positioning and stand out in a competitive space.
As a franchisor, knowing how to identify gaps in your brand story and build a unique pathway to growth is critical for success.
Too often, though, new and emerging brands approach content and syndication in generic ways that prioritize form over substance. This common mistake can lead to a homogenized marketplace where competitors often look and sound the same – and miss out on opportunities to set themselves apart during the franchise sales process. So how can franchisors avoid the trap of repetition and differentiate their brands in a crowded space?
In this article, we’ll explore strategies for crafting a compelling brand story that connects and converts – without all the fluff.
Why should franchisors craft a unique brand story?
As a franchisor, building a compelling brand story and sales website is critical for growth. In addition to clarifying your brand positioning, a well-crafted brand story can differentiate your offering and give you an advantage over competitors in your space. A strong founder’s story can also help prospective buyers connect with your brand’s vision, mission and values.
Strategies for Improving Your Brand Story
Despite its importance, new and emerging franchisors often struggle to determine the story their brand is trying to tell. Instead, they use generic content that sounds similar to other brands – putting them at a potential disadvantage in a competitive industry. To avoid those mistakes, it’s important to define your brand identity and follow best practices to tell your story in a unique way that connects with your target audience.
1. Highlight your differentiators
It’s easy for new and emerging franchisors to fall into the trap of believing that their brand is the same as their competitors. After all, a doughnut shop is a doughnut shop – right? Although your products and services might be similar, the difference is often hidden in the details.
To highlight the qualities that differentiate your franchise offering from competitors, consider the following points when crafting your brand story:
- Why you, why now? Why is your brand the best at what it does? Why should a buyer choose you over a competitor right now?
- “Three uniques.” What are the top three qualities that make your brand stand out? How do those qualities differentiate your brand from its competitors?
- Transformation. What specific training and support do you offer to help franchisees succeed as business owners? How will investing in your brand transform the lives of franchisees and their families?
As a franchisor, it can sometimes be challenging to evaluate your brand’s differentiators. Because of that, seeking an outside adviser can be useful for ensuring that your franchise offering’s true value is reflected in your brand story.
2. Define your core values
When asked about their brand’s core values, new franchisors often recite principles that sound good but are difficult to put into practice. Instead, try identifying the actionable values that drive your brand’s operations – like greeting customers with a smile, remembering their names and saying goodbye when they leave.
To effectively communicate your brand’s actionable core values, consider the following:
- Practicality. Are your company’s top five core values truly actionable, or do they just sound good on paper?
- Impact. How does your brand positively impact the communities it serves? Do your products or services benefit underprivileged populations? Does your brand solve a specific problem?
- Reality. Are your professed values part of your franchisees’ and customers’ real experience with your brand on a daily basis?
By identifying your core values and incorporating them into your brand story, you can set your offering apart from competitors and attract like-minded candidates whose values align with yours.
3. Know your audience
The message your brand story conveys should depend on your prospective buyers’ needs, interests and goals. Because of that, it’s important to know who your target audience is and deliver the information they want and care about.
To make sure you’re telling the right story to the right people, consider which topics your target buyer would want to learn about, including but not limited to the following:
- Return on investment. If your target audience is a major investor or private equity firm, consider focusing on numbers, figures and data while adhering to all federal and state franchise regulations.
- Transformation. Does your target audience want to make a lifestyle change or build a legacy? Consider shifting the focus onto the ways your offering can transform their lives.
- Values. If your target audience cares about making a difference in the world, show them how your brand contributes to the greater good.
By delivering the right message to your target audiences, you can help prospective buyers understand the opportunities your brand offers without making them search for the information.
4. Embrace multimedia storytelling
In today’s digital world, leveraging digital media can help you reach your target audiences more effectively as a franchisor. Telling your story online – and through video – can also help prospective buyers find and connect with your brand more easily.
To ensure that you’re making the most of your options, evaluate the following aspects of your multimedia marketing strategy:
- Sales website. A compelling franchise sales website that tells a unique story about your brand can make a great first impression and set your offering apart from competitors online.
- Video storytelling. Video can be a great medium for sharing your founder’s story and forming an emotional connection with prospective franchisees whose values are aligned with your brand’s mission.
- Optimization. Optimizing your website for SEO and AI-SEO can improve your brand’s visibility online and help you reach audiences who are interested in learning more about your business.
By embracing multimedia storytelling and leaning into video and SEO optimization, you can boost your franchise offering’s visibility, form connections and attract the right audience.
Mistakes to Avoid When Crafting Your Brand Story
When the story you’re trying to tell about your brand isn’t clear, it can be tempting to mimic competitors in your industry. However, generic messaging and marketing “fluff” can sometimes turn prospective buyers off, leading to missed opportunities for growth.
To ensure that your messaging is uniquely on-brand, evaluate your brand story for these common mistakes:
- Generic statements.
Could your sales website’s headline apply to any brand in your industry? If so, consider assessing your brand’s “uniques” to differentiate it from competitors. - Skipping your founder's story.
Putting a face on your brand can build connections with candidates who want to know about your journey and purpose as a franchisor. - Overlooking validation.
The franchisee experience matters to prospective buyers. How has your brand transformed the lives of its franchisees? How does your company impact the communities it operates in? - Generic statistics.
Citing the value of your industry, rather than your brand’s unit economics or ROI (within the limits of state and federal franchise laws), can be a red flag for franchise buyers who value transparency. - Telling instead of showing.
Don’t be afraid to dive deep and show candidates what you have to offer. What training and support do you provide franchisees? What are the economic advantages of investing in your franchise system? How are your territories structured?
As a franchisor, it’s also important to avoid offering too much or too little information about your brand online. Instead, leave your audience a little bit curious – and give them a way to connect with you to learn more about franchise opportunities.
Closing Thoughts
When you aren’t sure which story your brand is trying to tell, it can be tempting to copy what other brands are doing. But while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it usually isn’t the best way to grow a business. Instead, it’s important to craft a unique brand story that differentiates your offering from competitors and gives it an edge in a crowded marketplace.
Because generic messaging and marketing “fluff” can drive away prospective buyers, it’s also important to define your brand identity. By distinguishing your franchise offering’s unique differentiators, actionable core values and target demographics while embracing multimedia strategies, you can tell a unique story about your brand that connects with the right audiences, converts franchise leads and leaves potential candidates wanting more.
Because new and emerging franchisors sometimes struggle to identify weaknesses in their messaging, hiring an outside expert to audit your brand story can be helpful. By working with an experienced consultant to craft a compelling and original brand story, you can ensure that your offering will stand out in a crowded space and reach the right audience over time.
Watch the full webinar below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Effective brand stories highlight the unique qualities that differentiate a franchise offering from similar competitors. Strong brand stories often forge emotional connections with prospective buyers by explaining the founder’s background, describing the brand’s mission and values, and highlighting the impact the brand has on franchisees and local communities.
When a franchisor is working to grow and scale their business, auditing their brand message can identify weaknesses that may lead to missed opportunities for growth. By evaluating their franchise sales website, brand story and pitch deck, franchisors can fill in gaps and craft brand stories that stand out in a crowded marketplace.
It can be difficult for franchisors to identify gaps in their brand’s storytelling and marketing strategies on their own. Because of that, working with an experienced consultant can be useful for identifying weaknesses and crafting compelling brand stories that connect and convert leads.
