The Importance of A Strong Franchise Brand
There are numerous advantages to franchising, not least of which is the benefit of representing a nationally recognized brand name. A powerful brand brings customer awareness to your business before you’ve even opened your doors. Brand awareness is part of a symbiotic relationship between franchisors and franchisees.
No matter whether you own a restaurant, tire store, or provide any other type of product or service, a recognizable brand is crucial to your success. Here are some reasons why the power of the brand is so important to franchise owners:
- Brand awareness builds a strong reputation intended to attract customers. Effective branding not only raises public awareness but sets expectations in customers’ minds as to the type of experience or product they can expect from your franchise.
- A strong brand also attracts new franchise owners, further expanding the company, generating more business to provide a reciprocal effect for both loyal customers (more locations = convenience) and franchise owners. Broader brand awareness reduces start-up risks for entrepreneurs interested in opening a franchise.
- It helps you stand out from the pack. Competition in any marketplace can be fierce, particularly in the restaurant world, so a strong brand identity helps differentiate you from others in the minds of customers.
- It fosters loyalty. A powerful brand sends the message to customers that it is strong, engaged, and expanding, ever mindful of their support and feedback.
Through brand awareness, customers can count on a certain type of product or service at any franchise location, making the brand itself a big part of the experience. A franchise is much more than a product or service. Its brand identity should imply an entire network of franchisees dedicated to excellence and potential.
Hallmarks of Excellent Franchise Branding
Often, when you think of a brand, you think of just the logo or company name: Target, McDonald’s, Starbucks. But brand awareness is built around so much more than that.
Whether it’s a local or global franchise, building customer familiarity with the brand is crucial to strengthening the business. Some examples of how franchises do this include:
- Established brands retain a well-developed reputation for excellence through consistent products, service, and marketing endeavors. Newer or smaller brands should have a solid strategy for promoting their business to build a strong, positive reputation.
- Regardless of the size or type of company, the best way to build a brand’s reputation and attract loyal customers is by delivering a world-class customer experience. Successful brands focus on creating great relationships with customers.
- The most successful franchises are constantly growing brand awareness through consistent, evolving marketing campaigns at the global, national, and local levels, adapting to customers’ needs and a changing world.
- The franchisor should provide a cohesive marketing program to all franchise owners to maintain brand consistency and allow each location to shine as part of the brand family.
Benefits of Franchise Brand Awareness
The best franchises provide extensive training and a strong marketing program to help their franchise owners succeed. This level of support and expertise are among the many advantages of franchising. Proven marketing strategies give you the tools to effectively promote your business without having to waste time figuring out what works.
National or regional marketing support is also an instant advantage since many small businesses can’t afford that kind of exposure. In addition, franchise marketing plans guide you along the way, so you can focus on the task at hand – running your business and developing strong customer relationships.
All successful franchises have at least one thing in common; they have built a strong brand that connects with customers on an immediate level through recognition. Having a well-known brand name backing your business is a launchpad for prosperity. An established, positive reputation is worth its weight in gold.
Additionally, access to national marketing and advertising campaigns gives new franchise owners a sense of security in knowing that you have instant, built-in access to a customer base already familiar with your brand and what you have to offer.
You may even be pleased to find customers anxiously awaiting your franchise location’s opening as they have grown to know and love the services your brand will be providing. Brand awareness draws customers to your business from day one.
What Branding Means
Understand how branding impacts different audiences.
For the Customer
Consider your favorite products, restaurants, or services. Each one carries a brand. And if you have habitually frequented or purchased products, you will likely be able to recall the brand easily. In a sense, a brand is a promise between a franchise and its customers. For a franchise, it is the promise to deliver on the quality and consistency you have come to know and enjoy. For the customer, it is the promise to stay loyal and share your love of a particular business with friends and family. That unspoken contract is what makes brand awareness so important.
For guests, Wayback Burgers offers a globally popular burger experience founded on delicious food and quality service. We are always thinking ahead in terms of new flavors and technologies, providing diners with a memorable, crave-able good time.
With over 30 years of restaurant experience and 13 years of franchising, Wayback Burgers has honed its skills at creating a delectable experience for our guests, developing our near-perfect mainstay burger into various options for different palates. Wayback Burgers is constantly innovating its menu to continue growing to target new trends and tastes. Wayback Burgers recognizes that while the classics will never go out of style, there is always room to grow and accommodate a new wave of diners.
For the Franchisee
Effective brand awareness doesn’t simply target the customer but should draw in new franchise owners as well to build on a strong franchise network that will benefit everyone. Some franchisors make the mistake of focusing all of their branding and marketing energy on the customer. But this neglects the most essential asset: the franchisee.
Franchisees are the real key to any brand’s success. They are working day-to-day to provide world-class, in-person service to guests, making the brand what it is. A franchisor could spend millions of dollars on advertising, but it won’t mean a thing if the franchise owners and operators aren’t equally invested in the brand. Wayback Burgers appeals to guests and prospective franchise owners alike.
Wayback Burgers knows that owners don’t necessarily come into the franchising experience with a background in marketing. In addition to extensive training and ongoing support, we welcome new franchise owners with the services of a world-class team of marketing experts to help them grow their business within our strong brand.
Wayback has established its winning brand presence not only through its food and guest service but through partnerships with various national organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Wayback was one of the first fast-casual burger concepts to embrace online ordering technology which proved to make life in 2020 a lot easier for both guests and franchise owners.
Wayback maintains a strong digital presence through our customized phone app and social media platforms and continues to adapt to changing technologies to provide the highest level of interactivity for all our franchisees. Through these endeavors, Wayback Burgers focuses on driving brand awareness through positive, life-changing ways.
Build Your Brand with Wayback Burgers
After opening its first outpost in Newark, Delaware, in 1991, Wayback Burgers has expanded to over 32 states and 15 international territories — thanks to our commitment to quality food, top-notch service, and world-class franchisee relationships.
Wayback Burgers continues to grow. If you’re interested in owning a Wayback Burgers franchise, we invite you to learn more about becoming a part of this globally developing, burger-loving brand.