Why Personal Branding is a Franchisee’s Secret Weapon
Your national brand is a proven asset, delivering recognition and establishing trust. Yet, to truly succeed in your local area, you need to be more than a corporate logo at the front of your shop or the side of your van; you need to stand out as a local leader. This is where the power of personal branding steps in as the vital bridge, closing the chasm between the national franchise brand and the need for deep community connection.
When I was a kid growing up at the YMCA Camp, we had a classic swing bridge. It was made of wooden planks and metal cables, and while it only spanned a small creek, for most kids, crossing it felt terrifying. They’d slowly step on and creep over it, clinging to the sides, eyes fixed on the shaky planks beneath their feet. But for us, the camp kids who lived there, we didn’t just walk or run across it – we fearlessly rode our bikes over it!
We understood that the bridge, despite unnerving in its movement, was structurally sound. Once you committed to the flow and understood its rhythm, that initial fear transformed into exhilarating confidence.
Many franchisees approach building a personal brand with that same trepidation. They hide behind the franchise sign, banking on it like a corporate shield, believing that the brand will do the heavy lifting for them when it comes to delivering a strong marketing message.
Stepping out to become a local leader can feel frightening and shaky at first, but like the swing bridge, the initial fear can quickly give way to a sense of flow once you tackle those first few steps, and the benefits of developing your personal brand are massive.
The key to unlocking this vital influence as a community leader, well known and trusted, is Finding Your Brand True North – a clear direction that ensures you are respected as a business leader in your local area.
Building this magnetic local profile is fundamentally about reaching your community and initiating a cascade of influence that makes you a key opinion leader, someone who is as trusted as the national brand you work under.
The Cascade of Influence concept is where one piece of advocacy generates two or more streams of influence. You only need a handful of other key opinion leaders in your area to become your best word of mouth referral stream to constantly fill your sales funnel. This creates a powerful referral network where recommendations cascade down to your target clients.
Here’s how to take the leap of faith, cross that bridge, and turn intention into influence so your business can attract more of those ideal clients and customers, and you can become the number 1 referred to provider in your area:
- Network with focus: Regularly attending local business and community events increases your chances to create connections with other business owners and leaders, customers, and potential partners. The goal is to build unwavering confidence and a sense of clarity and direction.
- Show up where it matters: Make regular appearances at local school, sports, or community events. Sponsor and support those that match most with your brand values – giving raffle prizes, donations, offering to host or MC, or even run the catering. Even if you’re not an extrovert, you can create team building exercises by simply getting involved. This positions you as an engaged and visible member of the brand, which helps to drive brand awareness and defines your business leadership.
- Find the food chain: Consider the life cycle of your ideal customer and what other services they use. Then cultivate connections with other service providers (accountants, real estate agents, landscapers, pool cleaners…anyone who provides a different service from you to the same audience) and insert yourself into the local ‘food chain’ so you are the obvious next step and your referral business is effortless.
- Lead with purpose: A clear sense of what you want to be known for gives you the direction and meaning required to cut through the noise of an overcrowded market. When you align your personal brand with the franchise brand, you’ll be more motivated to take consistent action to promote yourself and your business, with compelling marketing that fits, engages and connects with your community.
Embracing personal branding as a franchisee is about having the courage to take that first tentative step onto the swing bridge of self-promotion.
When you have a clear message, a map to follow, and the direction and clarity provided by your personal values and motivations, you’re on your true north and you can cross any abyss to truly connect and engage with your community.
Take a moment to reflect on why you started in your own franchise business and the impact you want to have on the people you serve. How you want to be known and what you want to be respected for as a business leader. Decide now that it’s your responsibility to promote and market yourself if you want to become the go-to leader in your local area and achieve all of those goals you set when you started out on this entrepreneurial journey.
Lauren Clemett is a personal branding specialist and keynote speaker, helping franchise leaders and teams to stand out from the crowd with marketing that matters, creating a positive team culture, communicating effectively and becoming motivated and energised to lead.
Lauren Clemett is a Keynote speaker, International award-winning Neurobranding specialist and best selling author with over 25 years brand management experience. Lauren shares how to overcome overwhelm and lead with direction, purpose and meaning, making marketing your professional services a walk in the park!
www.yourbrandtruenorth.com