Write Yourself Into Franchising Success
By Adrienne Moch
Senior Writer
As you begin your journey into franchising, you’ll likely be faced with many new and perplexing challenges. The Franchise Maker will help you with many of them, but in some cases may only suggest avenues for you to pursue to heighten your chances of being successful. That being said, you might wonder why writing would be of concern to a franchisor.
You’ve probably heard the age-old question: “If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it make a sound?” The following modern update is more relevant to a franchisor: “If you create a great system and you’re having a hard time attracting franchisees, is your message really getting out there?”
When you are ready to award franchises, there may be any number of reasons why you may be challenged in your quest to attract franchisees, but our focus here is on substandard or unprofessional writing. So much communication occurs on paper or via the Internet; crucial first impressions are often formed before any actual conversation has occurred…through the written word.
Franchisors can’t afford to turn people off because they don’t have the ability to communicate well in writing. Keep in mind that when marketing for franchise opportunities, you’re marketing yourself, and a big part of that is the franchise image. You’re asking entrepreneurs (potential franchisees) to make significant investments, so you must impress them not only with your system…but with the way you communicate it.
This doesn’t mean you need someone looking over your shoulder every time you send out an e-mail. On the other hand, if you know that grammar and spelling are not your strong suits, you may want to limit your written communication, or take advantage of our writing and editing resources for major projects.
Here are just a few ways that our writing support services can help you project a professional image:
- Writing or editing copy for franchise advertising vehicles such as web portals, articles for industry magazines, e-mail blasts, press releases, newsletters and more
- Writing or editing marketing collateral developed to help franchisees attract consumers (working in concert with our graphic designer)
- Editing written documents created to support franchisees, such as operations manuals
Remember, errors in your writing not only bring down your image a notch or two, but they make it more difficult for readers to accurately comprehend your message. Unfortunately, the bottom line may be missed franchise sales. Providing you with access to writing and editing support is one more way we add value to your franchise enterprise, facilitating your success.
Writing is critically important when it comes to building a brand for your franchise. You may choose to create or already have marketing collateral for your franchisees to use and you may be obligated to give them a website. Professional copy will impress readers, add to your brand’s credibility, and reflect positively on your franchisees; the opposite will occur if your verbiage doesn’t sparkle.
Having your written materials either written by a professional business writer or edited by one could be a differentiator in your quest to both attract franchisees and professionally build your brand. As Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, said, “the pen is the tongue of the mind,” and this is still true today, updated by substituting “computer keyboard” for “pen.”
About the Author
Adrienne Moch, The Franchise Maker’s senior writer, has more than 25 years of experience as a journalist, corporate communicator, newsletter writer and public relations professional.
Her work has been recognized by various organizations with writing and marketing awards. A Chicago native who now lives in San Diego, Adrienne is committed to adding intrinsic value to every one of our franchise systems by focusing on the importance of verbiage as a key to developing a professional image and brand.
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