We are pleased to welcome Becky Doherty to the BrandDemand team. Becky joins us as an Account Executive and Designer after transferring from another department last month. Some of you will have already had the pleasure of dealing with her.
Becky is an avid Family Guy fan and is addicted to Game of Thrones!
Last week we travelled to Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire to attend the BFA Annual Conference. We have been a BFA Brand Partner since 2012 and enjoy these opportunities to catch up with existing clients and to introduce the BrandDemand system to new franchise networks.
Congratulations should be sent out to existing BrandDemand clients, Right at Home, Pirtek and Chemex who all won awards for various franchise achievements.
James Scheck and Anna Boulton from the BrandDemand team made the long journey down to Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales at the weekend to attend the TaxAssist Accountants Annual Conference.
James and Anna, who make up the TaxAssist Accountant’s Client Service Team, took an array of samples with them to show new and existing franchisees the range of marketing collateral that is available for them to personalise and order via the web-to-print system.
The showcase also allowed new franchisees to meet James and Anna in person, pictured here after their jaunt to Newport. James said of the event,
“It is a good opportunity for us to put faces to names and to answer any questions that the network may have. We also particularly enjoyed the buffet lunch!”.
Leaflets, flyers and brochures are a great way to market your business, but press adverts are also an important part of the marketing mix.
Ensure that your Brand remains protected in press adverts with the PDF download feature in BrandDemand.
This feature allows your users to personalise branded press adverts and easily download a PDF ready to send to a magazine or newspaper.*
What do I need to do?
Just send us a copy of the artwork you want to make available for press adverts, tell us which areas can be edited, and we’ll add a new template to your branded microsite for your users to edit and download.
Want to restrict access?
No problem, just tell us who is allowed to order the press adverts and we’ll make sure only they have access to it.
Try it today
This feature is included in the BrandDemand web-to-print system.
If you already have a system in place speak to your Client Service Team about adding press adverts.
If you don’t yet have a system, call us on 0161 848 5707 to find out more or to arrange an online demo.
* PDF generation charges apply.
Hand-holding every print order is a hassle, but ever wish you could review some orders BEFORE they got printed?
The ‘Approval+‘ feature in the BrandDemand system lets you do exactly that. This nifty feature gives you the opportunity to double check and approve artwork before the order is immortalised in print.
How does it work?
Users still place orders online in the usual way but instead of going straight to print the orders are routed to a nominated contact at Head Office. This contact will have the opportunity to double check the order before finally approving it for print.
Do I need to check every order?
No. This feature can be enabled for new or inexperienced users and disabled for experienced users who really understand your brand guidelines.
How do I get this?
This feature is included in the BrandDemand web-to-print system.
If you already have a system in place speak to your Client Service Team about how you can enable this feature.
If you don’t yet have a system, call us on 0161 848 5707 to find out more or to arrange an online demo.
We’ve been reading the latest copy of Elite Franchise magazine this month which inspired us to do a bit of number-based research into the franchise world. Franchising is big business. Take a look at these impressive numbers:
£13.4 billion annual turnover across the UK franchise industry;
929 franchisor brands operating in the UK;
594,000 people employed in franchising in the UK;
3.5% increase in the number of British brands turning to franchising last year.
Coupled with the fact that a new start up franchise business is more likely to survive the crucial first year of business when compared to a non franchised start up, it’s easy to understand why it’s on the up!
The BrandDemand team are excited to be exhibiting at the Franchise Supplier Showcase this year. The event year will be held at Warwick University on Thursday 7th November 2013 and gives franchisors the opportunity to talk to franchise-specific suppliers.
Throughout the event there will be demonstrations of the BrandDemand system in action and opportunities to speak to experienced account managers about how the system could help your franchise network.
If you are a franchisor and need to find a simpler way to streamline the print requirements of your network then come and talk to us at this event.
We look forward to seeing you there!
A major survey by US firm Franchise Direct pointed towards the ‘Brand’ being the third most important consideration for prospective new franchisees. Think about the journey of a prospective franchisee. How many of your franchises will they visit? What will their impressions be of your Brand? How consistent will your Brand appear from one franchise to another? This will certainly affect the number of franchises that you grant. Branding is complex, but at its nucleus, consistency is paramount. Sally Butters, Director of Media at Coconut Creatives supports this view: ‘Brand consistency is at the heart of every brand, no matter what the size or nature of the business.’ Uniformity across signage, packaging, web and printed marketing collateral is a challenge for any corporate, made more complex across a franchise network. So where do you start? Do the simple things first. Ensure the flyers, business cards, posters, leaflets, and brochures used across your network are consistent. Leave it to the franchise to choose a printer – the chances are your branding will become diluted. Conversely, centralise the print buying process and be burdened with bureaucracy. Embracing web-to-print provides a way to manage brand alignment in printed collateral with little bureaucracy. 
BrandDemand is a web-to-print solution that lets your franchisees get on and order their own on-brand marketing collateral. It also includes a suite of management tools to help you monitor the activity throughout your network. To date, 30+ BFA members have adopted BrandDemand including many award winning franchise networks. Mark Llewellyn, Managing Director at Revive! comments: ‘Introducing the BrandDemand system was about getting better brand alignment across our network.’ Call us today to speak to someone about setting up a web-to-print system for your franchise network.
What’s the appeal of stickers?
They’re affordable, fun and you can stick them anywhere you like. You can put whatever you fancy on stickers – your logo, web address, a photograph, a cool illustration. They’re also great for labelling, organising your paperwork and adding to gift boxes. Here’s a few ideas:
Got a logo?
Put it on a sticker. Now you’re ready to put your mark on anything. Perhaps you’re planning a bit of guerrilla marketing, or want to brand everything in sight. It’s a great way to spread the word about your business.
Mailing stickers
Rectangle kiss-cut stickers are ideal to use as mailing stickers. Let your customer know how important they are by adding ‘Urgent’ or ‘Priority’ to their package. They also make great return labels, just add your logo and address.
Filing labels
Create your own labels to stick on the outside of files, no more scribbling out the old title – simply pop a new label over the top and write on the new contents. They’ll look professional and keep everything neat and tidy.
Product packaging
Circular stickers are perfect for sealing wrapping paper or adding to gift boxes. They add a little bit of personalisation that will make your packaging stand out and look professional. Rectangle ones also make great labels for jam and chutney jars.
Give them to your customers
Everyone loves a sticker. Give them out with orders, mail outs and invoices, your customer will stick them to their belongings and be reminded of you. Put together a few designs so they can pick their favourite. They’ll see it again and again as they go throughout their day. Excellent for giving out at events, launches and exhibitions.
Say well done
Stick some praise on your pupils with behaviour and motivational merit stickers. Encourage their attendance and punctuality by awarding them for 100% attendance in a month or being on time all week. Give them a boost by adding stickers to a chart for full marks in a test or outstanding homework.
Name tags
Hosting a network meeting, taking part in an event or exhibition? Let everyone know who’s who by wearing rectangular stickers displaying their name alongside your logo and organisation. Now they’ll remember your name as well as your brilliant ideas.
Stickers can be turned into Templates and added to your BrandDemand system just like any other product. Just decide whether they should be generic (all the same) or personalised (eg. with franchisee or office specific details) and we’ll do the rest.
The BrandDemand web-to-print system from printing.com was showcased at the BFA Annual Conference this month. printing.com is the BFA Brand Partner for web-to-print systems due to their in-depth, practical and personal knowledge of franchising.
It was great to catch up with some of our BrandDemand clients that were at the event, such as Envirovent, and Wilkins Chimney Sweep and also Revive! who went on to win the ‘Brand Builder of the Year’ title at the Franchisor awards ceremony.
We should also say thanks to Simon Bartholomew from Oscar Pet Foods for the mention he gave BrandDemand during his insightful seminar on the importance of local franchisee marketing.
Over the two day conference we heard lots of people talking about franchise recruitment and the importance of brand alignment in portraying a strong image amongst competitors. The BrandDemand system offers one more way to ensure your brand remains strong throughout a growing network and the built in management tools allow you to monitor the use of your brand on a daily basis.
