WHY YOU NEED TO TELL YOUR BRANDS STORY

“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or company. It’s not what you say it is, it’s what THEY say it is” – Marty Neumeier

The idea of ‘brand’ is by no means something new, but something that only a very few really grasp the full potential and value of, and those that do, change the world. This might seem like a cliché, can everyone really expect to change world? Maybe not, but you have the chance to build something with meaning, a reason for being outside of making money, to build and enrich the lives of others, to build community, bring people together and share what you’re passionate about.

We live in a rapidly and constantly evolving digital world which is endlessly trying to get our attention, sell us products and services, there are so many alternatives, so many choices, so many decisions to be made as a consumer, there’s always a new collaboration, always a new model, always a new colour, always a new feature, so why should I buy your product or service?

‘Only one competitor can be the cheapest - the others have to use branding. The stronger the brand, the greater the profit margin’ - Marty Neumeier

Ask yourself about the last meaningful or big purchase you made. Why did you buy it? Did you really buy the Apple computer because no other computer will be able to get the job done? Did you really buy those pair of Nike trainers because the other trainers won’t help you run as fast? Does that expensive watch help you tell the time any faster and does that specific car get you from A to B any quicker when you’re sat in endless queues of traffic? Deep down we all know the answer, you made those purchases because of what they stand for and because for you, they help to represent who you are and what you stand for. They elevate the story we tell ourselves of who we are. The truth is, this is no different from the gym you choose or the personal trainer you hire. Build and offer a product that people believe in and that there is no substitute for. Price then has nothing to do with it, people will find the money for what they truly value.

I’m going to take a quick side note here to mention some brands that I personally love and believe really have a grasp on their brand identity; Nike, Apple, Vans, Under Armour and Patagonia to name a few. These are obviously huge brands, but every brand no matter how big started with humble beginnings, Phil Knight, the founder of what became Nike, started selling his shoes from the trunk of his car and Steve Jobs created the first Macintosh in his garage. Want to know what propelled these brands into the behemoths that they are now? Marketing.

“Things don’t have to change the world to be important” – Steve Jobs

So you’ve got a strong grasp of your brand’s identity, you know your purpose, your mission, your why, how are you going to communicate that message? As we’ve established, people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. You’ve got to communicate that why to them. Why is your product or service irreplaceable? Why is there no substitute? You’ve got to tell them your story and your mission.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlItYKCtQ-8

Above you can see a Nike advert produced with Lebron James the NBA great. I’m going to largely let the video speak for itself, but what I will say is that the one ingredient that makes this  advert so powerful, is the story it’s telling. This is the most effective way you can truly connect with your audience, it’s your biggest asset, we’ve all got a story, we’ve all come through struggles and adversity, we’ve all got dreams and aspirations, we all want to reach our full potential, there’s nothing more relatable than your story. So tell it.

What’s the best medium to tell this story? Without a doubt, the most effective way to communicate this is through video. You’ve got access to a laptop or phone and the internet, it costs you nothing to create a social media account, any serious business will have a website, you must, MUST be utilising video. Look at every social media platform and how it’s adapted for video. Even Twitter, traditionally just 140 characters of text now has automatically built in video playing features for its feed. I’m not going to begin throwing statistics at you to explain the effectiveness of video compared to plain text or pictures, you can do that yourself with a quick search in google, but what I will say is this: when you’re scrolling endlessly through Facebook to see what colour socks your neighbour was wearing today, keep in mind what kind of content is grabbing, then keeping your attention.

The good news is you can be utilising video right now. Right this second. Pick up your phone and press record (just made sure that your thumb is out of the way). Recording from your phone has its obvious limitations, but it can be a vital part of your video strategy. Tell your story, for a lot of organic content your phone will suffice to get your message across, if you want to take other pieces of content to the next level to have even more of an impact and add to your brand value, feel free to chat with a Video Producer like myself (my details should hopefully be listed below). Be wary though, I would suggest not every platform is suited for every brand or individual. Want to keep a premium and professional image? I wouldn’t recommend creating a TikTok of you talking to yourself getting dressed in the morning. Want TO tell a well crafted, cinematic and emotive story? Get right to the core of your purpose and impact people the most? YouTube is perfect for that.

People can see when businesses are only interested in making money from a mile away, I truly believe that ironically the more you do something without the sole purpose of making money the more people will buy into it and what you do. But you still need to put it out there. You won’t just grow your audience, but you’ll create a fierce loyalty if you have the right intentions. Create your brand and communicate your message. Look around you (on your phone) and realise how visual the ever-growing ever-evolving digital world is. How are you going to tell your story?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sMBhDv4sik

“Art is difficult, risky, and frightening. It’s also the only option if we choose to care” - Seth Godin

Wriiten by Nathan Cullen

www.nathancullen.co.uk

Email: Nathancullen93@gmail.com

Is buying a fitness franchise right for me?

So having worked with a number of Franchise brands over the past few years you would expect me to be a completely sold by the Franchise model that is sweeping the UK. Whilst they do have huge benefits for potential new business owners they are not always the right solution for everyone. I will try and cover the benefits of both angles as to to give you a better insight into what could be the best choice for you if you are thinking of setting up your own gym business

So lets start with what the Benefits of the Franchise model. Its important to note that these are the generic benefits and the quality of the service and support delivered can vary massively across the brands. Some for instance will provide you with a pre-sale manager to guide you through the site up process, others with provide you with telephone support. I will cover another time of what you should look for when doing your due diligence on a franchise business

Benefits of Joining a Fitness Franchise:

• Franchising has been proven to have a higher initial success rate than those businesses setting out on their own. With upwards of 70% of new businesses closing within the first 2 years this can be an important factor
• The Franchise will have already established a certain percentage of market share
• You have a brand name to use and promote
• Often no prior experience is needed
• You have access to a supplier network with pre-agreed favourable terms
• Many will provide national marketing initiative to drive the brand and company promotions
• Techniques, workouts and training methods will have already been created
• Operational guidelines, staffing structures, cost analysis etc will already be in place
• Funding channels will be in place to enable you to access leasing options for equipment. Banks and finance companies are more likely to lend to a Franchise supported business than as an individual
• Dedicated Franchise support
• Technically you don’t need any fitness experience.

Then disadvantages of a Franchise Model

• Your upfront investment is often higher than if were to research and find suppliers yourself
• You are restricted by the franchise model and so are expected to follow the model to the letter
• You are obliged to maintain the investment protocols they set
• There will be restrictions on the suppliers you can use and sometimes this actually leads to higher running costs
• You are restricted to the programs and activities you can perform
• Less opportunity to add your personality to the facility as the brand will always come first
• It is harder to create independent relationships with other businesses
• You may find over time that franchise support/audits become intrusive
• The inflexibility of a franchise model can restrict your ability tom adapt to local market conditions and changes
• Your vision for the future direction of the brand or business may differ and as you are not a shareholder in the main business your say is nothing more than just feedback
• Selling a franchise business does not yield the same returns as you do not own the intellectual property, the brand or ven the members.

The other things to remember:

• A Franchise will have commercial arrangements with almost all their key suppliers. This means that everyone from the builder to the software supplier is paying the Master franchisee a kick back to provide you a service
• You have to pay a significant fee upfront to purchase a territory as well as the monthly fee which is often a set fee or a percentage of your revenue
• Your upfront investments are almost always more expensive than originally quoted. This is not directly the Franchises fault as costs will vary depending on the location you get. However, I can guarantee that they will sell the package based on the lower estimate.
• Not all franchises have a national coverage and so a franchise business with a predominantly London set up is unlikely to have any brand presence up North. This being the case are you benefiting from being part of their brand? In fact the Franchise is probably gaining more out of the bargain than you
• Not all franchises invest in National marketing campaigns and use the franchise network growth as the way of growing their brand presence
• Don’t go into the process believing they are the best value for money. A successful independent club has the potential of making higher profits.
• Franchising is definitely not risk free and success is not guaranteed. Whilst the risk is lessened there are certainly may examples of Franchise businesses failing in all of the major Fitness Franchise chains.. Don’t convince yourself the Franchise will save you if you run into trouble as they simply wont as that is not their role
• While no experience in the chosen industry is essential it is recommended

I have worked with some amazingly successful franchise clubs who are incredibly happy with their decision to do so. I would also recommend anyone that does not have a fitness business background to open up communications with the variety of Franchise businesses to ascertain one that suits you best.

What I would say though is that you do your research, not only on the brand but on their future growth plans, what support you will receive and how much they invest on growing the brand themselves.

Franchises definitely have their place in the market and for many are great investments for the right people. However, if you want control on the brand, style of service you deliver and you have the business acumen and the experience in Fitness they may in fact not be the right choice for you..

Final thought is, if you have the confidence and desire to own your own fitness business then why be part of someone else’s success when you could create your own. I would strongly advise running your plan past a fitness business consultant who would happily advise on what they though was the best route for you and your experience.