CUPP On Brand On Demand print portal by Yellow Slate Design
As a franchise network grows, keeping everyone on the same page becomes harder. Head office needs to protect the brand, while individual franchisees need the freedom to promote their own locations, run local offers and make the most of opportunities as they arise.
It's a balance that isn't always easy to get right.
For many businesses, local marketing still relies on a combination of emails, shared folders and requests sent back and forth between franchisees and the marketing team. A simple flyer can turn into a lengthy process, and the more locations you have, the more difficult it becomes to keep on top of everything.
Give franchisees too little freedom and they become frustrated with the time it takes to get things done. Give them too much and you risk ending up with a different version of your brand in every location.
We believe there's a better way to manage it.
Bringing franchise marketing into one place
Yellow Slate Portals gives franchise networks a central place to manage their marketing, with professionally designed templates, digital assets and print ordering all under one roof.
The idea is straightforward. Head office has control over the artwork and brand guidelines, while franchisees can access what they need and make changes specific to their location.
Templates are designed and approved in advance, with built-in restrictions to protect important brand elements such as logos, colours and layouts. Franchisees can add their own details, offers and local information without having to worry about getting the branding wrong.
It means fewer requests landing in the marketing team's inbox and less time spent recreating artwork that's already been produced elsewhere in the network.
From template to finished print
One of the things that makes Yellow Slate Portals different is that it doesn't stop at digital artwork.
Through our experience as a design and print agency, we know that creating the artwork is only part of the job. Someone still needs to get it printed, delivered and ready to use.
That's why our portals can include print ordering and fulfilment, allowing franchisees to order materials directly through the platform and have them delivered to their location.
Need social media graphics instead? These can be downloaded and published locally. Need posters, flyers, banners or other promotional materials? They can be made available through the same system.
There's also the option to upload your own artwork for print, with brand sign-off available where required.
It's a more joined-up approach to franchise marketing, with the creative work and physical materials coming from the same place.
What can you manage through a portal?
Every network has different requirements, so portals can be tailored around the way your business operates.
Some of the features available include:
Branded artwork templates: A library of professionally designed materials that franchisees can customise within set brand guidelines.
Digital and social assets: Downloadable artwork for social media and other digital channels.
Print ordering: Order flyers, posters, leaflets and other printed materials directly through the portal.
Merchandise: Make items such as A-boards, flyer holders, balloons and other promotional materials available to locations.
Central asset library: Keep logos, photography, brand guidelines and other important resources in one accessible place.
Approval processes: Set up sign-off where certain artwork or requests need to be checked before going live.
User permissions: Control who can access, edit and order different materials.
Reporting: Get a better understanding of what locations are using and how marketing resources are being used.
Not every business needs all of these features. The portal can be set up around your network, rather than asking you to change the way you work to fit the software.
Making life easier across the network
The benefits aren't limited to one part of the business.
For head office, it means having a much clearer view of what's being produced and used across the network. Brand guidelines are built into the templates, rather than relying on every franchisee remembering a document they've probably got saved somewhere.
For marketing teams, it takes away a lot of the repetitive work. Instead of responding to the same requests from different locations, they can spend more time on campaigns and the wider marketing strategy.
And for franchisees, it means being able to get things moving themselves. They can promote a local offer, update their details or order printed materials without having to start from scratch or wait for someone to create the artwork.
Built around your brand, whatever your industry
We've seen how different franchise networks can be in the way they approach marketing.
A fast-moving food and drink brand has very different requirements to a health and wellness business, while a business operating in a more sensitive sector needs to consider tone and presentation just as carefully as its visual identity.
Our work with brands including GDK, Get A Drip and Hurlet demonstrates how different those requirements can be.
That's why we don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. The portal should reflect your brand, your locations and the way your teams actually work.
A portal that can grow with you
Whether you're looking to improve the way an established network manages its marketing or putting better systems in place as you expand, the platform can grow alongside your business.
There are different subscription options depending on what you need, including print-only, download-only and combined packages covering both.
You can start with the essentials and build from there as your requirements change.
Let's make franchise marketing easier
Your franchisees know their local markets, and your head office knows your brand. Yellow Slate Portals brings the two together, giving everyone the tools to do what they do best.
With ten years of design, marketing and print experience behind us, we understand that good marketing needs to work beyond the screen. It needs to be practical, consistent and easy for people across your business to use.
On Brand. On Demand.
If you're looking for a better way to manage marketing across your franchise network, we'd love to show you what Yellow Slate Portals can do.
