Q&A with Brandi Kloostra: Vice President of Digital Marketing at Franworth

When it comes to franchise marketing, insights and expertise are essential for businesses aiming to thrive and grow. Today, we delve into franchise marketing with Brandi Kloostra, vice president of digital marketing at Franworth, a company known for nurturing emerging franchise brands through mentorship.

What do you like most about working in franchising? The ability to have an impact on so many business owners, families, and communities at once. For example, sharing a single success story or lessons learned can help grow many small businesses at once and positively affect a whole system, simply through best practices sharing and replication. As a Franworth team member, I work with many brand founders whose tenacity and drive are inspiring. It is so rewarding to help a new brand put systems in place to accelerate their business growth as they prepare to scale.

Which brand are you most excited about going into 2024? For 25 years, I’ve always worked for a franchisor with multiple brands, and I’ve learned it is impossible to pick a favorite child. That being said, I am very excited about The Milkshake Factory. In less than a year, I’ve watched this family business based in Pittsburgh evolve into a full-blown franchisor. Not only are their products unique and delicious, they genuinely care for people and want to bring the simple joys of life to communities. They just started franchising in May 2023 and have already sold 43 units. However, all Franworth brands are unique, many with recurring revenue and multiple revenue streams. In addition to The Milkshake Factory, our current portfolio includes sugaringLA, The Lash Lounge, Garage Kings, MosquitoNix, and HealthSource Chiropractic.

Why is marketing essential in any franchise? Marketing is essential to create brand awareness and drive demand for your products or services so your brand shows up when potential customers search online or need your service. Marketing is also essential for customer retention. Increase customer loyalty by engaging with customers regularly to build trust and long-term relationships, leading to recurring revenue.

What is the most important tool in marketing a franchise? Based on my experience in marketing many businesses, the most important tool in marketing is Google, and being familiar with and knowing how to use every tool in their toolbox.

Where do you think the future of franchise marketing is headed? Future franchise digital marketing is going toward individual targeting based on cell phone behavior (versus IP addresses or search engines/social channels). Marketers must work toward building relationships with consumers through storytelling. In a world of AI-dominated algorithms, we will all need human skills and emotions to capture new customers. Consumers will revisit what matters and want to lean toward intentional spending, with brands that are doing good things in their community and for the environment. AI will play a key role in getting back to customers/leads providing immediate gratification and building trust (if done right).

What advice would you give to new franchise owners? Follow the model, find a mentor, and, as Richard Branson says, “Treat your employees well, and they’ll treat the customers well."

What advice would you give established franchise owners looking for the next big thing? Look at your network and see if there’s a new franchise brand you can mentor, as there’s no bigger reward than giving back to a fellow franchise. Suppose an established franchise owner is looking for the next big thing. In that case, look at increasing sales with existing customers, as it’s at least five times more expensive to gain a new customer as it is to keep an existing one.