In this episode of the Franchise Marketer Podcast, I recount how we expanded our franchise network from 2000 to 5700 franchisees across Australia, New Zealand, and Canada within six years.

I share my career transition from law and compliance to digital marketing, inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk's 'Crushing It.' I detail the impact of a viral video in 2019 and the inception of our 'Ask Jim' live Q&A sessions, which humanised our brand and significantly boosted franchise sales.

I discuss the immense power of live video in enhancing transparency and engagement, which is crucial to our growth.

Tune in to learn valuable insights and strategies for scaling your own franchise brand.

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠⁠⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠

Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

In this episode of the Franchise Marketer Podcast, I, Joel Kleber, CMO of Australia's largest franchise, The Jim's Group, dive into the concept of Franchisee-Generated Content (FGC).

I discuss effective strategies for leveraging FGC, including offering incentives, providing training, minimising barriers, and offering editing services.

I share real-world examples from The Jim's Group, showcasing how FGC can significantly enhance engagement and reach.

Tune in to discover how empowering franchisees with the tools and freedom to create content can revolutionise your franchise's marketing efforts.

Grab my Franchise Growth Playbook.

Want to crack the LinkedIn algorithm and create viral content? Discover the exact AI-powered system I used to grow Jim Penman (CEO of Jim's Group) from zero to 30,000 followers and LinkedIn Top Voice status in just 6 weeks.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✔️ The Kleo extension hack for analysing viral posts from top creators

✔️ How to use ChatGPT to reverse-engineer successful LinkedIn content

✔️ The project file system that keeps content authentic while scaling

✔️ Scripe.io - the AI tool that writes in your voice automatically

✔️ Why story-based posts outperform everything else on LinkedIn

✔️ The photo + question formula for maximum engagement

Plus: Get the exact prompts and frameworks I uses to create viral LinkedIn posts that actually convert franchise leads.

Perfect for franchise professionals, marketers, and anyone wanting to build authority on LinkedIn without spending hours writing posts.

Key Timestamps:

• [00:00] - Introduction to AI-powered LinkedIn growth
• [01:00] - The Cleo extension for viral post analysis
• [03:00] - Growing Jim Penman to 30K followers case study
• [05:00] - Scripe.io tool walkthrough and features
• [07:00] - Why LinkedIn is underutilised in franchising

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

With AI search taking over and everyone panicking about the future of SEO, I sat down with Dean Gravina, former Head of SEO at King Kong and Megaphone, to get the real story. What he told me might surprise you.

In this episode, Dean reveals:

✔️ Why he thinks "SEO is dead" panic is just noise (and what's actually changing)

✔️ The 3 SEO fundamentals that work in both Google AND ChatGPT

✔️ When he tells clients to abandon SEO completely (real case study)

✔️ His "CEO email outreach" strategy that's beating traditional link building

✔️ Why local SEO is becoming impossible for small businesses

✔️ The truth about WordPress vs custom sites (controversial take)

✔️ Why most "AI SEO" and "LLM optimisation" terms are marketing BS

Perfect for business owners spending money on SEO and wondering if they're wasting their budget in the AI era.

Dean shares brutal honesty about when SEO works, when it doesn't, and why he sometimes recommends Google Ads over SEO, even as an SEO expert. Plus, real examples from his client work with major Australian brands.

• [00:00] - Dean's journey: From scammed 18-year-old to King Kong SEO head
• [05:00] - What SEO actually means in 2025 (3 core pillars)
• [07:00] - AI search overview: Is it really killing traditional SEO?
• [12:00] - Why big brands dominate AI search results
• [14:00] - How to get mentioned in ChatGPT and AI overviews
• [19:00] - The backlink strategies that actually work today
• [22:00] - Dean's "CEO email outreach" method (genius strategy)
• [25:00] - How AI overview is changing on-page optimisation
• [30:00] - Technical SEO explained: When it matters vs when it doesn't
• [35:00] - Red flags in SEO agency relationships
• [40:00] - AI content: What's working and what Google thinks
• [45:00] - WordPress vs custom sites: Dean's controversial take
• [52:00] - Why local SEO is dying for small businesses
• [57:00] - Real case study: When Dean told a client to stop SEO
• [1:02:00] - Is this the biggest change in SEO history?
• [1:03:00] - Why "LLM optimisation" is mostly marketing noise

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠

Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

What happens when you feed 6 years of content from your CEO into an AI system? I share how they created a digital clone of founder Jim Penman using Delphi AI.

In this episode, discover how I transformed 1.4 million words of content into a 24/7 digital advisor that's handled 817 conversations and 94 hours of chat time. Learn about the practical applications, surprising use cases from franchisees, and why this technology might be the future of business knowledge preservation.

Plus, hear the actual radio interview that put them in the news and get insights into the $16M-funded platform that's helping entrepreneurs digitise their expertise."

• [00:00] - Introduction to AI cloning concept
• [01:00] - How Delphi AI works and setup process
• [03:00] - Usage statistics and business impact
• [05:00] - Unexpected use cases by franchisees
• [07:00] - Technical details and costs
• [10:00] - Radio interview begins

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠

Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

Episode 3: The Only Expensive Video Is One That Doesn’t Convert (with Tim Beanland from Video Authority)

Forget flashy drone shots and corporate polish—your best marketing asset might be sitting on a USB or lost in a podcast episode.

In this episode, Joel chats with Tim Beanland, founder of Video Authority, about:

• Why raw video builds more trust than slick production

• The moment Tim got paid $200 for a podcast clip, and turned it into a business

• How franchise brands can stop wasting money on “branding” and start creating content that actually sells

• What makes a good hook in short form—and why most brands bury their best moments

• How to convince reluctant CEOs to back a long-term video strategy

  Connect with Tim here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tbeanland/

  Timestamps

• [00:01:00] – Tim shares the origin story: from podcast hobby to paid content

• [00:04:30] – What makes video “expensive”—and why most brand content fails

• [00:06:00] – AI’s impact on high-end production and why it makes authenticity more valuable

• [00:09:00] – Long-form vs. short-form: why both matter in franchise recruitment

• [00:11:30] – Real data: a franchisee who watched 1,500+ videos before joining

• [00:13:00] – Using LinkedIn for discovery and trust-building

• [00:15:00] – Why “only 200 views” is actually 200 opportunities

• [00:17:00] – Convincing decision-makers to invest in long-term content

• [00:20:00] – Personal brands vs. company accounts in franchise growth

• [00:24:00] – The secret to finding great short-form hooks inside your conversations

• [00:26:00] – Why the first frame matters more than the first second

  Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

  📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠⁠⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠

  Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

  Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

Want to master short-form content and dominate social search? In this episode, I sit down with Melissa Laurie, founder of Oystery Media and Asia’s leading expert in short-form video strategy.

Melissa has helped brands like Luxury Escapes, RMIT, Hilton, and 3M grow their presence on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts — and today, she’s here to help you do the same.

• What social search is (and why Google is finally taking it seriously)

• Why TikTok’s interest-based algorithm levels the playing field for small brands

• The power of employee-generated content (EGC) and franchisee-generated content (FGC)

• How to optimise short-form video for discoverability on TikTok, Google, and Instagram

• What most marketers get wrong about ROI and content performance

• How to recruit franchisees with content instead of cold ads

If you’re in franchising, marketing, or just trying to grow your brand online, this episode is packed with real tactics you can use right away.

🌐 Website: oysterymedia.com
📱 TikTok: @melissalaurie
💼 LinkedIn: Melissa Laurie

🎙 Hosted by Joel Kleber, CMO of Jim’s Group and Australia’s leading franchise content marketer.

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠⁠⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠

Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

I'm Joel Kleber, host of the Franchise Marketer Podcast.

In this solo episode, I break down how franchisors, founders, and marketers can build authority online and trigger a Google Knowledge Panel.

You’ll learn:

• Why being “Googlable” builds trust

• How I got my own Knowledge Panel

• Simple steps: buy your domain, build a website, align your social profiles

• Use podcasts, blogs, and even a 22-page book to boost visibility

• Claim your panel when it appears

Franchise buyers will Google you—this episode shows you how to shape what they find.

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠⁠⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠

Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

In this episode, I share how we’ve used podcasts at Jim’s to help recruit nearly 2,000 franchisees in under six years.

You’ll hear:

• Why real stories from franchisees build trust

• How I run the podcast each week with tools like Zoom, Calendly, and AI

• What questions I ask to get honest, useful content

• How we turn one episode into blog posts, LinkedIn content, short videos, and more

• What to do if your leadership team still doesn’t see the value

• Tips for getting your founder or CEO involved—even if they hate being on camera

This is the same process I use every week. It works.
If you’re in franchise marketing or recruitment, this will help you get started and keep it going.

🎧 Want to see it in action?

Search for the Jim’s Podcast or the Jim’s Mowing Podcast.

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠⁠⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠

Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!

In the debut episode of the Franchise Marketer Podcast, I interview Glenn Walford, a veteran in franchising in Australia.

Glen shares his journey from the military to franchising, discusses founding FranchiseBuyer.com.au, and emphasises the importance of video content in modern franchise marketing.

The conversation touches on the challenges of shifting from traditional to digital marketing, the rise of founder-led marketing, and the role of franchisee-generated content.

Glenn also introduces the Franchise Business Hub, a space designed for franchise executives to collaborate and leverage content for growth.

The episode concludes with practical advice on video content strategy and engaging franchisees in content creation.

Timestamps 00:00 Introduction to the Franchise Marketer Podcast

00:42 Glen's Journey in Franchising

00:56 The Shift to Digital Marketing

01:44 The Importance of Video Content

04:09 Challenges in Franchise Marketing

08:18 Actionable Advice for Franchise Brands

08:42 The Power of Consistent Content Creation

22:31 Integrating Video into Marketing Strategies

28:49 Founder-Led Marketing and LinkedIn

37:38 Content Distribution and Amplification

40:09 Engaging Video Styles for Short-Form Content

40:42 The Rise of Personal, In-Your-Face Content

42:08 Consistency and Long-Term Content Strategies

42:57 Founder-Led Marketing and Its Impact

44:28 The Importance of Authenticity in Marketing

48:27 American vs. Australian Franchise Content

51:37 Challenges and Strategies in Franchise Content Creation

01:02:51 Encouraging Franchisee-Generated Content

01:13:33 Franchise Business Hub and Future Plans

Ready to grow your franchise like we did? Here's how I can help:

📧 Get my FREE Franchise Growth Playbook - The exact strategies I used to grow Jim's Group by 2,000 franchisees: ⁠⁠⁠https://franchisemarketer.beehiiv.com/⁠⁠⁠

Once you join my newsletter list, you can contact me via that.

Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this with other franchise professionals who need to hear this!