Veterans Day, Mission-Driven Growth, and GEO for Franchises

Vern Nicholson

Now, if you’ve caught any of the last couple episodes—like when we talked about supporting brands with purpose or, heck, even my tell-all about agency life—you know that I never stray far from the mission metaphor. Service sticks with you. When I made the jump from military life to franchise strategy, the biggest lesson I carried over was that nobody wins alone. You need real accountability, you gotta prep like you mean it, and you better deliver on your word. That’s how we operate at Vetro Media, and, honestly, it’s how I expect every brand we partner with to think.

Vern Nicholson

This year for Veterans Day, our team at Vetro Media wanted to do something actually helpful, not just a pat on the back. So—we’re giving select franchise brands free creative assets and quarterly press releases. Not the filler stuff—high impact creative that moves the needle for your lead pipeline and gets your brand into the right conversations for more exposure and better engagement.

Vern Nicholson

I’m not gonna lie, there are still a ton of franchisors out there who think visibility is just buying ads and calling it a day. But it’s not. Authority comes from having your story out in the world, being quoted, being referenced. That’s why earned press still has so much sway. When we help get your message out—clean, focused, strategic—it’s like giving your squad the exact gear they need on a tough deployment, instead of just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best.

Vern Nicholson

To me, these givebacks aren’t a sales tactic; it’s just what you do when you know what it feels like to have people counting on you. In the Navy, we’d prep for missions by double-checking everything—gear, plans, comms—because even one missed detail could cost you. In franchise marketing, it’s the same idea: sharp strategy, right assets, total alignment. The mission doesn’t win itself.

Vern Nicholson

And if you’re a veteran moving into the franchise world, or a founder trying to support vets, let this serve as a little nudge. Use smart resources. Ask for help. Stand for something bigger than just bottom-line numbers. At Vetro, our door’s open. Every single day we try to honor service not just in words, but in how we back up franchisors and their teams.

Vern Nicholson

So, on a day like today, supporting service means equipping people with the right tools—whether they’re in uniform or in a boardroom. That’s the only way missions, in or out of the military, really succeed.

Vern Nicholson

I want to get into the brass tacks of what’s next for franchise growth, and this one’s gonna sound a bit technical, but stick with me—it’s more important than ever. If you listen to Episode 8, or, honestly, even last week’s deep dive on global brand expansion, you’ve already heard me say this: GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, is the new frontier for discovery.

Vern Nicholson

Let’s break it down. SEO, old-school search engine optimization, is—well, it’s table stakes. The way folks are searching now? It’s through generative AI like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or whatever pops up next. They’re typing or even speaking, “Best franchise for veterans,” or “What franchise can I start with under 100k?” And those bots? They don’t just regurgitate a list. They pull data from what they've been trained on, build a short list, and essentially rubber-stamp a handful of brands. If your brand isn’t in that mix—guess what? You’re invisible.

Vern Nicholson

So, let me say this as clear as I can: GEO’s all about making sure your story is AI-ingestible. What does that mean? Structure your content so AI can read and trust it. Get cited across authoritative sources. Create direct, answer-based content that these engines want to grab and serve up when the question hits. This is not “maybe next year” stuff—it’s happening right now.

Vern Nicholson

Here’s an example: We worked with a franchise brand—can’t share the name just yet—that was getting a ton of traditional traffic, fine leads, all the usual playbook stuff. But when we ran our audit, it turns out they were nowhere to be found in the major generative platforms. No citations, no references, not even a single mention showing up when AI models got asked. We fixed that. Tweaked their content, reinforced their authority, built clear data trust. Month later? They start getting surfaced in AI recommendations, which, side note, brought in leads that were 30% more qualified than before. If they’d waited until the next annual budget cycle? Would’ve missed the boat—no question.

Vern Nicholson

And, this ties into another big thing—whether to renew your marketing contracts or platforms. Don’t just go through the motions. Do a real audit. Like, before the next deployment, you check your gear, you check your team, you check the plan. Same here: inspect your data, test your creative, benchmark your costs, look for white-space your competitors can’t see. If your partner isn’t talking about GEO, or can’t show you exactly where you stand—you owe it to your brand to find out.

Vern Nicholson

At the end of the day, leadership means you don’t commit until you’re confident. GEO is not a buzzword. It’s where your next great franchisee will find you—or overlook you. Treat it with the seriousness it deserves, and push your team to verify before you invest another dollar. That’s not just marketing. That’s smart, mission-driven leadership—and that’s how you’re gonna keep building a resilient, future-ready brand.