Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Amanda Evans — Senior Vice President of Marketing, Stellar Service Brands

Name: Amanda Evans
Title: Senior Vice President of Marketing
Brand: Stellar Service Brands
Brand Website: https://stellarservicebrands.com/

Amanda Evans, senior vice president of marketing at Stellar Service Brands, brings a unique perspective to franchise marketing — one shaped not only by years of industry experience but also by her time as a franchisee. That dual background informs how she and her team approach their work: with a focus on helping franchise owners improve unit-level economics through practical, profit-driven strategies.

“What I would have said 20 years ago as a young franchise marketer is different from what I say today,” Evans said. “Having been a franchisee, the mindset shift for me was on how do I help them control their P&L in a way that they become profitable — or they eke out more profit than they thought they could.”

Evans says the biggest opportunity for franchise brands today lies in striking the right balance between digital marketing and local relationship-building. While search visibility remains critical, especially with shifts in AI and Google algorithms, referral networks and community engagement are just as important. “It’s really about: What’s the right balance between local selling and digital advertising — making sure you’re found where somebody’s going to look across the digital landscape?” she said.

Q&A With Amanda Evans, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Stellar Service Brands

1851 Franchise: What do you love most about franchise marketing?

Amanda Evans: What I love the most is the impact that franchises have both on their own community and on building the life they want to create. We really are finding folks who are heroes in terms of what they do on a day-to-day basis. 

When you think about the restoration business and the plumbing business as key examples, they're coming in during the darkest hours of somebody’s life. Most people don’t experience water loss but maybe once in their lifetime — or a fire loss — and it’s devastating and unsettling.

Coming in and making sure that they're able to help turn that experience from a very negative into probably one of the most positive — when you can return somebody to their home — I love it.

1851: What do you see as the single most important thing franchise marketing pros can do to impact a franchisee’s unit level economics?

Evans: What I would have said 20 years ago as a young franchise marketer is different from what I say today, having been a franchisee myself. Today, we are focused on: How do we help you drive the best ROI?

Having been a franchisee, the mindset shift for me was on how do I help them control their P&L in a way that they become profitable — or they eke out more profit than they thought they could. That mindset shift has been really significant, and it truly shapes how we, as a team here at Stellar Service Brands, approach what we do and how we teach from a marketing and digital perspective.

How do we get that ROI nailed down — again, with the lens of that profit and loss statement?

1851: What do you see as the largest marketing opportunity for franchise brands?

Evans: I think it's a balance, right?

In my last life, I spent eight years supporting independent retailers across the U.S. — digital was the focus. How do you get customers into your store? As I’ve shifted back into franchising, it’s still digital, but we can’t forget that local piece of the puzzle. Building the referral networks is so critical to each of these brands.

Again, with the eye toward helping a franchise owner with their profitability, it’s about building out referral sources that drive good quality leads into their business. We know digital is challenging, and it shifts all the time. Even in March, it shifted again. So there's a major kind of retooling that has to happen in franchising, as well as all industries, really.

It’s really about: What’s the right balance between local selling and digital advertising — making sure you’re found where somebody’s going to look across the digital landscape?

1851: What are the top marketing trends you see of 2025?

Evans: Top trends — obviously, how do you leverage AI into whatever you’re building?

A lot of content is being created through AI, as well as how Google is leveraging AI in their toolset. “AI Overviews” is the new hot topic in the franchise community — and in most industries — since March.

How do we make sure we’re found in those research-based questions? And how do we make sure we’re found in the transactional searches, which is really where AI plays with Google and Performance Max?

I think AI will continue to be a big topic and trend. I don’t see that going away this year at all.

The other thing is content. Personalization with customers has been a topic for the last couple of years, but how do we continue to push to find opportunities to really personalize the experience — the journey — for a customer or even a potential customer? I think those are two key trends.

1851: What is one bold prediction you have for what’s next in marketing?

Evans: That’s a tough question.

As it relates to the restoration industry, this has been a really challenging two years. The insurance landscape has changed pretty significantly and impacted homeowners — both in what their deductible is and whether they feel scared to even file a claim. We've seen a major decline in the industry for restoration in terms of how many claims are coming from the insurance community.

One of the best things about Restoration 1 is that we’ve always been well prepared for this. We’re a little different in how we approach that work compared to the typical restoration industry — and we really are focused on that homeowner.

A bold prediction here: We’re going to see consumer financing really get played up in the home services space. I think we all learned our lessons in COVID. I came from retail at that time.

How do we make sure we’re providing an opportunity for someone who needs a product or service in a time where they might not have the financial funds to do that? And also, letting people make the decision of how they want to spend their money — how their money works for them. I think we’ll see a big push this year in offering folks other ways to pay.

Growing and selling franchises is difficult. No great franchise did it alone. Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and see what we can do for you.