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Digital agency goes from start-up to $250,000 in annual revenue

Based in New Orleans, Louisiana

Established in 2015

Specializing in digital advertising

About
Established in 2015, Giving Tree Media is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based digital agency specializing in building websites and search engine optimization services for local businesses.

Compliment your offering with best-in-class products

150%
increase in
annual revenue

200
increase in customer
book size

70%
client retention
rate

The challenge

Having the ability to identify and explain where local businesses need help with their marketing strategy, and the confidence to bill a fair price for services offered, are must-have attributes for any agency owner.

Matt grappled on those fronts in the initial years after launching his agency. He didn’t have data to make a strong case to business owners about why their marketing efforts were lacking. And when he won a deal, he would undercharge.

As a result, Giving Tree Media was generating inconsistent revenue and Matt had to undertake several side hustles on top of running his business to earn a living.

The instigator

When the pandemic ended his side jobs, Matt sought help from a technology partner to transform Giving Tree Media into a standalone success.

Computer with Giving Tree Media Logo

The aspiration

Matt partnered with Vendasta in March 2020 and made the following goals:

  • Re-sell services and achieve positive cash flow as soon as possible
  • Add one new local business client per month
  • Boost productivity so he can invest more time with clients and prospects
  • Generate US$100,000 in revenue in 2020, and more beyond that

The solution

With the assistance of his business development representative (BDR) at Vendasta, Matt planned his 2020 roadmap and identified solutions he needed from Vendasta’s ecosystem to succeed.

The strategy involved four key phases. Each step in his journey, and a summary of what it entailed, is provided below.

 

Phase 1 (Months 1-3)

Groundwork

Matt entrusted Vendasta to create a website and social
media profiles for Giving Tree Media. He was coached on how to have conversations with prospects using the Vendasta Snapshot Report.

This “secret weapon” enabled him to show data-rich insights to a business owner on where they needed help with their marketing, making pitching and conversion easier.

<$10,000 monthly revenue

Phase 2 (Months 4-6)

Expansion

Following his early success in re-selling SEO services, Matt examined fulfilling other needs local businesses had. He leveraged Vendasta Marketplace for opportunities including Website Development, Digital Advertising, and Social Media Management.

It was a win-win: Matt’s revenue grew and his local business clients had further strengthened their online presence.

<$10,000 monthly revenue

Phase 3 (Months 7-9)

Growth

A large local insurance company that needed help with marketing approached Matt following positive reviews about Giving Tree Media.

Matt worked with his BDR to design a custom package to fit the client’s needs and budget, and he was able to close his biggest customer to date.

By now, Matt had a solid book of business and was highly profitable.

~$15,000 monthly revenue

Phase 4 (Months 10-12)

Optimize & repeat

Matt was at a stage where he needed help optimizing his processes so he could continue prospecting.

Through the Vendasta platform, he was able to automate on-boarding emails and customer billing functions.

This allowed Matt to spend more time with his clients and leads, and less on operational tasks.

$20,000+ monthly revenue

Vendasta products deployed

Reputation Management Logo

Marketplace

Find hundreds of digital products to resell and make your own.

Learn more →

listing distribution

Snapshot Report

Automated personalized needs assessment — start the conversation, close the deal.

Learn more →

“I partnered with Vendasta in 2020 and that gave me validity. They helped me build my website and injected me with the confidence I needed.”

Matt Ainsworth

Founder and Owner, Giving Tree Media

Conclusion

By using the Snapshot Report, Matt had a data-driven edge to convert prospects and sell local businesses the solutions they needed to improve their online presence. And after making a strong first impression, Matt was more easily able to up-sell clients, generate new referrals and boost revenue.

capterra-logo
5-stars-review

“The Platform & Concept are Fantastic!”

Google-logo
5-stars-review

“Strongly recommend if your company wants to compete in today’s market place.”

G2-logo
5-stars-review

“Vendasta took us from 0-100 in no time!”

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Access the full Vendasta system with all the products, services, and solutions you need to take your business to the next level for free. Recognize ROI fast, and become the most indispensable asset and extension of the team for your local business customers.

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