Take Two Digital Marketing—
Custom Coded Website Design, SEO & PPC (Google)

It all began with The Shirtless Web Guy, a digital marketing agency that I launched in 2019.

The Shirtless Web Guy was bold brand created to stand out from the competition. The brand was a result from brainstorming ideas with a senior marketing friend of mine. I decided at the time that whatever brand name we decided on, that I’ll commit fully to, and so I did.

I started out offering custom website design, development and SEO. Then eventually PPC ads, Google My Business management, and content to the services offered.

Through a successful PR effort that cost nothing, the brand gained significant exposure and mentions in high-profile publications such as Yahoo Finance, U.S News, WTop (Washington) News, Hearst Bay Area, Databox, CEO Blog Nation, and many more.

Standing out online can be incredibly challenging, especially for a new business, particularly in the digital marketing agency landscape where competitors possess marketing skills and utilize the same channels.

It takes many years of consistent SEO work to rank on the first page of Google for a search term like “website design Toronto”. And the cost of PPC ads is especially high in this industry.

So, I decided to take a different approach and market my agency in the real world. By ‘real world’, I mean business networking, conferences, and trade-shows.

This meant dressing up in the morning, and driving 1 hour to morning networking events. It meant buying spots at tradeshows to advertise my services. It meant handing out hundreds of business cards, and collecting even more.

Above all, it meant proactively engaging with as many local business owners as possible, consistently seeking opportunities to connect and present the value of my agency.

My first speaking engagement at a business event. Suffice it to say, I was nervous.

The front and back of my old business card, containing an irresistible offer.

Now I don’t want to make it seem as if I developed a sales process that worked immediately. It was a lot of trial and error, and doing things I didn’t particularly enjoy.

Like cold calling (the bane of my existence!). I tried cold calling initially, and hated every aspect of it. I knew that I had to develop a sales process that I liked or I wasn’t going to last long.

1. Every networking event, conference and tradeshow I attended, I met business owners and exchanged business cards. I collected A LOT of business cards.

2. The next day, I sorted through these business cards, sent emails to their respective owners, and added them to my email list. Every two weeks, I would then send out an informative newsletter, carefully crafted with a personal touch.

    

3. Two or three days later, I would browse through the websites of my newly acquired prospects to assess whether I believed they could benefit from my services. If I determined there was potential, I would then reach out to them via phone to present my findings and pitch my services.

    

4. Sometimes, it would take months of prospects reading my newsletter before I received a sudden email from them, expressing their interest in booking a call. When those moments occurred, it was an incredible feeling of accomplishment.

    

This approach was so much better than cold emailing or cold calling. For someone who initially didn’t like sales, it was bearable, and it worked.

Talking with a prospect at a big networking event.

I knew SEO was ultra competitive in this industry. After all, most digital marketing agencies know enough about SEO to be competitive. But I didn’t let this stop me from trying.

I created landing pages for each specific city I chose to target, with each page tailored to a particular location. Over time, The Shirtless Web Guy achieved first-page rankings for multiple cities, successfully optimized for search terms like “website design Hamilton,” “website design London Ontario,” and “b2b web design Toronto.”

With consistent effort, The Shirtless Web Guy reached its peak at 250 monthly visits from highly targeted prospects. This was not just any traffic; it comprised relevant visitors who were actively searching for the services I offered (‘website design City’ searches). If I were to acquire the same traffic through Google Search Ads, it would have cost me $30.00+ per click. By crunching the numbers, this 250 traffic was equivalent to a minimum value of at least $7,500 per month in saved advertising expenditure. This demonstrates the immense value of local SEO.

After re-branding with a new domain and business name much of that traffic was lost. Though it’s slowly inching it’s way back up.

But it’s fair to mention that the brand did turn off some larger businesses. Firstly, The Shirtless Web Guy implied a one-person operation, which was not the image I wanted to convey if I aimed to attract those bigger clients. Secondly, let’s face it, some people found it a bit, cough, vulgar.

What I learned during my years of running this business and trying different brands, and discussing the idea with other marketing professionals is that: You don’t want to appeal to everyone. If you grab the attention of a certain group of people and there’s enough of those people, you will go further than the person who tries to appeal to everyone.

With that being said, I felt it was time to move on from my “one-man army” image, and to look like a more established agency. Thus, Take Two Digital Marketing was born –my second ‘take’ at branding, while offering businesses a second take on their digital marketing.

Looking back at my journey with The Shirtless Web Guy and the birth of Take Two Digital Marketing, it’s hard not to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. It wasn’t easy breaking into the digital marketing industry as a one-man show, but through hard work, determination, and some trial and error, I was able to develop a unique approach to marketing that worked for me.

By taking an old-school approach to marketing, I was able to get in front of local business owners and build personal connections. This led to a more enjoyable sales process, one that didn’t involve cold calling or emailing, and allowed me to pitch my services in a way that felt authentic.

Re-branding to Take Two Digital Marketing was a big step, but I knew it was necessary. And while it was a risk to move away from The Shirtless Web Guy, it was the best decision.

I’ve come to the realization that it’s time for me to move on from my agency and join a team. Running my own business has been an incredible learning experience, but wearing so many hats has taken a toll on me. And with the uncertainty of running a business, I’ve decided that I want to join a team and focus on exactly what I’m best at, and nurture those skills. It’s what lead me to join All Phase Media as a Sr. Digital Marketing Specialist.

I’m excited about the possibilities and opportunities that await me in a new team environment, and I’m confident that I can bring a lot of value to any organization.