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Listen as I interview Danny Barrera about his agency, Concrete Marketing Crew and how choosing his digital marketing niche played a large role in his success. We talk about his background, how his failures lead to success, and all the reasons why his agency was our 2018 Rookie Agency of the Year.

Listen to the interview now:

Outline of This Episode

  • [1:22] Danny and I talk about his company name and his background as an IT analyst
  • [4:30] How Danny went all in with his own digital agency—and the consequences
  • [12:25] How he chose his Niche in Concrete Marketing
  • [20:25] What services Danny provides his clients
  • [25:00] How Danny landed his first 5 clients
  • [28:40] We talk about getting a list of potential clients
  • [31:35] We talk about what Danny does differently for his clients
  • [35:40] Why trade shows may be worth it for you
  • [41:45] Why concrete?
  • [43:30] We talk about fulfillment of work and outsourcing
  • [45:25] Asking Questions Segment
  • [47:35] Closing recommendations

Pushing past failure is the best personal development training

Danny spent his days as an IT analyst for Fox News listening to success story after success story. After hearing an interview with someone who made money doing an e-commerce website and getting his advice, he dove in headfirst. He spent over 10k trying to develop his business, and it failed. But he learned how marketing worked on the internet and learned from his mistakes.

Danny quit his IT job and fully committed himself to starting a digital marketing agency. It was tough in the beginning—without cashflow, his power was turned off, his car was repossessed, and he ended up getting divorced. He hit the point where he HAD to make this work, or it was all going to be over. During that time he became really good at Search Engine Optimization (SEO), started sales training, and learned how to do cold-calling. He talks in-depth about these in this episode.

Choosing your digital marketing niche is the key to success

The market is saturated with internet marketing companies, so you need to set yourself apart—and Danny was struggling with it. That is when Danny came across Seven Figure Agency. He saw that I was actively making money within my niche and could be a valuable resource to him. He jumped on one of our Wednesday afternoon phone calls and asked for help narrowing down his niche. He knew what he was doing wasn’t going to be enough to pay the bills.

When he took part in the call he put himself out there and asked for help finding a niche. An idea was thrown out about specializing in marketing for people who install concrete decks. Though initially concrete was thrown out as a starting point to get the ball rolling, Danny owned it. He had experience with contractors in the concrete field and KNEW he could do it. He built out his website and within a few weeks, he was ranking for concrete companies on Google. This episode talks about why choosing a niche made his agency successful.

The “if you build it they will come” mindset won’t help you in the beginning

He had a website built out for a niche he understood. He was getting amazing traffic on Google. But he knew he couldn’t just wait for clients to fall into his lap—he needed to make money. So Danny built out a list of potential clients that he wanted to work with (we talk about how Info USA can be a good resource). He emailed them, he called them, he gave them examples of how he could bring them business. He utilized aggressive follow-up and really engaged the interest of the client. Listen to the podcast to learn exactly what he did to entice and retain clients and what is offered in his packages.

Your niche will only work if you have a personal connection to it

It really won’t serve you or your client to launch a digital marketing agency in a niche that you have zero experience in. Danny felt comfortable with the world of concrete because his father was a builder and an architect. He grew up watching his father work in the industry. In fact, he once polished the concrete floors of the national airport in El Salvador. So Danny’s personal connection to concrete was very strong.

If you’re stuck in a rut and unsure what your target audience should be, think about where your experience lies. Hone in and have a clear and focused idea of who you want to work with. Push past initial failures and set realistic goals for yourself. Listen to this episode to see just how much hard work it took Danny to launch Concrete Marketing Crew and learn how you can find the same success.

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Danny Barrera

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