How Old-School Marketing Saved My Failing Freelance Business
My marketing agency was losing money, and I was losing the joy of running it. I felt like I was working incredibly hard for free, constantly competing on price in a crowded market of local agencies that promised to do everything for everyone. I was a commodity, and the cheapest commodity always wins. I knew something had to change.
What I was doing wasn't working. If I ever wanted to turn my struggling company into a real asset, I needed a completely different approach. That's when I discovered a set of timeless, direct-response marketing principles that felt like being able to finally ride a bike beyond my driveway. The possibilities suddenly felt endless.
It reminds me of the story of Michael Phelps. After the 2008 Olympics, he got lazy and stopped doing the fundamental things that made him a champion. It wasn't until he was beaten by a teammate in 2011 that he got back to basics—the same daily drills and training that built his success. Even at 41, swimmer Dara Torres stuck to the same foundational workouts as everyone else on her team.
Success, whether in an Olympic pool or in business, isn’t about chasing shiny new objects. It’s about mastering the fundamentals and sticking to them. Social media isn’t some magic exception; it’s just another channel. To get real results, you have to apply the same disciplined marketing practices that have always worked.
Here are the core rules I learned that transformed my failing agency into a seven-figure business.
The Six Unbreakable Rules of Marketing That Actually Work
Most businesses fail at marketing because they confuse media with marketing. They post content, chase engagement, and hope for the best, without any real strategy. This is especially true for those trying to make their mark with . They forget that every dollar sent out to forage must come back with more.
I replaced that old grunt work with a measurable way to attract a predictable stream of ideal clients. This approach is built on a few simple, direct-marketing rules that most people skip.
1. There Will Always Be an Offer
There’s a popular saying that "content is king." I disagree. The sale is king. Without sales, you have no business. Your marketing, whether on Facebook or in a sales letter, needs to have a clear offer. It should tell your ideal prospects exactly what to do and why they should do it right now. It has to be irresistible, time-sensitive, and valuable.
2. There Will Be a Reason to Respond Now
The biggest hidden cost in all marketing lies with the almost-persuaded. These are the people who got right to the edge of responding and then decided to think it over. You have to give them a compelling reason not to delay. Urgency is your job. Whether it's a limited-time bonus or a deadline, you must pull them past that moment of hesitation.
3. There Will Be Clear Instructions
Most people are conditioned to follow directions. They stop on red, stand in line, and fill out the forms they’re given. Where marketers fail is by giving confusing instructions—or none at all. A confused customer does nothing. You can't just share content and expect results. You have to walk your prospect through the exact steps you want them to take to make a sale. Don't be afraid to ask for the purchase.
4. There Will Be Tracking and Measurement
If you want real profits from your , you can no longer make any marketing investments without direct and accurate tracking. You'll hear buzzwords like "engagement," "reach," and "virality," but you should politely dismiss them as "rubbish." The only thing that matters is results. Every dollar has to be accountable. This is the key to turning a .
5. There Will Be Follow-Up
I often find business owners with more holes in their bucket than bucket. People call, visit your website, or ask questions, and then… nothing. No capture of their contact info, no follow-up with a free report or an offer. This is a criminal waste. If you spend $1,000 on an ad that gets 50 calls, you paid $20 for each call. Wasting one is like tearing up a $20 bill and flushing it. You must have a system to follow up with every single lead.
6. Results Rule. Period.
In the end, only results matter. Not your opinion, not your staff's opinion, and certainly not the opinion of a media salesperson. You wouldn't pay your neighbor's teen for washing your car if he didn't actually wash it, no matter how good his story was. The same is true for your marketing. Don't pay for stories; pay for a clean car.
How I Put These Rules Into Practice
Committing to these principles forced me to fundamentally change my . It wasn't easy, but the results were staggering. Here's what I changed:
- I stopped being a generic, "full-service" agency. Instead, I positioned myself as the industry expert in one specific thing: direct-response social media marketing with a high ROI. I was no longer a commodity, which is crucial for anyone .
- Being the cheapest wasn't paying the bills. I started increasing my prices for new clients. A lot of old clients left when I eventually raised their rates, but the ones who stayed were getting such great results they didn't mind. Our minimum monthly fee went from $350 to $3,500. We had fewer clients but way more profit.
- I realized the local brick-and-mortar businesses in my town couldn't afford the level of service needed to get real results. I expanded my target market from a five-mile radius to a national and international stage, seeking clients who understood and valued direct-response marketing. This is a vital step in creating one of the .
- Up to that point, my marketing was all person-to-person networking. To scale, I had to use media. I started simple, with a weekly email and a blog, and used social channels to distribute it. My message was focused and a little controversial: "marketing equals results, and anything else is pointless."
The strategy started to work. In just over a year, I grew my email list from 1,200 names to over 21,000. Our company revenue grew by 327%, turning us from a struggling agency into a seven-figure business. For the first time, I could choose my clients instead of taking anyone with a pulse and a checkbook. My journey in had finally found its footing.
A Broken iPad and a Big Break
About a year into this transformation, I was driving home after getting my iPad screen repaired (thanks to my 1-year-old daughter). Listening to a program from a marketing group I was in, I heard about a contest to win a Mastermind weekend with Dan Kennedy, the very person whose principles I was using. The deadline was that day.
I raced home, put the kids to bed, and wrote my application. I didn't win, but in a surprise twist, all the finalists were invited to attend. That weekend, I presented my A-game. Dan himself approached me afterward and offered me a client project. A friend leaned over and said, "You've just been called up from the Minor League to the Majors."
That moment changed everything. It was the culmination of applying old-school fundamentals to a modern . It wasn't an overnight success; it was a story of preparation meeting opportunity and choosing to go the extra mile. Because, as I learned, it’s a lot less crowded there.
