Orthodontic Marketer Knows the Drill

Notes from Chris

Episode 1935

Keaton Walker’s family business was a niche in its own right: they taught babies to swim in Utah. When business expanded to a second location, Keaton was tasked with executing the marketing strategy. He tried everything he could think of, including billboards, flyers, and even door-to-door marketing.

After many months of trial and error, the time to launch the second location was getting too close for comfort. So Keaton looked around for some outside help. He decided to hire a 17-year-old who was a friend of a friend's.  And it's a good thing he did because what he witnessed him do that night changed his life.

In one session the young apprentice (his name was Justin) systematically tested multiple ad campaigns—campaigns that Keaton never thought of trying himself. Not only that, but the ads Justin created were different in every possible way: from the marketing copy to the targeting demographics all the way to the text message follow-ups.

Keaton saw that each aspect of the campaign worked in perfect harmony. This is why it was so compelling. Not only was it inspirational to watch, but it also worked! Wonder teen Justin yielded the family business a ton of leads.

Though he was still working for his family's business, he wanted to see if he could start his own business on the side.

But marketing what exactly? And to whom? He dove in, not sure how to answer those questions. He posted on his Facebook profile. He recalls it was something to the tune of "I'm finally following my dream of starting a business, it's a marketing agency, reach out if you need any marketing help!" He got a few friendly responses but no clients. So Keaton started to shoot in the dark.

One fateful night changed everything. He happened to be speaking to a friend who ran a dental practice. His pal tipped him off that orthodontists charge even more than dentists and tend to have more patients. Interesting.

A week after that conversation, he reached out to his first orthodontist's office through their Facebook messenger and asked if they needed help with their marketing. He made a connection on his first try, and a week and a half later collected $600. This was the momentum he needed.

Keaton's niche marketing concept snowballed after this, as he signed client after client. And starting in 2020, it began bring in upwards of $65,000 a month. At this point, Keaton's side hustle was a side hustle no longer. He was marketing for orthodontists full-time.

What’s next? Keaton says that he hopes to focus on higher-level operations and do more consulting down the road—an aspect of the business he’s excited to develop.

 

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MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Learn more about Keaton and his marketing services at his website, OrthoPatients.com and checkout his YouTube channel, @ItsKeaton.

SEE ALSO:

• Digital Marketer Makes Money Marketing Himself: When a digital marketing specialist feels underpaid at his day job, he applies his skills to finding new clients of his own.
• College Student Manages Large Ad Campaigns for Businesses: A teenager learns online marketing techniques by watching YouTube, then goes on to manage ad campaigns of up to $50,000/month.
• Best Buy Employee Moonlights as Online Ad Consultant: A digital marketer freelances away his nights and weekends, eventually turning his side gig into a multi-million dollar ad agency.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,