Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Wolf.
Bill, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
There is no short way of saying this. I started building websites for fun in 1997 and ever since then I’ve learned everything I could from software development and support to operations to finance, sales, marketing, and entrepreneurship. I launched my first business at the end of high school, which was a web hosting service. I was actually granted a work study so I didn’t have to go to school for half the day through the last half of my senior year. Instead, I used the time to work on the business. And that’s when I found out how hard it was. I was a kid, and I did not have the skills to run a company.
So I went and got an associate’s degree in software at a small trade school in Downtown Pittsburgh. I’ve only worked as an employee for a few different companies since then. But during my entire career, I always had some kind of side project going on, mostly in web design and development.
I’m not a designer, so I started hiring designers to help with when I needed it going all the way back to 2009. That’s how I completed complex projects while holding a full time job.
I always had an interest in search engine optimization since I learned that it was a thing in high school. And ever since, I always kept up with the trends and how people were getting free traffic from the internet.
I started to notice when Google was returning local businesses in search results. It’s called the Map Pack. So then I dedicated a lot of time figuring out how businesses got themselves into the map pack.
In 2020, I determined that if I was really going to serve my clients properly, that I needed to focus on getting results, and that local SEO was the way to go. So I started offering it. And my clients got some really great returns from the work that I did on my first few projects.
So then I asked myself, How can we get better results? And that’s when my local SEO agency became a local marketing agency. I chose the home services niche because that was the type of work that most of my friends did. Blue collar guys are my people. I’m from a blue collar town (Glassport).
So now we’re doing everything from social media and print to ads, lead management, and general consulting. The results have generally been phenomenal, particularly when we have ownership that participates in the process.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hahaha! No, it’s never been a smooth road. Being neurodivergent, my biggest struggle has always been staying focused on one task. That’s why I delegate as much as possible.
And I know I’m not alone there. Even for people who aren’t neurodivergent, staying consistent in a business and doing the right things over and over and over again, no matter how challenging or boring they might be, that’s the secret to winning over time. It’s not a 100 yard dash. It’s a marathon. And I coach clients on the exact same principles that I’ve learned. Identify your biggest roadblock and fix it. Then on to the next.
We’ve been impressed with Bill Wolf Media, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bill Wolf Media is a contractor marketing agency with specialties in local SEO and operations. The biggest problem that we hear about is that the phone isn’t ringing enough or their ads are not producing the types of leads that they need to sustain their business. That’s what we solve. And that’s really what sets us apart. Most agencies offer cookie-cutter plans that might move the needle a little bit, but they’re not long-term solutions. We set up systems that even after somebody stops working with us, the systems can remain in place and continue producing revenue.
We start looking at operations once the lead flow and sales processes are fixed. That could mean adding in a CRM, consumer financing, or documented workflows to help them make their processes repeatable.
On top of that, I treat every client’s business like my own. I offer myself up as a manager. If they’re not making money, obviously they’re not happy, but I’m not happy either. And I don’t like being unhappy, so I fix it. That’s also what I’m most proud of. There are many scheisters out there who sell marketing without any accountability for whether or not it produces an ROI. That’s just not my style. And as I grow, I ultimately want to replace myself with people like me who are going to own client relationships and growth as if it’s the most important thing in the world.
A lot of people I talk to will try other solutions either before or after working with me and realize that it makes more financial sense to work with me for the better lead quality and volume.
Your readers should know that one of the first questions that I try to help contractors answer is what problem they’re trying to solve. Because even if I can’t solve that problem myself, I can make recommendations for how to go about solving it, who they should talk to, what skills they need to learn if they’re not going to hire somebody to fix the problem for them. To me, that’s just doing good business.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Something that probably surprises a lot of people is that I’m not a millionaire yet. I started this company seven years ago, pivoted a few times, and finally went full time in June of 2024. It took me relentlessly promoting myself and my skills on social media for several years before I came close to profitability. I never would have made it with word of mouth. Most businesses don’t.
Something else is that I like to keep it real. I work with real people. They get corporate sales pitches literally every single day from people who say they do the exact same things that I do. We talk about our kids, our families, our goals, ambitions, investments. They work hard and they need somebody they can trust. And I find the best way to build trust with somebody is to show up as your real self. Flaws and all. Like I wear t-shirts to Zoom calls and in promos. Because it’s me, and I’m not going to change it.
That’s how I built a following of almost 1,800 on LinkedIn. It’s not a great lead generator because contractors don’t generally hang out on LinkedIn, but I’ve gotten some return on it. And the real value is in having that professional network in the marketing space, which I never worked a full-time job in, and being able to tap into that talent pool whenever I need it. I’ve already made multiple hires there.
Pricing:
- Determined by client budget
Contact Info:
- Website: https://billwolfmedia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billwolfmedia
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillWolfMedia/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/billwolfmedia
- Twitter: https://x.com/billwolfmedia
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@billwolfmedia
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/bill-wolf-media-pittsburgh
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@billwolfmedia
