Today we’d like to introduce you to John Gallo.
Hi John, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always had an entrepreneurial mindset. Back in 2012, I started organizing local events, which quickly turned into co-owning a brick-and-mortar game store in New Cumberland, PA. That was my early playground for local marketing and customer retention.
From there, I wanted to anchor my hands-on experience with formal strategy. I worked in marketing for York College’s bookstore while earning my Bachelor’s and eventually my MBA, which I wrapped up during the peak of COVID in 2021. After working as a digital marketing specialist at a higher-ed agency, I realized that high-growth industries like construction, home services, and AEC were often underserved when it came to modern, data-backed digital marketing.
So in 2023, I launched Digital Stride. Today, we’ve scaled to a team of four focused on lead generation and SEO for AEC and home service businesses—and alongside running the agency, I also give back to the next generation of marketers as an adjunct professor at York College of PA and Shippensburg University.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not smooth, but the struggles are what built the foundation.
For starters, I bootstrapped both my first business and Digital Stride. When you don’t accept outside funding, you must be savvy with your margins and demonstrate ROI from the outset. On top of that, there was a season where I was working full-time while going to school full-time, all while balancing family life at home. This was difficult to manage, both school, family, and work.
But honestly, my biggest personal struggle was public speaking. Early on, the thought of standing up and pitching or presenting made me completely uncomfortable. I knew that if I wanted to scale a marketing agency and lead a team, I had to overcome it. I pushed through the discomfort, refined how I explain complex marketing strategies, and now it’s come full circle. I’m an adjunct professor teaching marketing at both York College of PA and Shippensburg University.
Looking back, bootstrapping and pushing through those uncomfortable moments gave me the real-world perspective I now share with both my clients and my students.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At Digital Stride, we are a niche digital marketing agency that specializes exclusively in helping Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) and Home Service businesses dominate their online markets. These are high-value, highly competitive industries with long sales cycles or high-intent local demand, so cookie-cutter marketing tactics simply don’t work.
What We Do & Offer:
We deliver full-funnel digital growth solutions tailored to trade and technical industries:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): High-intent local and regional SEO strategies to dominate search engine results pages.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising: Targeted Google and social ad campaigns optimized strictly for high ROI and quality lead generation.
Custom Website Design & Development: Fast, responsive, conversion-focused websites engineered to turn traffic into signed contracts.
Custom Coded Web Solutions: Bespoke web applications and technical development tailored to unique business workflows.
What Sets Us Apart:
What truly differentiates Digital Stride from traditional agencies is our technical edge. We don’t just rely on standard off-the-shelf marketing software. We actually build proprietary in-house software and custom algorithms that analyze ranking factors, streamline client reporting, and give our AEC and Home Service partners a distinct, unfair advantage in ranking higher on search engines.
What We’re Most Proud Of:
Brand-wise, our biggest proud moment hasn’t just been our revenue milestones or ranking victories—it’s been the intentional growth of our team. Scaling to a four-person team of skilled specialists has allowed us to create high-quality jobs, build a collaborative culture, and deliver a high-touch, boutique experience to every client we serve.
We want readers to know that if they operate in the construction, engineering, or home service space, they don’t need another generic agency—they need a specialized growth partner that understands their industry, builds custom technology, and drives measurable revenue.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I don’t define success as a single destination, a revenue milestone, or a temporary win. To me, success is defined by continual, compound growth and a relentless focus on long-term value.
In the world of digital marketing and entrepreneurship, it’s easy to get distracted by short-term vanity metrics, like a sudden spike in ad clicks or a viral moment. But sustainable success comes from playing the long game. Whether we’re building search engine authority for an AEC firm, scaling Digital Stride, or mentoring marketing students at the university level, success means setting up systems that compound over time.
Pricing:
- SEO services, starting at $895/month
- PPC services, starting at $895/month
- Websites as low as $1495
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mydigitalstride.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyDigitalStride
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mydigitalstride
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MyDigitalStride
