Home Services Marketing Insights | Chris Fink from Fannit

Ernesto Quezada: Pathmonk is the intelligent tool for website lead generation. With increasing online competition, over 98% of website visitors don’t convert. The ability to successfully show your value proposition and support visitors in their buying journey separates you from the competition online. Pathmonk qualifies and converts leads on your website by figuring out where they are in the buying journey and influencing them in key decision moments. With relevant micro-experiences like case studies, intro videos, and much more, stay relevant to your visitors and increase conversions by 50%. Add Pathmonk to your website in seconds. Let the AI do all the work and get access to 50% more qualified leads while you keep doing marketing and sales as usual. Check us on pathmonk.com. Welcome to today’s episode. Let’s talk about today’s guest. We have Chris from Fannit, marketing strategist with them. How you doing today, Chris?

Chris Fink: Hey, Ernesto. I’m doing really great.

Ernesto: Great to have you. Well, I’m sure, Chris, our listeners are tuning in wondering what Fannit and Inspiring Growth Online are all about. So, in your own words, tell us a little bit more.

Chris: Yeah, no, thank you, and I’m excited to be here. Fannit is a digital marketing agency. Our premise is that we care like an owner. We view our clients like we’re actively engaged in ownership and try to provide that level of leadership. And what that typically means is that we offer leadership and insights in digital marketing, but we can scale that through marketing managers or even fractional CMOs and try to figure out how to move our clients through the business stages. We always use tailored, unique solutions that are most relevant to the business and where they’re at.

Ernesto: Okay, interesting. So that way, our listeners can get a good understanding there of Fannit. What would you say, then, is the key problem that you guys like to solve for clients?

Chris: Well, we started working primarily in organic search, website performance, and conversions, so that’s where we shine brightest. But really, we’re looking at moving the client through the stages of their business to help them achieve revenue goals. We like to look at as many channels as we can to be effective, and one of the nice things about Fannit is that we can operate in multiple channels at the same time, creating a cohesive system. It keeps everything in one strategy and streamlines the process a bit.

Ernesto: Definitely. Awesome, great to hear that. So, is there a certain vertical segment? Is there an ideal ICP for Fannit?

Chris: We like to focus on home services as a sector. We don’t niche down to specific industries, but we keep our clients within that sector—roofers, landscaping, HVAC. We think of it as businesses that keep our homes happy, healthy, and great places to be. We love working with entrepreneurs, and being entrepreneurs ourselves, we want to help those in the home services space succeed.

Ernesto: Perfect. So, say I was in the HVAC business. How would I usually find out about Fannit? Is there a top client acquisition channel for you guys?

Chris: Yeah, we show up a lot in organic search. We’ve also been fortunate to be featured in places like Forbes, USA Today, and Clutch reviews. Outside of organic search and our Google Business presence, those channels probably drive us the most traffic.

Ernesto: Interesting. So, that way, our listeners who are tuned in can go visit you. They can always check you guys out at fannit.com. What role does the website play for client acquisition?

Chris: I’ve seen it play a couple of roles. Sometimes, it’s the beginning of the journey when a prospect becomes problem-aware and starts seeking solutions. If they come in through organic search, they might get into our lead funnel in various ways. But I’ve noticed that people often see us in articles, like the Forbes article, and then go to our site for validation. They look at our university articles or educational content to get a bit more context about us and decide if it’s a good fit.

Ernesto: Interesting. So on that note, Chris, are there any tools or tips you’d recommend to listeners for website lead generation?

Chris: I think audience identification is key—really understanding your audience and the problems they’re trying to solve. Craft content that clearly outlines solutions. Often, people don’t necessarily want to handle everything themselves, but if you provide the answers, they’ll come to you to implement. I try to position digital marketing so that if it’s a screen, our name shows up as the answer. That mindset tends to bring good engagement, leading to more inquiries and requests.

Ernesto: Great insights! Thank you. Well, let’s switch gears a bit and talk about you as a leader. What are some key tasks you like to focus on day to day?

Chris: I’m involved on multiple levels. I’m still directly engaged in client services, so I start my day with a review of performance stats. Managing it daily helps avoid a bad week. After that, I delegate tasks to production for implementation. Later, I shift focus to team efforts, handle organizational work, and wrap up with housekeeping.

Ernesto: Awesome, thank you for sharing. Let’s jump into our next section, Chris, which is our rapid-fire question round. Are you ready?

Chris: Yeah, let’s go!

Ernesto: First off, Chris, what’s the last book you read?

Chris: I just wrapped up Scale at Speed by Felix Velarde. I read a lot—also recently finished CMO to CRO by Mike Geller and Brandy Starr.

Ernesto: Interesting reads for our listeners. Next up, if there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d want fixed in your role as a marketer?

Chris: I’d love a way to build myself as an audience to curate the data I consume. With so much content, I’d want to filter out what’s truly relevant to me, organizing the endless topics into something immediately impactful.

Ernesto: Interesting take! If there’s one repetitive task you could automate, what would it be?

Chris: I automate everything possible already! Maybe sorting through my inbox or filtering tasks further. But I don’t want to automate too much, as sometimes reviewing things myself gives me insights I wouldn’t want to miss.

Ernesto: And lastly, what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you restarted your journey as a marketer?

Chris: Focus less on quick wins and more on long-term fundamentals. Early on, I prioritized low-hanging fruit and delayed starting harder, longer-term projects like authority building. I’d advise myself to lean into those early on instead of waiting.

Ernesto: Great advice—not just for you but for our listeners too! Well, Chris, we’re coming to the end of the show. Before we wrap up, if someone forgets everything about today’s interview, what’s the one thing they should remember about Fannit?

Chris: We care like an owner, providing tailored solutions based on where our clients are and where they want to go. We walk alongside them to help them reach their goals.

Ernesto: Awesome, thank you. And to our listeners, you can always check them out at fannit.com, the marketing agency that cares like an owner. Chris, thank you for joining us, and to our listeners, thank you for tuning in. Looking forward to our next episode at Pathmonk Presents. Thanks a lot, Chris.

Chris: Thanks for having me.