The Power of Performance-Based Marketing | Matthew Burns from Wizard of Ads

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 Matthew from Wizard of Ads, partner over there with them. How are you doing today, Matthew?

Matthew Burns: Very good, thank you.

Ernesto: Great to have you on. I love the name. I’m sure you guys are doing some amazing things there, magical things to get those ads. So, let’s kick it off with that. Matthew, in your own words, can you tell us a little bit more?

Matthew: Yeah, absolutely. The Wizard of Ads is the brainchild of Roy H. Williams, and he’s our principal partner. We have 75 partners in multiple continents—Australia, Europe, North America, and South America now. We are a pay-for-performance advertising company, and we all specialize in what we do. I’m an ad writer and a strategist. I do some graphic design. We have everyone from media buyers to strategists to digital wizards. Anything you can think of in the marketing world, we’ve got a wizard that does it.

Ernesto: That’s awesome to hear. And so that way our listeners could get a good understanding of the company, Matthew, what would you say is that key problem you guys like to solve for clients?

Matthew: The biggest thing is we usually get a client when they’re flat or declining in revenue, usually because they have a digital-first strategy—much more now in the new age. We spend time helping them realize their dream of growing by getting them into mass media—radio, television, billboards—places where people can’t ignore you. We like to make our clients thought of first and loved the most. Usually, these are clients with $3-5 million in sales, but they find themselves unable to push further, so they’re flat or declining over a couple of years.

Ernesto: Definitely important. Great to hear that. Is there a certain vertical segment? Is there an ideal ICP for Wizard of Ads?

Matthew: Not really. We’ve been adopted highly in home services and in retail, specifically jewelry retail. I write ads for a podiatrist. We have clients in private aviation, business-to-business, commercial door companies—it really doesn’t matter. We concentrate on the message rather than the industry.

Ernesto: Love that. How would somebody usually find out about Wizard of Ads?

Matthew: We’ve been around as a group for about 27 years, so we have a large referral base. We also have a high-content strategy—our blog is extensive. Lately, our podcast, the Empire Builders podcast, which is run by three or four partners, has been driving a lot of business. We talk about how big businesses got there and the key marketing strategies they used when they were young. Speaking engagements like this one are also very helpful, so thank you for having me.

Ernesto: Great to have you on. You guys have a lot of experience, so it’s great to have you here. For our listeners, they can always check you out at wizardofads.org. What role does the website play for client acquisition?

Matthew: The website shows all the partners—what our strengths are, our weaknesses. Our blog is there, and if someone is interested, they reach out through a phone call or web form. Then they speak directly to the director or president of Wizard of Ads. He does a little onboarding, figures out where the client is at, and finds the best Wizard of Ads partner for their needs.

Ernesto: Awesome to hear. Are there any tools, tips, or methods you would recommend for website lead generation?

Matthew: The biggest thing with creating a website is to eliminate as much clutter as possible. You want to get right to the point. A great website answers three questions quickly: Am I in the right place? Can you solve the problem I’m having? What is the process or what do I have to do next? If you can do those three things quickly, you’ll have better conversions and retention.

Ernesto: Great advice. Let’s switch gears and talk about your day-to-day work. You’re a partner at Wizard of Ads. What are some key tasks you focus on daily?

Matthew: 50% of my day is creation—writing, creating, strategizing. About 25% of my day is delivering creative content to clients, radio stations, TV stations. The other 25% is spent doing things like this—building the business and getting engagements.

Ernesto: Great. How do you stay up to date with trends in marketing?

Matthew: The best place to learn is the Wizard Academy. It’s our own marketing school where we teach other marketers and small businesses what they could be doing better. Every marketer and business owner should take at least one class. My favorite is Magical Worlds. It’s three days of mind-blowing, magical thinking, and nobody walks away from it unchanged.

Ernesto: Awesome. Let’s jump into rapid-fire questions. Are you ready?

Matthew: Yeah, maybe.

Ernesto: First off, what is the last book you read?

Matthew: I’m currently reading “Magic Words” by Jonah Berger.

Ernesto: Great read. What is one thing your company is focused on the most right now?

Matthew: Channel alignment. We want to ensure that what we say at the top of the funnel aligns all the way through to the website and digital marketing, ensuring a seamless customer experience.

Ernesto: If there were no boundaries in technology, what’s one thing you’d want fixed for your role as a marketer?

Matthew: I’d love it if there was a better channel for uploading our content to media outlets. We currently rely on the radio reps, and there’s a lot of room for human error there.

Ernesto: What’s one repetitive task you’d like to automate?

Matthew: We’ve automated most of what we need with CRMs, appointment booking software, etc., so there’s not much left. But if I could automate uploading content to media outlets, that would be great.

Ernesto: Finally, what’s one piece of advice you’d give yourself if you were restarting your marketing journey today?

Matthew: I would have started studying psychology a lot earlier. Understanding how people think is crucial. And I’d advise myself to get a mentor. Every person in life needs a mentor, and at some point, they should also become a mentor to give back.

Ernesto: Great advice. We are coming to the end of the show, but before we wrap up, what is one thing you want listeners to remember about Wizard of Ads?

Matthew: Wizard of Ads is a pay-for-performance marketing agency that helps dreamers become millionaires.

Ernesto: You heard it, everyone. Check them out at wizardofads.org. Their income rises when yours does. Thanks so much for being with us today, and thanks to our listeners for tuning in. I’m looking forward to our next episode of Pathmonk Presents. Thanks a lot, Matthew.

Matthew: Thanks for inviting me.