The Real Reason Your Marketing Isn’t Working: Jonathan Bannister

From Cop to Marketer: The Unexpected Career Leap

Jonathan’s story isn’t your typical marketing origin. He started out in law enforcement—a childhood dream turned reality. But after a string of intense shifts, a pregnant wife at home, and a growing family, he realized it just wasn’t sustainable.

His first pivot? Selling mobile apps to golf courses. But the magic really started when clients began asking, “Hey, can you also fix my website?” and “What about SEO?” Even though Jonathan had no clue what SEO was, he said yes—and Googled it from the parking lot.

That hustle-first, figure-it-out-later mindset? That’s what laid the foundation for everything he’s built.

Building an Agency Without the Technical Chops

Here’s the part I really love: Jonathan doesn’t build websites. He doesn’t even know how. But he knows what makes a site convert, what needs to be tracked, and how to sell the heck out of it.

Rather than getting bogged down in the technical stuff, he focused on building a team of specialists and becoming the visionary who drives results. That’s a powerful reminder for agency owners: you don’t need to do it all yourself. You just need to know what matters—and who can do it best.

The Breakthrough That Changed His Agency Forever

One of the biggest turning points in Jonathan’s agency came when a client left—despite incredible results.

The reason? The agency wasn’t aligned with the client’s goals. The numbers looked great on paper, but they weren’t hitting the client’s internal growth forecasts. That moment forced Jonathan to realize: results alone aren’t enough.

From then on, he made it his mission to build real partnerships with clients. That means diving into their numbers, helping them map out revenue goals, and creating marketing strategies that actually support the business they’re trying to build—not just vanity metrics.

How to Think Like a True Marketing Partner (Not Just a Vendor)

Jonathan broke down exactly how his agency sets goals with clients:

• Start with revenue: Everything begins with the client’s revenue target for the year.

• Break it into services: In HVAC, for example, revenue comes from service and installs. Both need different lead flows.

• Map capacity: Can the team even handle the number of leads needed to hit the goal?

• Plan seasonally: Not every month is equal—especially in seasonal industries.

• Reverse engineer lead volume and spend: Once the goal is defined, figure out what it will actually take to get there.

This level of transparency and accountability is what separates great agencies from the rest. It’s also why clients stick around longer and trust your advice more.

Branding Over Leads: The New Playbook for Local Businesses in 2025

Both Jonathan and I used to be lead gen purists—“just get them more leads!” But now? It’s clear that brand is everything.

And we’re not talking about logos. We’re talking about becoming unforgettable in your market.

The company that has a jingle, a heartbeat sound effect, a recognizable truck wrap, and a story to tell… wins every single time. One of Jonathan’s clients even had an 85-year-old man start singing their brand jingle when they pulled up to a job site. That’s when you know you’ve made it into the back of someone’s brain.

You want people Googling your brand name—not just “AC repair near me.” That’s when conversions go through the roof and ad costs drop.

The Future of Local Marketing: Omnipresence and Hyper-Targeting

Want a cutting-edge tactic? Jonathan’s team is locking in on “omnipresent but hyper-focused” marketing.

Here’s how it works:

• Pick a hyper-specific neighborhood (like the one your owner lives in)

• Run direct mail, social ads, Connected TV ads (like Hulu), and Google display ads—all targeted to just that neighborhood

• Layer in video testimonials from real neighbors

• Dominate that one area with every possible touchpoint

This isn't spray-and-pray. It's laser-focused local saturation—and it's working.

Content That Converts: Why Real Videos Beat AI Any Day

One of my favorite takeaways: get your team to shoot real, raw videos of jobs in action. Jonathan calls them "on-the-job videos."

Think:

• “Hey, we just arrived at a home in Frisco, TX. The homeowner called saying the heater’s out—stick around while we figure it out.”

• Then cut to b-roll of the tech working

• Wrap with “Here's what we found, what we fixed, and why it matters.”

Not only does this build trust with customers, but it’s SEO gold. Real photos. Real locations. Real content Google can’t fake.

The Steve Jobs Onboarding Experience

This might be the biggest gem of the whole episode.

Jonathan doesn’t just sign clients. He creates an experience from day one. His team even sends Uber Eats for onboarding calls so both sides can “break bread” together.

They take full access to all accounts on the call. No chasing down logins for weeks. They start by auditing everything, fixing broken accounts, and building trust before ever launching a single ad.

And by the time they present the strategy in week four? Clients are already fully bought in.

Final Lesson: The First Impression Is Everything

Whether you’re an agency or a local business, Jonathan’s final takeaway is gold: your first impression—online or in-person—shapes everything.

If you don’t wow your customers right away, someone else will. So make sure your brand, your onboarding, your service, and your follow-up are all dialed in. If you can pull that off, you’ll never struggle to grow again.

Where to Find Jonathan

You can follow Jonathan on social media @jonathanismarketing and check out his podcast, Home Service Hustle, on Spotify or Apple. His new agency site will be live at TopServeDigital.com.

P.S. Check out the full episode here: