EP #21: Meeting Clients Where They Are: The Lead Nurturing Revolution with Joey Gartin

Digital Marketing Mastery: Building Orchards, Not Gardens – Joey Gartin

Episode Information

Guest: Joey Gartin – CEO/Founder of WebDriven Marketing Agency

Host: Chris Hall

Runtime: ~68 minutes

Topics: Digital Marketing, Lead Nurturing, AI in Marketing, Local SEO, Real Estate Marketing

About Joey Gartin

Joey Gartin is the CEO and founder of WebDriven, a digital marketing agency specializing in local businesses and real estate professionals. With 7-8 years running his agency, Joey has built a reputation for creating long-term marketing “orchards” rather than quick-fix “gardens,” focusing on customer retention over acquisition.

Background:

Born in Texas, raised in Alaska, Redding resident since age 11
Military service and college education
10 years in federal government (tech/network security)
Transitioned from technology to marketing through “moonlighting”
BNI member (former) – learned precision in messaging
100% referral-based business model
Turns down more clients than accepts
Clients range from husband-wife teams to 260-agent companies across 6 states

The Orchard vs. Garden Philosophy

Joey’s central marketing philosophy distinguishes between two approaches:

The Garden Approach (Short-term): Plant tomatoes, get results in weeks, but must replant every season. This represents quick marketing tactics that require constant reinvestment.

The Orchard Approach (Long-term): Plant trees that take time to mature but feed you for years. This represents building sustainable marketing systems that compound over time.

“You’re trying to create an orchard, not a garden… if you take care of an orchard, it feeds you for years.”

What You’ll Learn

The Lead Nurturing Gap: Why most businesses fail by only engaging “bottom of funnel” ready buyers
The Death of Traditional SEO: How AI and chat responses are fundamentally changing search
Content That Converts: Why expertise beats entertainment for high-ticket services
The $900,000 Podcast: How 6 weeks of content generated two high-value real estate listings
White Hat vs. Black Hat: Why sustainable marketing requires ethical practices
The CRM Revolution: How proper database management transforms businesses
AI Integration: Practical ways to use LLMs for business communication

The Numbers That Matter

Real results from implementing these strategies:

Podcast Performance

350,000 views in 90 days for The Healthy Wealth Experience
Two $900,000 listings from 6 weeks of podcast content
1 hour monthly recording generates month’s worth of content

Business Model Success

100% referral-based client acquisition
3-4 months operating at loss for new clients (investment phase)
260 agents in largest client (6 states)
2 agents in smallest client (husband-wife team)

AI & Automation in Marketing

The SEO/PPC Merger

Google is fundamentally changing how search works:

Content-rich landing pages now required (not just conversion-focused)
Chat-based responses will include subtle advertising
External presence matters more than internal optimization
The “graph” concept – appearing across multiple platforms

Practical AI Tools for Business

Email Management: Use ChatGPT to prioritize and craft responses
Content Creation: Clean up tone, remove sarcasm, improve professionalism
Notebook LM: Google’s free tool for document analysis
Prompt Engineering: Always end with “please ask any clarifying questions”

Key Quotes

“You’re trying to create an orchard, not a garden. This is not just you’re gonna plant some tomatoes and within a few weeks we’ll have them. You’re planting an orchard… but if you take care of an orchard, it feeds you for years.” – Joey Gartin

“We want to make celebrities out of our clients… not Johnny Depp celebrity, but people will say like, ‘hey, you’re that painter’ at Costco.” – Joey Gartin

“In my industry, R&D means rip off and duplicate.” – Joey Gartin

“The best CRM is the one you’ll use.” – Joey Gartin

The WebDriven Marketing Framework

Joey’s proven system for sustainable growth:

Research & Vetting: Turn down clients who want immediate results only
Foundation Building: Operate at a loss for 3-4 months while building systems
Content Creation: Real work samples, not stock content
Lead Nurturing: Meet people where they are in the 12+ month journey
Database Management: Segment customers for targeted upselling
Local Celebrity Building: Make clients recognizable in their market
Long-term Retention: Focus on keeping clients for years, not months

The Healthy Wealth Connection

While focused on business growth, Joey’s approach embodies several wellness principles:

Sustainable Practices: Long-term thinking reduces stress and burnout
Relationship Focus: Genuine connections over transactional interactions
Work-Life Balance: Customer retention model allows for stability
Mental Clarity: AI tools reduce administrative burden
Community Building: Helping local businesses thrive strengthens communities
Authentic Growth: Value-based content over viral entertainment

The parallel between building marketing “orchards” and building sustainable health practices is clear – both require patience, consistency, and long-term thinking for lasting success.

Action Items for Listeners

For Local Business Owners:

Set up a CRM immediately – Even Google Sheets works to start
Film your work process – Before, during, after shots with your phone
Ask for specific referrals – “Know anyone unhappy with their kitchen?”
Create follow-up sequences – Birthday cards, service anniversaries, targeted offers
Fill out Google Business Profile completely – This is the #1 priority

For Realtors:

Dedicate one hour monthly to record multiple videos
Implement nurture sequences for leads 12+ months out
Create market updates and FAQ videos regularly
Track lead position in buying journey and meet them there
Focus on local expertise over entertainment value

For All Businesses:

Use AI for email management – Prioritize and clean up communications
Segment your database – Who bought A, B, C but not D?
Create authentic content – Show real work, not stock imagery
Think orchard, not garden – Build for years, not weeks
Track everything – You can’t improve what you don’t measure

Resources Mentioned

Contact Joey Gartin:

Website: WebDrvn.com (W-E-B-D-R-V-N.com)
Business Model: 100% referral-based (contact through website)

Tools & Platforms:

CRM Options: HubSpot (free tier), Airtable, Google Sheets
AI Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Notebook LM
Email Tools: Grammarly, Mixmax
Video Creation: Sora, Veo (AI video generators)
Google Business Profile: Essential for local SEO
Schema/JSON: Technical markup for search visibility

Marketing Concepts:

Account-Based Marketing: High-ticket marketing strategy adapted for real estate
BNI (Business Network International): Networking organization
White Hat vs. Black Hat: Ethical vs. unethical marketing practices
The Graph: Google’s concept of business presence across platforms
Lead Nurturing: Meeting clients throughout their journey, not just at purchase

Why This Episode Matters

Joey Gartin’s approach to digital marketing represents a fundamental shift from quick-win tactics to sustainable business building. His “orchard vs. garden” philosophy provides a framework that applies beyond marketing to any area of life requiring long-term thinking.

For entrepreneurs and service providers, the episode reveals why most marketing fails – businesses live at the “bottom of the funnel,” only engaging when customers are ready to buy NOW. Meanwhile, competitors nurture relationships throughout the 12+ month customer journey, building trust and recognition that converts to sales.

The conversation also provides a masterclass in how AI is reshaping marketing, from the merger of SEO and PPC to practical applications of LLMs in daily business operations. Joey’s white-hat approach proves that sustainable success comes from providing genuine value, not gaming the system.

Episode Highlights

“Most realtors live at the bottom of the funnel… But with the advent of the digital space, the real estate sales cycle is very, very long. It’s measured in months, if not years. People will start their journey well over a year out. And if you wait until the day they’re ready to buy… they’ve already been nurtured and they’re probably already committed to a platform like Zillow or an agent.” – Joey Gartin

“I just had the best month I’ve ever had. Even with interest rates where they are… we’ve done the most volume we’ve ever done. They really understand that idea of meeting the client where they are and nurturing them through the process.” – Joey’s clients during market downturn

“I just took two $900,000 listings from people that were not in our database. And they both quoted and said, ‘Well, I watched your podcast and you said blah, blah, blah…’ This stuff actually works.” – Florida real estate client