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This family-owned home services agency saved their clients $100k ad waste

An interview with Joshua Cates at Hero Marketing

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Workbench, a resource-rich weekly newsletter and podcast for home services entrepreneurs.

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This week, I spoke with Josh Cates, founder and CEO of Hero Marketing, a family-founded agency dedicated to growing home service businesses nationwide.

With experience spanning 25 years, multiple successful exits, and a team rooted in the trades, Josh unpacked the hard truths about agency partnerships, ad ROI, organic social, and what home service operators truly need from their marketing partners.

The 7 Key Takeaways

Below are the most essential insights from my conversation that you can apply to your home services business today.

Family Values in a Modern Marketing Agency

Many home service business owners have negative experiences with generic marketing solutions. Josh shared how Hero Marketing’s deep-rooted, family-led approach builds trust and delivers real results—something rarely seen in agency land. Their cross-generational team isn't just a point of pride but a source of old-school dependability applied to modern strategies.

"It's kind of unique because we're not a big box company. We're not a young company that got into this space thinking it was a good opportunity. We're a company that has deep roots with our clients, deep family founded belief in how to do business and have really evolved with digital marketing... What's really interesting about Bob's background is... his first profession was a state auditor for Texas. And then he went into business for himself when I was five. Fast forward to today, that background as a CPA and an auditor makes him a phenomenal director of organic digital strategy because he understands the algorithms."

Joshua Cates

2. Owning Your Digital Assets

Too many operators don’t know if they truly own their website or ad accounts—until it’s too late. Josh laid out why true ownership is non-negotiable, and described how not having control over your own marketing assets can cost you both time and revenue

"The number one most common thing I see is when a client comes to Hero, they are possibly not aware that they don't own their website. They're possibly unaware of the importance of owning their own Google ad campaign. So…if you don't own that account, then if you choose to part ways with that company, you're literally starting all over again. It's literally like starting at the starting block again."

Joshua Cates

3. Why Trades Experience on the Agency Side Matters

Hero’s biggest differentiator? Their team actually has deep roots in running and growing home service businesses. Most agencies focus solely on lead volume, but Hero connects marketing to operations, helping fix issues beyond lead generation.

"Our entire leadership team have all worked in the home service trades. So…they have been on the back side of operations, marketing, call center training. So what's interesting is yes, we bring a professional team all based in Texas and Colorado to the table to deliver these services. But more importantly, we bring a team that has worked in the trades so we can have those conversations... So let's get into the calls. Let's get into the operations and understand what's happening at a granular level so that we can coach you through so that you can find success."

Joshua Cates

4. Making Organic Social Media Work for Home Services

Organic social isn’t just for e-commerce. Josh explained how even HVAC and plumbing businesses can see top-tier results if they commit to organic posting and community content, outlining what works at different revenue stages.

"Social media can be in the top three or four drivers of new leads if it's done properly. If you're a company doing up to, let's say, four or five million a year…you should honestly be managing that in-house yourself and we typically give guidance on how to do that. When you're out with an install, get a quick customer testimonial, get photos, show photos of your fleet, team training, tips…just give education to your customers. Even if you're posting once or twice a week, that's better than nothing."

Joshua Cates

5. The Pricing Model Built for ROI—Not Surprises

Josh broke down why their three-tiered pricing isn’t just packaging, but a way to align with business stage and deliver outsized ROI. Careful reporting and the ability to quantify and eliminate wasted spend makes the investment clear and tangible for owners.

"We look at three tiers: one to five million, five to fifteen, and then fifteen and up. That's how we price our three tiers…What we've done is we've looped in all of our services in addition to all the weekly things that we're doing, in addition to our monthly strategy sessions…We have a client that we took on…identified $100,000 in ad waste. A lot of our fees for that client are made up in just managing their pay-per-click strategy better. This client also…has done about $450,000 over budget in Q1. Now we've got them in the black."

Joshua Cates

6. Transparent, Proactive Reporting (and How it Changes Performance)

Consistent, transparent reporting frequently separates agencies that truly serve business growth from those that just send spreadsheets. Josh detailed Hero’s approach, from CRM integration to proactive monthly reviews, so owners always know where things stand and what needs work.

"When a client signs on with Hero, we do require that they do a monthly strategy session with us…We have access to their CRM. We pull their channels that are driving leads. We pull their call rail reports, revenue, new jobs, new customers, average revenue per customer…Then we have a standing monthly meeting and say, okay, here's how you did last month and last quarter. Here are things to work on. Here are the things we can improve upon."

Joshua Cates

7. Smart—and Safe—Use of AI in Marketing

While AI offers immense potential, Josh emphasized that it’s best used as a tool, never a replacement for expert oversight—especially for web content where authenticity and research still matter.

"Let's talk about website first, because I think it's still a big debate on if Google penalizes AI content or not…So we personally believe that handwritten research content is still the best in that. However, we use AI quite a bit to help us with writing Google advertising, to help us with review management, to help us with data pools and heat maps…AI is only as good as the expert human using the AI."

Joshua Cates

Looking Ahead

With a new custom task management tool, transparent communication, and a mandate that every team member comes from the trades, Hero is setting the stage for steady, quality-driven growth. Josh and team aren’t just focused on doubling their portfolio—they’re obsessed with keeping DNA and client fit front and center.

"We've made some operational changes…now built out a custom task management software where a client can go to our website, enter their request or question, and then it's going to go into their private dashboard…We are looking to double our portfolio by the end of 2026 and we are well on our way to do that. But we do a lot of vetting of the people that reach out to us. The goal is that people leave with a great amount of education…and that are going to fit into the Hero family well."

Joshua Cates

Wow! You made it to the end; thanks for sticking with us.

The full interview is available on YouTube below, Spotify here, and Apple Podcasts here.