How to Build a 7-Figure Digital Marketing Agency — Lessons from Hey Tony (Hamilton)

Podcast: Local Grit – Hamilton Small Business Stories
Guest: Matt Diamante, Founder of Hey Tony

Building a successful digital marketing agency doesn’t happen by accident — yet in this episode of Local Grit, Matt Diamante shares how his agency grew organically to seven figures, largely through transparency, content consistency, and trust. Matt walks through his journey from freelancer to agency founder and outlines the approaches that can help other business owners — including Hamilton small business owners — grow strong, sustainable digital marketing practices.

This episode is especially useful for:

• Local entrepreneurs are considering digital marketing as a growth engine

• Business owners in Hamilton, Ontario, looking to build or scale agency partnerships

• Creatives and consultants are wondering how to systemize services into revenue streams

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

In this conversation, Matt dives into:

• How his agency, Hey Tony, grew from side hustle to seven-figure business

• Why transparency and “giving away free information” drives trust and leads

• How consistent content and strong SEO practices support long-term growth

• Myths about digital marketing pricing and cost

• The role of social media and website conversion in modern agency success

How Hey Tony Started

Matt explains that his agency didn’t begin with a grand plan — it started by accident. He began freelancing to help local businesses with SEO and content work, and demand snowballed to the point where he needed to hire help.

His experience highlights a key lesson for entrepreneurs:

Doing great work consistently attracts attention and referrals — even without paid advertising.

This aligns with modern agency success strategies you’ll find in other seven-figure growth frameworks that emphasize content, SEO, and positioning as authority in your niche. Seven Figure Agency

Transparency, Free Information & Trust Building

One of the strongest themes in the episode is the value of giving away your expertise for free — not as a loss leader, but as a trust builder.

Matt shares:

• He publishes high-value content without paywalls

• His free SEO course and blog content bring daily inquiries

• Consistent, helpful content builds authority faster than paid ads

This strategy matches best practices among high-growth agencies that use content — especially SEO and solved-problem responses — to generate steady traffic and leads organically. Seven Figure Agency

Consistency in Content Creation

In the episode, Matt describes how his team publishes multiple posts weekly — with each piece answering a real question a potential client might search for.

Key points include:

• Content should solve real business problems

• Keyword research should guide topics, not random inspiration

• Answers should be practical and clear

This mirrors broader successful agency content strategies: answering what users actually ask in search before they even consider buying services. Seven Figure Agency

Debunking Digital Marketing Myths

Matt tackles some common misconceptions, including:

• Marketing has to be expensive — it doesn’t; time and focus matter more than ad spend early on

• Agencies succeed through paid ads alone — most growth came from organic efforts

• SEO is only for big budgets — smart SEO starts with addressing customer questions

These insights help local business owners evaluate how they approach digital marketing for their own businesses or when choosing an agency.

The Role of Website Experience & Conversion

Another core topic is website design and conversion optimization — not just traffic.

Matt underscores:

• Visitors should understand value quickly

• Clear calls to action boost inquiry rates

• Organic traffic’s value multiplies when the site converts well

This echoes what many seven-figure agency founders cite as essential: visibility and conversion optimization. Seven Figure Agency

Future of AI & Customer Interactions

Toward the end of the episode, Matt discusses how AI will shape customer engagement, primarily through:

• Chat tools

• Personalized responses

• Automated content quality improvements

This early look at AI reflects broader industry trends around agency scaling and efficiency.

Episode Chapters & Highlights

(Add your timestamps here, e.g.)

• 00:00 Introduction & Hey Tony’s origins

• 05:00 Building authority through content

• 11:00 Breaking digital marketing myths

• 18:00 Website conversion & client engagement

• 30:00 Social media and authenticity

• 40:00 Future of AI and agency growth

About the Guest: Matt Diamante

Matt Diamante is the founder of Hey Tony, a digital marketing and SEO agency known for transparency, community engagement, and content-first growth strategies. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Matt combines real-world small-business experience with creative digital services to help businesses grow their online presence.

Listen to the Full Episode

🎧 Available on all major podcast platforms
(Embed your player here)

Related Local Grit Episodes & Resources

• How much does Digital Marketing cost?

• Hire HeyTony