In digital marketing, you must practice what you preach. If you’re offering digital marketing services, you need to be practicing them yourself. It’s not just about having flashy ads, it’s about building trust and good relationships.
Sometimes bad publicity can really hurt your business. In a Facebook group of concrete coating polishers, Badass Concrete Polishers and Decorative Concrete Masters, Jeff Gear, the industry’s top name from TSR Concrete Coatings, publicly called out Jackson Stevenson. Why? Because Jackson went after Marko S. Sipila.

Jackson, is trying to grow his agency. But instead of focusing on delivering results, he flooded the group with posts and videos saying, “I have the best ads, and Marko’s ads are terrible.” The result? The group completely turned against him. Instead of backing Jackson, they rallied behind Marko.
The Ripple Effect of Trust and Authentic Connections
Building trust, treating people right, and forming authentic connections will always take you further than boasting about “the best ads” or putting others down. It’s about consistently showing up, doing great work, and earning respect. That’s how you build a reputation that lasts.
Marko had built real relationships. He had genuine connections. People who probably hadn’t even worked with Marko still stepped up to defend him. Why? Because trust spreads; it’s a ripple effect.
Meanwhile, Jackson’s actions damaged his reputation. Jeff Gear stepped in, posting a screenshot of Jackson bidding on TSR Holdings’ name to target Marko. Jeff called it out for what it was and said, “Why not focus on doing good work and building a great reputation?” Then came the ultimate blow: “Don’t ever work with Jackson Stevenson. He’s a fraud.”
When the industry’s most respected leader publicly warns others to steer clear of you, it’s a disaster for your reputation.
In any industry, whether you’re in a small town in West Virginia or part of a nationwide network, people talk.
Glenn Vau, a dentist with a community of over 40,000 dental professionals in his group, Nifty Thrifty Dentist, shared how reputation plays out in his field. When marketers pitch to him, offering digital marketing or promises of more dental leads, those pitches don’t exist in a vacuum. Glenn’s group members talk. They share experiences, both positive and negative, about the agencies that approach them.
In professional circles, your reputation matters more than any sales pitch. People notice what you do, and they talk about it. If you keep a good reputation, you’ll find it easier to connect with others, get more referrals, and grow your business.
How Good Reputation Brings Long-Term Success
When you’ve built strong relationships, good communication quickly resolves these problems. We had a client come to us today with an issue. It happens, sometimes a step is missed or something isn’t done quite right. The client said, “Hey, we have a problem, can you help?” I immediately took responsibility. “Sure. My bad. I’ll take care of it. No worries.”
Today alone, we’ve received several calls not because we chased business, but because people trust us. For example, a roofer from Delaware, someone we’ve never met, reached out. He trusted us enough to enroll his son Brandon, a recent high school graduate, in our training program. He also wanted to hire three virtual assistants using our process.
Why? Because we openly share what works. From showing how we repurpose content through the 4 Stages of Content Factory to publishing our VA hiring checklist, we consistently demonstrate results. That transparency builds trust. This roofer didn’t need convincing, he saw the proof and believed in the process.
It’s not just about earning trust for ourselves. Now Brandon has the opportunity to learn from Seth, who’s further along in his career. Seth Jordan, as both a digital marketer and a soccer coach, is the perfect mentor for young adults like Brandon. What we’ve built helps others grow, and their growth reflects positively on us.
Reputation cuts both ways. The roofer came across as genuine, transparent, and committed. That made it easy for us to trust him. A great reputation not only attracts clients, it attracts the right clients. When both sides bring trust and authenticity to the table, everyone wins.
We didn’t have to sell him on anything. He reached out and said, “I want to work with you.” That’s the power of reputation. It drives inbound interest, not because of flashy ads or cold calls, but because of trust and results. That’s why we continually share our processes, document our work, and let our reputation speak for itself. People see that, and it’s all the proof they need.
On the other hand, the “money Twitter” crowd, young folks flashing Lamborghini’s and spamming inboxes, is still out there, chasing anyone who will listen. That’s not our approach. We don’t do outbound. Everything we have is inbound, built entirely on reputation.
This is why I want Seth to show other young adults the right way. It’s not about cold calls or spam, it’s about doing the work and proving yourself.
It’s not always easy to show results online compared to hands-on work like pressure washing, where you can immediately see the outcome. But when you share your successes, highlight others’ achievements, and encourage collaboration, it builds trust. It also creates strong SEO when done with integrity.
At the end of the day, reputation is everything. It brings clients, friendships, and meaningful connections. When people trust you, they come to you. Start by building genuine relationships and showing up consistently. Over time, your reputation will speak for itself, leading to long-term success.