[Fully Managed] RJ Huebert from HBT Digital Ep. 172

author

Last updated June 7, 2025

[Fully Managed] RJ Huebert from HBT Digital Ep. 172

Introduction

Daniela (D): Okay. Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Fully Managed Podcast. This is where we discuss marketing and business tips to help assist you in your business journeys. I’m your host, Daniela, and today I’m joined here with a very special guest, RJ Huebert from HBT Digital. Hi, RJ. How are you?

RJ Huebert (RJH): Hey, what’s up, Daniela? Happy to be here.

D: So happy to have you here, RJ. For us to get a little bit going to get the ice breaking a little, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, about HBT Digital and what you guys do?

RJH: Sure. So HBT Digital is an online advertising agency. We specialize in lead generation and we’re based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also known as the city of champions.

D: Amazing. So you guys do lead generation, which I think is huge nowadays. I think every company wants to constantly be doing that. And I think it’s also one of the hardest things to actually be able to get quality leads—people that are actually interested in purchasing your product, buying your service, working with you, partnering, whatever the purpose of that is. Can you tell us a little bit about why you decided to focus on this area? How did this all come about?

RJH: That’s a great question. I had a ten-year corporate marketing career before the five years at HBT Digital. So those first ten years I was focused on lead gen—launching digital ad campaigns and focusing on the tracking element. How did the lead come in? What campaign? What ad did they convert on? And trying to figure out optimizations on those campaigns to try to get a lower cost per lead, a higher conversion rate. When I first launched the company, as you probably know, you’ll do anything to make a dollar. So I would do website design, I would do social media, I would do email. But what I was best at and what my career was based on was online ads and lead gen. That’s kind of why we pivoted in year two or three. Business started to pick up once we niched down on our services.

D: Sorry, I’m putting up on my glasses. I always try to film without them on and then I’m like, nope.

RJH: That’s all right. Those are cool. I like them.

D: Thank you. That’s so interesting. But I did want to ask you specifically when you were starting this, what gaps did you actually notice were happening in lead generation and in online advertising that specifically made you want to fill those in? We work a lot at Penji with lead generation. I’m very involved in stuff like this. So I feel like it’s a constant uphill battle of actually figuring out what works. And with all of the changes that are happening all the time—social media, Google Ads, Meta—it can be overwhelming. So I’m curious about your take on this.

RJH: You know, I love the strategy aspect of it. I call it the crayon versus calculator. How much is creative, and how much is the analytical side, the data side? I think it’s a healthy combination of both. When you’re playing on Meta, X, LinkedIn, you need great visuals—snappy graphics on the photo or the video. Luckily Meta, with AI, does creative optimizations in the background to make things more appealing to your audience. And then with Google Ads, it’s keyword-based. You don’t need a visual graphic that converts. So I like having both elements. At HBT Digital, all of our clients are on Google Ads, and I would say 75% are on Meta. Google Ads and Meta are the two. I think LinkedIn is not far behind. Bing is number four for my agency.

We don’t focus on shopping or sales, like the big, beautiful bicycles or desserts photographed from 80 angles. I do a lot of B2B—lawyer marketing, HVAC, education—and that doesn’t really lend itself to those graphics.

Streamlining Services

D: Yeah, no, totally. B2B is a completely different world. I actually wanted to ask you about HBT Digital—what did you guys do to actually start to streamline your services? At Penji, we started with a very simple concept, then it got more complex, then we simplified, then complex again. It’s a process of tailoring services based on customer demand, market shifts, etc. How has that journey been for you?

RJH: I love what you just mentioned—complex to simple to complex again. That’s exactly what happened. We tried to do everything for everyone, but we weren’t great at one thing—except lead gen and running ads with results. So once we niched down—just lead gen, just Google Ads, Facebook Ads—we provided results. Then came questions about landing pages and conversion optimization. What happens when a lead comes in? Are we tracking that lead properly? Are we making notes? Are we converting?

Now, are you familiar with HighLevel?

D: No. Can you explain?

RJH: HighLevel is like a Salesforce or HubSpot—an all-in-one marketing platform. This past year, we added complexity by adopting HighLevel for our clients. Now we can track all leads from phone calls, form fills, and custom lists. It’s all in one place. We can build funnels, do outreach, and manage ads—all in one place. It’s awesome but adds complexity.

D: Yeah, I mean, I always use the analogy of going to a restaurant with a giant menu. You have so many options, you can’t even read them all. And a lot of that food is probably pre-made or microwavable. Whereas a restaurant with a smaller menu is more tailored and higher quality. It’s easier to choose too.

RJH: Are you referring to the Cheesecake Factory?

D: Yeah, kind of—Benihana, Cheesecake Factory, those ten-page menus.

RJH: Exactly. When you start a business, you take anything for revenue. But once you build case studies and testimonials, you can start talking about what you actually do. Like that sushi place that serves omakase only—11 courses, all tailored. That’s what we do with HBT Digital. We only talk about lead gen and online ads. We’re not talking about your email marketing system or a 30-day Christmas posting calendar. We want to get clients results. The best way to do that is through online ads—you can track performance, remarket, and get that sale.

Referral Networks

D: Yeah, totally. The complexity you add is more about specializing in what you’re good at. You don’t want to Cheesecake Factory your own business.

RJH: That’s why we have a referral network. We have partners who are the best at website design—shoutout to Maycreate in Missouri—and others for social media and PR—shoutout to Oyster Creative in Pittsburgh. When clients need those things, we refer them. When they want to advertise, they come to us.

D: That’s amazing. Having that network is huge. Customers appreciate referrals to people you trust, instead of just Googling it themselves.

RJH: Exactly. And with HighLevel, we can see the customer journey—how many times they visit, which pages, when they convert. Sometimes it takes 8–10 touchpoints before they even reach out.

Adapting to Change

D: Digital marketing is changing constantly. It wasn’t even a big thing a few years ago, and now it’s essential. Social media rules are changing. AI is changing everything—not just in marketing, but across industries. How has this influenced how you run your business?

RJH: Great question. I’ll break this into two buckets: the client bucket and my business bucket.

On the client side, Google Ads, Facebook, and LinkedIn already use AI. They provide ad copy suggestions, creative optimizations, dynamic layouts. We A/B test—our team’s copy versus AI-generated copy—and see what performs best. That’s the beauty of digital—you can track and measure everything.

On the business side, we use Claude and ChatGPT for blog ideas, headline suggestions, webinar topics. But you need a human touch. If you copy and paste straight from ChatGPT, it’s obvious and boring. I also like Canva—AI-generated images are great for testing. Compare them against your own designs and see what wins.

D: Yeah, ChatGPT helps me get past a blank page, but the final version always needs human editing. You can tell when something is AI-written.

RJH: I’ve used AI in biz dev too—plug in a website into Claude, pull info, summarize, and guide my outreach emails. It’s a tool, not a replacement.

Giving Back to the Community

D: I know you also volunteer your marketing services to the community. That’s amazing. Why is that important to you?

RJH: Thanks for bringing that up. In my corporate career, I worked at a credit union. Their mantra was “people helping people.” Every month, we picked a charity and put resources toward it—volunteering, marketing. It was very rewarding. When I started HBT Digital, I wanted to continue that. We’ve done campaigns for nonprofits and volunteered physically. For example, we worked with 412 Food Rescue in Pittsburgh. We packed groceries for donation. It gets you out of the corporate mindset and into the real world. Especially after COVID, when everything was webinars and screens.

D: Yeah, you forget about the human side when you’re building a business. Giving back keeps you grounded.

RJH: Do you all do that at Penji?

D: Yeah, we have a program called Penji for Good. We provide graphic design services to nonprofits each month. Nonprofits often struggle with marketing because their focus is the mission. But they still need to operate like businesses—with marketing, sales, etc. We can really help them grow.

RJH: One hundred percent. And it’s OK to share that story—on LinkedIn, blogs, whatever. Just don’t make it self-serving.

D: Yeah, not like, “I’m a hero, pat me on the back.” But it’s still worth sharing. If I were a business owner, that would be a core value of mine too.

RJH: It keeps you grounded. It gets you out of Google Ads and spreadsheets. Your brain gets mushy otherwise.

D: Same here. Sometimes it’s just hours of Outlook and emails. I need a VA to manage it!

RJH: You really do.

Business Growth and Key Clients

D: I know HBT had major growth in 2021. What changed the game for you?

RJH: I launched in 2019. Then COVID hit in 2020. I went from $35K to $50K. In 2021, we hit over $100K. That year, we niched down to lead gen and ads and figured out how to price—flat fee plus percentage of ad spend. Then I landed a big client, a credit union in California. That helped with revenue and growth. Small clients are great, but the big ones keep you in business.

D: Yeah, a healthy mix of big and small clients gives you versatility.

RJH: And it’s true—the smallest clients are the most demanding. Big clients pay well and leave you alone. You just check in once a month, and it’s perfect.

Rapid Fire Game

D: Amazing, RJ. We’re almost out of time, but I do have a game prepared for us. Rapid fire—20 questions, not business-related. Nobody has gotten through all 20 in a minute. Let’s see how you do. Ready?

RJH: Bring it. Let’s go.

D: Coffee or tea?

RJH: Coffee.

D: Early bird or night owl?

RJH: Night owl.

D: Favorite social media platform?

RJH: TikTok.

D: Go-to karaoke song?

RJH: Don’t Stop Believin’.

D: Books or podcasts?

RJH: Podcasts.

D: One word that describes you?

RJH: Crazy.

D: Dream vacation destination?

RJH: Hawaii.

D: Most used app on your phone?

RJH: Instagram.

D: Favorite emoji?

RJH: Thumbs up.

D: Hidden talent?

RJH: I play guitar.

D: Comfort food?

RJH: Tacos.

D: Superpower for a day?

RJH: See through walls.

D: Who inspires you the most?

RJH: Arnold Schwarzenegger.

D: Guilty pleasure?

RJH: Drinking beer.

D: If not HBT Digital, what would you be doing?

RJH: I’d be on the corporate hamster wheel.

D: Biggest pet peeve?

RJH: [Time ran out!]

D: Oh, we missed it. You did really well, though. You got through a lot!

RJH: That was fun. I like that.

D: Good job. You were pretty quick. A lot of people get stuck on the karaoke song.

RJH: Funny thing—I never do karaoke.

Closing

D: It was great. RJ, thank you so much for doing this. It was great to have you on the show. I want to give you space to tell our listeners and viewers where they can find you. Floor’s yours.

RJH: Thanks, Daniela. You’ve been an awesome host. I love the questions. Check out hbtdigital.com. Our social handles are HBT Digital Consulting. My personal Instagram is @RJ_HBT.

D: Awesome. I’ll be adding the links to the description. Everybody listening, check the description to find RJ and HBT Digital. Shannon and I will see you on the next episode.

RJH: Thank you.

D: Thank you. Have a great day.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rjhuebert

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/dd82f404-5099-49da-9261-1621f65ee3ea/episodes/36b661c6-dd01-4c00-8d7c-8ac7cfcc06b0/fully-managed-lead-generation-digital-marketing-the-creative-analytic-blend

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lead-generation-digital-marketing-the-creative/id1782589467?i=1000711936126

About the author
author

Carla is a journalist and content writer who produces stories for both digital and legacy media. She is passionate about creativity, innovation, and helping small businesses explore solutions that drive growth and social impact.

Share this article

Watch our demo

Discover & learn how easy it is to use our
platform in less than 7 minutes.

Watch demo
watch demo

Schedule a demo

Schedule a demo today to see how you can get creatives done
faster, never miss a deadline, AND save 70% on costs.

Schedule a demo
talk to us

Unlimited graphic design starting at $499/m

Learn more