About Root and Branch
Root & Branch aims to provide helpful, straightforward, and effective digital marketing training, strategy, and support focused on analytics and inbound marketing.
Hello!
My name is Zack Duncan. Thanks for stopping by Root & Branch.
R&B focuses on inbound marketing and data measurement and analytics.
I believe good data can help us make better decisions than we might make otherwise.
Let me me tell you a little more about this place.
My Professional Life in 5 Bullet Points
We all have things that make up our story in life. Here are some details from mine.
- I spent the first 10 or so years of my working for large companies in marketing functions like Brand, Planning, CRM, and Strategy. I’ve primarily worked in analytical roles that required me to make decisions based on data.
- I first became interested in the digital side of marketing when I was at those companies and outside agencies would come in to talk about “attribution” “conversions” and other things I didn’t really understand.
- I eventually left the corporate world due to a defibrillator and professional burnout. Here’s that story if you’re interested.
- I live in North Carolina after spending most of my adult life in Pittsburgh, PA. North Carolina is wonderful and Pittsburgh is a great place too. If you’re ever visiting, here are some recommendations.
- My own “roots” are trying to follow after this Jewish carpenter. After spending most of life trying to do things my own way, I am now a data driven weirdo.
Root and Branch
Root and Branch was born in 2016, and it became my full time job a year later.
The things we do and the decisions we make (branches) are the natural results of who we are and what we believe (roots). Those roots are the “why” in what we do.
Collecting and analyzing good data can help us build strong roots and make better decisions.
What Root and Branch Does Today
Root and Branch has a very small number of ongoing clients, and I am generally not looking for others* (more on that below). Instead, I spend time focused on teaching, training, strategy, and making instructional content on this blog and on YouTube.
If you want to keep up to date, there’s a monthly newsletter that reports on anything that might be interesting.
Want to Get in Touch?
If you’re interested in any of the following, I’d love to hear from you:
- Are you interested in learning about digital marketing for yourself or your company? I provide training and instruction in SEO, Google Ads, and Google Analytics. Let me know what you’re looking to solve, and I can tell you if I’d be a good fit. For example, if you are looking for more advanced GA work or highly technical SEO, there are a couple other names I can provide for you.
- Do you have a content partnership idea for YouTube and / or the Root and Branch blog? I like learning from new people and I’d love to hear about it. If there’s a good fit, we can collectively decide on a good cause to give 100% of all ad revenue from your video.
- If you are looking for digital marketing implementation work, I may or may not be able to help. If I can’t help, I can try to provide a short list of other agencies and freelancers that you might want to check out.
If you’re interested in connecting and don’t live in Western NC, the best way to reach me on LinkedIn. If you live in Western NC, maybe coffee or breakfast.
Thanks again for coming by, and have a great rest of your day!
What Does Root and Branch Do?
Root and Branch provides training, consulting, and (sometimes) implementation work focused on inbound marketing and digital analytics. Most work is done on an hourly basis or project basis with some ongoing retainer work.
I’ve never guaranteed results in terms of number of leads or return on ad spend. I believe that these kinds of incentives can lead to short term thinking that makes it hard to focus on long-term, strategic goals. What I will always guarantee is that any work and business dealings will be ethical and transparent and with my client’s best interest in mind.
But Do You Know What You’re Doing?
I am far from an expert in all areas of digital marketing, but I do have a lot of hands on experience with Local SEO, On Page SEO, Google Ads, Google Analytics, and general planning and strategy. I’d be happy to share results if you’re interested.
I’m also not interested in faking it until I make it. In other words, I will be up front if I don’t think I can add value and won’t pretend to be good at something I’m not.
87%
Percentage of the top 10,000 websites that are currently running Google Analytics. Is your organization taking advantage of this free and powerful platform?
Today could be a great day to start getting more out of GA. That means not just collecting data but finding how to use it.
Microsoft Clarity is also a powerful tool.
$17,500
The median value that consumers assign to Online Search, based on how much they say they’d need to be paid to give it up for one year.
When it comes to traffic acquisition channels, Root and Branch focuses on Search for B2B and B2C companies. It’s where visitors are most engaged across the marketing funnel.
90%
Of all searchers have not made up their mind about which brand to purchase at the time that they begin their online search.
Having helpful, relevant, and engaging content to help these people can build brand equity, inspire trust, and drive valuable organic traffic.
Good SEO is not possible with good content.
91%
Percentage of people who don’t look past the first page of Google search results.
Our SEO approach is designed to target valuable, achieveable, high-intent keywords and drive them to prime real estate on page 1.
