Client Spotlight:
Flue Tech Inc.
Recovering $70,000 in Wasted Ad Spend and Building a Protected Marketing System
Project Details
Client Name
Flue Tech Inc.
Category
Marketing System
The Core Problem
Flue Tech Inc. is a high-end chimney, fireplace, and venting specialist serving NY, NJ, and CT.
25+ years in business.
Complex residential and commercial work.
Strong reputation through referrals.
But online, three major issues were quietly hurting them:
Their website did not reflect the level of their work.
Their marketing efforts lacked structure and oversight.
Their Google Ads account was compromised.
They were already spending money.
They just didn’t know what was actually happening inside their ad account.
Who This Is For
This case study is for owner-led, high-ticket home service and specialty construction companies that:
- Spend $5K–$30K+ per month on ads
- Rely heavily on reputation
- Offer technical, custom, or safety-sensitive services
- Have 5–50 employees
- Feel unsure whether their marketing is structured or protected
If you operate in chimney & fireplace services, HVAC, roofing, pools, fire safety, or specialty fabrication, this will sound familiar.
Gallery
The Google Ads Incident
Problem → Solution → Outcome
What Went Wrong
During our initial audit, we discovered irregular activity inside their Google Ads account.
Unauthorized campaigns had been launched from overseas.
Ad spend was being drained without their knowledge.
The campaigns did not align with their services or geographic market.
For an owner-led business, this is more than a marketing issue.
It’s a revenue risk.
How It Was Discovered
We conducted a structured audit immediately after taking over the account.
We identified:
- Abnormal campaign behavior
- Spend patterns that didn’t match service intent
- Traffic coming from outside their target regions
- Campaigns not created by their internal team
The account had effectively been compromised.
What Was Fixed
- All campaigns were paused immediately
- The account was secured
- Access permissions were cleaned and tightened
- We worked directly with Google through the recovery process
- Monitoring safeguards were put in place
- Campaign structure was rebuilt properly
Financial Outcome
$70,000 in misused ad spend was successfully recovered.
More importantly:
Their ad account became structured, monitored, and protected.
For a high-ticket home service business, that protection is not optional.
The Broader Marketing Problem
The ad issue revealed something larger:
Their marketing systems were disconnected.
- Website did not reflect their expertise
- Complex services were difficult to understand
- No seasonal strategy
- No structured visibility plan
- No oversight across platforms
They had a strong business.
They just didn’t have a structured marketing infrastructure.
The Solution: A Protected, Seasonal Marketing System
We transitioned from project work into long-term partnership.
Instead of isolated tasks, we built layers.
1. Website Reconstruction (70% Rebuilt)
Problem
The website created uncertainty for high-end and commercial prospects.
Solution
We rebuilt approximately 70% of the site while keeping their brand identity intact.
We clarified:
- Service structure
- Residential vs commercial positioning
- Technical explanations
- Navigation and trust signals
Outcome
The website now supports their reputation instead of undermining it.
Higher-end inquiries increased.
Commercial conversations became easier.
2. Visibility & SEO Infrastructure
Problem
Their expertise was not structured in a way search engines or AI systems could understand.
Solution
We implemented:
- SEO wizard setup
- Structured technical SEO
- Blog strategy aligned with seasonal demand
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Consistent visibility across Houzz, Angie’s List, and industry directories
- AI-search-aware content formatting
We also repurposed existing expertise and past content instead of forcing constant new creation.
Outcome
Stronger visibility across:
- Google Search
- Google Business Profile
- AI tools
- Industry platforms
Without increasing internal workload.
3. Seasonal Strategy Alignment
Luxury chimney and fire feature companies have predictable demand cycles.
Winter = peak season
Post-winter = repair and restoration
Warmer months = custom builds and planning
Instead of reactive marketing, we created:
- Seasonal ad expansion strategies
- Post-winter repair positioning
- Budget shifts based on demand
- Content calendar aligned with service timing
Outcome:
Marketing now works with their industry cycle instead of against it.
4. Visual & Sales Support Tools
For high-end, technical services, text is not enough.
We developed:
- 3D renderings
- Animations and cinemagraphs
- A museum-grade product catalog
Outcome:
- Complex services became easier to understand
- Sales conversations shifted from price to value
- The brand presentation elevated
“The website you created for us is beautiful. We’re already getting plenty of compliments on it.”
— Flue Tech Inc. Founder
The Result
Since restructuring and protecting their marketing system, Flue Tech has:
- Recovered $70,000 in ad spend
- Improved inquiry quality
- Reduced wasted ad spend
- Increased visibility across search and AI
- Strengthened commercial positioning
- Gained a marketing partner instead of managing vendors
Marketing is no longer guesswork.
It is structured, monitored, and aligned with revenue.
What This Means for Luxury Home Service & Construction Businesses
If you:
- Spend significantly on ads
- Offer high-ticket or safety-sensitive services
- Care about reputation
- Operate with a small leadership team
- Want predictable, qualified inquiries
Then marketing cannot be casual.
It must be:
- Protected
- Structured
- Seasonally aligned
- Actively monitored
Our Role Today
We operate as Flue Tech’s marketing partner and oversight layer.
→ We monitor performance.
→ We protect budget.
→ We structure visibility.
→ We align strategy with seasonality.
→ We optimize continuously.
The more we understand their business, the more intelligently we can guide it.
Want to See If This Structure Fits Your Company?
If you run a chimney, HVAC, roofing, pool, or specialty construction company and want your marketing protected and aligned with revenue:
Book a 20-minute strategy review.
We’ll look at what’s working, what’s exposed, and what needs structure.
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