Transforming Health & Business: How Dr. Charlie's Practice Doubled Growth with AE&Co’s Automated Systems and Strategic Marketing
Prepared by: Aveline Elfar & Co.
April 2025
Introduction
Dr. Charlie is a holistic physician trained in chiropractic, frequency and functional medicine. He offers an eclectic in-depth approach to patient evaluation and treatment due to his extensive knowledge of natural healthcare techniques and functional medicine research. He practices in Franklin, TN where he works with in-person and virtual patients structurally, chemically and emotionally to reveal the root causes of their health concerns along with assisting them in their journey of healing. His website, blog, and In The Trenches membership is an extension of that purpose and is for you to have access to information that has helped thousands of people be the healthiest versions of themselves.
Challenges
Before partnering with our agency, Dr. Charlie faced the following operational challenges that hindered his growth and efficiency:
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Limited Marketing Strategy: His marketing efforts were primarily focused on social media, with no formal email marketing strategy in place. This left a significant gap in reaching and engaging with potential clients outside of social platforms.
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Inefficient Project Management: The team lacked experience in building marketing funnels to foster growth and engagement outside of their social media influence, resulting in missed opportunities and bottlenecks in the workflow.
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Customer Service Bottlenecks: Customer support processes were inefficient, slowing down response times and reducing the overall effectiveness of the practice’s operations.
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Lack of Automation: Without automated systems and proper project management tools, the practice relied heavily on manual efforts, which limited scalability and efficiency in operations, sales, and customer support.
Solutions Implemented
To overcome these challenges, we introduced several strategic solutions designed to automate processes, enhance engagement, and foster growth:
Email Marketing Strategy
We implemented a brand new, robust email marketing strategy to grow and engage Dr. Charlie’s email list. Included was a content cadence that followed the new email creation workflow, which minimized inefficient busy work and allowed us to keep to our weekly goals. By sending bi-weekly campaigns with valuable content, we also created opportunities to promote Dr. Charlie’s membership. We even built out three automated email sequences specifically designed to enhance the ITT membership experience and increase sales.
Automated Sales Funnels
We built out and introduced a brand new evergreen funnel, utilizing Dr. Charlie’s top two most important membership videos to engage potential clients. Through our customized dashboard that tracked these funnel metrics, we were able to establish an average conversion rate of 5% solely from paid cold traffic.
Streamlined Project Management
We implemented Asana as the team’s central project management tool, conducting a thorough task analysis to determine what could be automated, eliminated, or streamlined. This significantly improved team efficiency and collaboration.
Because of this task analysis, we introduced a new error form submission process, reducing customer service errors submissions by over 50%. Additionally, we developed an automated affiliate sales and tracking system tracking system, greatly easing administrative burdens for the customer service department.
Customer Support Automation
Website Redesign
We completely updated Dr. Charlie’s website design, which in turn better reflected the brand’s aesthetic and clearly communicated the value of the ITT membership. A complete revamping and redesign of the ITT Membership Sales Page was also necessary, to better explain the membership’s features and values. Consequently, this improved clarity and sales.
Membership Promotion
We prepared promotional emails to introduce our “end of year” membership sale. This had astounding results, as it brought in almost 600 new subscriptions and an additional $52k in revenue!
Webinars & Live Events
We promoted and executed two live webinars as a brand-new marketing strategy for Dr. Charlie. These live webinars offered non-member audiences on social media the opportunity to virtually connect with Dr. Charlie, learn more about the membership, and sign up. This collectively brought in additional $37k in revenue with an average conversion rate of 4.8%.
Customization and Collaboration
Throughout this process, we worked closely with Dr. Charlie and his team, tailoring solutions to meet their specific needs. Monthly meetings (not weekly, as we believe this hinders efficiency and costs more time) ensured that our efforts were aligned with their goals and vision. We also maintained private, instant communication through Slack to clarify any uncertainties and ensure smooth project execution. Our collaboration was rooted in respect for the budget and a focus on delivering high-impact results without unnecessary costs.
We were able to do this by adhering to the following two protocols:
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​Assess and utilize all available resources and software.
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Introduce new software and tools that best solved the problem at hand only if necessary.
Results and Outcomes
The results of our efforts were both quantitatively and qualitatively significant:
102%
Email List Growth
>50%
Email Open Rates
~2%
Email Click Rates
3%-5%
Funnel Conversion Rates
$52K
Additional Revenue
Quantitative Results
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102% Email List Growth: We helped Dr. Charlie expand his email list from 14,800 to 30,000 active, engaged contacts in just one year.
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​High Engagement Rates: All email campaigns and membership emails achieved an impressive open rate of over 50% and a click rate of 1.96%, showcasing strong engagement.
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Conversion Success: Since its inception in August 2024, our automated email welcome sequence and evergreen email funnel consistently achieved a 3%-5% conversion rate, both through organic and paid traffic. This introduced subscribers to Dr. Charlie and sold them on his membership (therefore, he no longer needed to solely rely on social media advertising for his revenue).
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Revenue Impact: A targeted “End of Year” membership sale brought in nearly 600 new subscriptions, generating an additional $52k in revenue.
Qualitative Results
Our ongoing collaboration ensured that Dr. Charlie felt fully supported, with clear communication channels and consistent progress toward his goals. Here’s what Dr. Charlie had to say about working with us: ​
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“I've had countless wins since working with you - Got my whole business organized! I value your attention to detail and how easy you make everything for me. I feel safe, taken care of and more at ease that things are running smoothly without me needing to do anything. Everything has been amazing. The systems that you set in place have been a game changer and you have really helped my business in all aspects. Forever grateful for you and the team!”
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- Dr. Charlie Fagenholz
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Why It Worked
The key to success in this partnership was a combination of automated systems, targeted marketing strategies, and efficient project management. By moving away from a reliance on social media alone and introducing automation in email marketing, customer service, and sales funnels, we helped Dr. Charlie scale his business while maintaining quality and personal connection with his audience. The creation of a new, streamlined approach not only boosted Dr. Charlie’s revenue but also improved his team’s ability to handle day-to-day tasks without being bogged down by inefficiency.​
Key Takeaways
For businesses looking to replicate Dr. Charlie's success, here are a few critical takeaways from this case study:
Email Marketing is Essential
Relying solely on social media growth limits your ability to engage directly with your audience. We have seen that a results-driven email marketing strategy is vital to scaling successfully and efficiently.
Automate Where Possible
Systems and automation save time and resources. From email funnels to customer service, automation can take your business to the next level.
Streamline Operations for Growth
The right project management tools and efficient internal processes are essential for scaling your business without sacrificing quality.
Highlights
Dr. Charlie’s collaboration with AE&Co demonstrates the power of strategic automation and targeted marketing in transforming his practice.
Through our integration of robust email marketing systems, automated funnels, and streamlining internal processes, Dr. Charlie was able to do the following:
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Double his email list
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Increase membership sales
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Generate significant revenue without relying solely on social media
For businesses looking to scale efficiently, this case study highlights the importance of leveraging automation, improving customer service, and implementing cohesive marketing strategies that align with your brand and goals.
With the right systems in place, business owners can not only foster growth but also build a sustainable foundation for long-term success and operational ease.
READY TO TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS?
If you are ready to transform your business and achieve similar success, apply to work with AE&Co today to discover how we can help you implement tailored solutions that drive growth and efficiency and help you to scale quickly.
