Maryland paid-media agency for brands spending $10K+ monthly, with local SEO
About Black Propeller
Black Propeller is a performance marketing agency at Box Hill Corporate Center in Abingdon, Maryland, northeast of Baltimore. It has been growing since 2011, and the LLC was formed in 2012. John Thornton is the founder and CEO, and Annie Yeager is an account director. Headcount is between 50 and 249. Black Propeller is part of Stellar, an AI-native performance partner using AI from Pixis.
Paid media is the core of the business. Pay-per-click is half of all work, paid social a quarter, SEO a fifth and HubSpot CRM consulting the rest. They also run Amazon Ads and make performance creative such as ads, landing pages and video. Their SEO line covers local, national, enterprise, franchise and multi-location, international, e-commerce and video SEO, plus AEO and GEO for AI answer engines. Each client gets a dedicated manager and specialist, and the agency uses no junior teams and optimises daily.
The agency is open about its working terms. It aims at growth-stage brands spending at least $10,000 a month on paid media. Fees are a fixed, tiered monthly retainer linked to ad spend rather than a percentage of it. Longer contracts come with incentives, but month-to-month is possible. Clients own their ad accounts and all creative. Reporting dashboards refresh every 15 minutes, meetings are usually every two weeks, and there are also weekly reports and monthly strategy calls. Rates are $100 to $149 an hour, with a $1,000 minimum project.
The agency has no dental clients or dental page. Its closest healthcare work is Virtu Cosmetic Surgery in Columbia, South Carolina. Google and Meta campaigns, built from scratch in late 2023, raised its consultation numbers month over month and improved local awareness. Results from other sectors include a 5.4 return on ad spend for the beauty brand Missha, double the return and a 25 percent higher click-through rate for World Spa, and eight times the return for Norfolk Kitchen & Bath after fixes to attribution and lead routing.
They are rated 4.8 on Clutch from 81 reviews, and most reviews come from e-commerce firms. Reviewers praise data-led buying, a proactive approach and honest communication. One low score cited poor returns and weak contact. The agency fits best with large practices, DSOs or multi-location groups that put serious money into Google and Meta ads. It is a weaker fit for a single practice with a small budget.
Black Propeller's Website
Black Propeller at a Glance
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Team size | 50-249 employees |
| Headquarters | Abingdon, Maryland, USA |
| Leadership | John Thornton (Founder & CEO); Annie Yeager (Account Director) |
| Languages | English |
| Pricing | Fixed tiered monthly retainer based on ad spend, not a percentage of spend. Aimed at brands spending at least $10,000/month on paid media. $100-$149/hr and a $1,000+ minimum project. |
| Contracts & reporting | Longer contracts are encouraged with incentives, and month-to-month is available. Clients own ad accounts and creative assets. Dashboards update every 15 minutes, with weekly reporting, monthly strategy calls and usually bi-weekly meetings. |
| Tools & partnerships | Google Partner; Microsoft Advertising Partner; Meta Business Partner; HubSpot; Amazon Ads; Pixis AI (via Stellar) |
Dental Marketing Services
- Google Ads search campaigns
- Microsoft Ads
- Meta and other paid social
- local SEO
- franchise and multi-location SEO
- AEO and GEO for AI answer engines
- landing pages and performance creative
- HubSpot CRM setup
- free account audit
Dental Clients & Results
- Virtu Cosmetic Surgery: month-over-month growth in consultations from new Google and Meta ad accounts (Nov 2023 onward)
- Missha: 5.4 ROAS, $103K revenue on $19K Meta spend
- World Spa: 2X ROAS and 25% CTR improvement
- Norfolk Kitchen & Bath: 8X ROAS after attribution and lead routing fixes
Why Dentists Choose Black Propeller
- PPC makes up 50% of its service mix
- Clutch rating of 4.8 from 81 reviews
- Team of 50 to 249 employees
- Minimum project size of $1,000 (Black Propeller)
- CRM consulting is 5% of its work
Key Strengths
- Uses data to scale ad budgets efficiently as patient demand grows
- Gives practices performance dashboards that update every 15 minutes
- Uses attribution modeling to decide where practice ad budget goes
- Runs paid social for practices on TikTok, Snapchat and Pinterest besides Facebook and Instagram
How the DSA Score Breaks Down
Points earned: 47.2 of 100 (profile 42 × 0.8 + client feedback 13.6). DSA Score: 89/100
What Clients Say About Black Propeller
- 3 on review sites
Clients Most Often Praise
- Clear reporting & honesty 1
- Value for money 1
In ShortClients praise data-driven paid media, proactivity and honesty.
Medical client says the team is proactive in building out the account and helping achieve goals.
See it on clutch.coImpressed by the agency's use of data and insights to scale media buys efficiently.
See it on clutch.coJohn Nix values the team's honesty about what they can deliver and about weak spots to fix.
See it on clutch.coWhere Black Propeller Is Listed
Questions Dentists Ask About Black Propeller
Does Black Propeller have dental experience?
They name no dental clients. Their nearest healthcare work is Virtu Cosmetic Surgery, where Google and Meta campaigns raised consultation volume month over month.
What ad budget do they expect?
They work with growth-stage brands spending at least $10,000 a month on paid media. Their management fee is a fixed retainer tiered by spend, not a percentage of it.
Can I cancel month to month?
They encourage longer contracts and offer incentives for them, but month-to-month arrangements are possible.
Who owns the ad accounts and creative?
The client does. Clients own the accounts Black Propeller creates or joins and all the ads, landing pages and videos it produces.
Do they offer SEO or only ads?
SEO is about 20 percent of their work. Their SEO line includes local, franchise and multi-location SEO, and AEO and GEO for AI answer engines.
Reviews of Black Propeller
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