Hydra OS
The AI platform Real Time Marketing is being rebuilt on, and what it does for a contractor's site.
See the platform →Founder and CEO, Real Time Marketing
Matt Benton
An entrepreneur, technology executive, and marketing strategist with more than two decades building companies and tools for the trades: Trenchless Marketing, Real Time Reviews, Real Time Marketing, and now Unify360.
Founder and CEO
Technology that simplifies business, and marketing that answers to results.
Matt Benton is an entrepreneur, technology executive, and marketing strategist dedicated to helping home service businesses grow through innovation, artificial intelligence, and measurable business results. As the Founder and CEO of Real Time Marketing, Matt has spent more than two decades building companies, technologies, and strategies that help contractors generate more leads, strengthen their reputation, improve operational efficiency, and create sustainable long-term growth.
Throughout his career, Matt has believed that technology should simplify business rather than complicate it. That philosophy has guided every company he has founded, from specialized digital marketing agencies to AI-powered software platforms, and continues to shape his vision for the future of the home services industry.
Today, Matt leads Real Time Marketing, a company focused on helping contractors leverage search, reputation, artificial intelligence, automation, and data to compete more effectively in an increasingly digital marketplace. As the industry rapidly evolves, Real Time Marketing is being rebuilt on the Hydra AI platform to deliver intelligent automation, agentic workflows, and faster innovation for contractors while maintaining the strategic marketing expertise the company has become known for. Rather than viewing AI as another feature, Matt sees it as the foundation for the next generation of business growth.
The companies
Every company he founded solved a problem contractors had.
Matt's entrepreneurial journey has never been driven by simply creating marketing services. Instead, every company he has founded has been built to solve a specific problem contractors face.
Recognizing early that specialized expertise consistently outperforms generalized marketing, Matt founded Trenchless Marketing, one of the first agencies dedicated exclusively to the trenchless sewer and underground infrastructure industry. By focusing on a highly technical niche, the company helped contractors improve visibility, generate qualified leads, and establish stronger brands within a rapidly growing market.
As online reviews became increasingly influential in consumer purchasing decisions, Matt founded Real Time Reviews to help contractors systematically generate authentic customer feedback while improving their online reputation. Long before reputation management became a standard marketing service, Matt recognized that trust would become one of the most valuable assets a local business could build. Real Time Reviews received national recognition through industry partnerships and media coverage, helping establish new standards for review generation and customer engagement.
These experiences ultimately led to the evolution of Real Time Marketing into a comprehensive growth partner for home service companies. Today, the company provides strategic guidance across search engine optimization, Google Local Services Ads (LSA), paid media, website development, conversion optimization, local visibility, reputation management, and AI-driven marketing strategies.
Ahead of the shifts
He has called the shifts before they were obvious.
Throughout his career, Matt has consistently anticipated major shifts in digital marketing.
He recognized the importance of online reviews before reputation management became mainstream. He embraced niche specialization before industry-focused agencies became common. More recently, he recognized that artificial intelligence would fundamentally change how local businesses acquire customers, communicate with prospects, and operate their companies.
Rather than viewing AI as a replacement for people, Matt believes artificial intelligence should eliminate repetitive work while empowering business owners and their teams to focus on relationships, customer experience, and strategic decision-making.
That vision has become the driving force behind Unify360.
Unify360
An AI-powered growth operating system for home service businesses.
Matt is the creator and visionary behind Unify360, an AI-powered Growth Operating System built specifically for home service businesses.
Rather than functioning as a traditional CRM or marketing platform, Unify360 is designed to unify customer communication, online reputation, messaging, social media, local visibility, analytics, and business intelligence into one intelligent ecosystem.
The platform continues to evolve through AI-powered capabilities that help contractors engage leads faster, automate routine marketing activities, improve customer experiences, and gain greater visibility into business performance.
Central to that vision is the Unify Visibility Score (UVS), a proprietary framework designed to help businesses understand and improve the many factors that influence their online visibility across modern search experiences.
Matt believes the future belongs to companies that combine exceptional customer service with intelligent automation, allowing technology to work alongside people rather than replacing them.
In the industry
Where his perspective has appeared.
Matt's expertise spans digital marketing, artificial intelligence, local search, customer experience, business automation, entrepreneurship, and contractor growth strategy.
Over the years, he has shared his insights through industry publications, podcasts, executive interviews, and expert roundtables discussing the future of marketing, AI, and business growth.
His perspectives have been featured in national press releases, trade publications, and respected industry media, including:
These appearances reflect Matt's commitment to advancing conversations around AI, digital marketing, reputation management, local search, and the evolving role technology plays in helping contractors succeed.
- Real Time Marketing Executive Profile
- Ripley PR
- PR Newswire
- TechRound
- BacklinkBuilding.io
- The FireStarter Podcast with Todd Liles
- To The Point Home Services Podcast
How he leads
Trust before transactions.
Matt believes sustainable businesses are built by creating trust before transactions.
His leadership philosophy centers on a few simple principles:
These principles continue to guide the development of Real Time Marketing, Unify360, and the technologies shaping the next generation of contractor growth.
- Technology should simplify business.
- Marketing should always be accountable to measurable business outcomes.
- Speed creates competitive advantage.
- Reputation is one of a company's greatest assets.
- Artificial intelligence should empower people, not replace them.
- Continuous innovation is essential for long-term growth.
Looking ahead
Helping contractors through the AI transformation.
As artificial intelligence reshapes every aspect of business, Matt remains focused on helping contractors navigate that transformation with confidence.
His vision extends beyond marketing campaigns or software features. He believes the future of the home services industry will be built on intelligent systems that proactively help businesses generate demand, respond to customers, automate repetitive work, strengthen relationships, and make better decisions through data.
Whether advising contractors, speaking on industry podcasts, contributing to publications, or leading product innovation, Matt's mission remains consistent: to build practical technology that helps local businesses grow stronger, serve customers better, and compete successfully in an increasingly AI-driven world.
As Founder and CEO of Real Time Marketing, Matt Benton continues to lead that mission by bringing together strategic marketing expertise, artificial intelligence, and a relentless focus on helping contractors build businesses that thrive for decades to come.
Media and publications
Selected media and publications.
- Real Time Marketing Leadership Profile
- Unify360 Founder Profile
- Ripley PR: Real Time Reviews Selects Ripley PR as Agency of Record
- PR Newswire: Real Time Reviews Partners with SkyBoss
- TechRound: AI Is Running Your Paid Media Now: Here's What the Experts Actually Think About That
- BacklinkBuilding.io: Anchor Text Decisions That Keep Backlink Campaigns Effective and Natural
- BacklinkBuilding.io: Build Lasting Publisher Relationships for Natural Backlinks
- The FireStarter Podcast with Todd Liles
- To The Point Home Services Podcast (Parts 1 & 2)
Where this shows up
The work his companies were built around.
Reviews and reputation
The Google Business Profile work that turns customer feedback into visibility.
See the service →The wider team
One hundred people in Bradenton, Florida, working across every discipline above.
Who we are →- Since 2016
- No long-term contracts
- Every marketing dollar is tied directly to a closed invoice