In this episode, Yousaf Yunes breaks down why strong agencies don’t just report on the past—they plan aggressively for the future. Inspired by the idea of thinking 10–15 moves ahead, Yousaf explains how quarterly planning, pre-planned promotions, and forward-looking strategy turn media buyers into true growth partners.

He walks through real client examples across beauty and sports equipment brands, showing how early planning for seasonal moments (Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, summer, holidays) prevents last-minute scrambling and leads to better creative, cleaner funnels, and smarter budget allocation. Yousaf also explains how to balance top-, mid-, and bottom-funnel objectives, when to push spend versus when to build demand, and why remarketing and experimentation should be planned months in advance.

The core takeaway: stop obsessing over last month’s ROAS. Agencies that win focus on forecasting, fixing delayed problems early, and clearly showing clients what’s coming next—quarter by quarter. That’s how you build trust, retention, and long-term revenue.

#YousafYunes #PaidMedia #PPC #AgencyLife #MediaBuying #MarketingStrategy #QuarterlyPlanning #PerformanceMarketing #DigitalMarketing #MarketingAgency #AdStrategy #ConversionOptimization #ROAS #ClientRetention #MarketingLeadership #FunnelStrategy #DemandGeneration #PrePlanning #MarketingPlanning #AgencyOwner #ScalingAgencies #EcommerceMarketing #Remarketing #Retargeting #PaidSocial #SearchMarketing #MarketingInsights

In this episode, you break down the real role AI plays in paid media today—especially where the hype ends and human expertise still matters. While AI-generated creative is exploding and becoming cheaper, faster, and more accessible, it’s also producing a flood of low-quality, misleading, or outright wrong content. That creates risk—not leverage—when AI is used blindly in advertising.

You explain why AI works best as an analysis and pattern-recognition tool, not as a replacement for experienced media buyers. Used correctly, AI helps spot trends, diagnose creative fatigue, and surface insights buyers might miss. Used incorrectly—especially by novice buyers—it can send campaigns in the wrong direction fast.

The episode also addresses the myth that AI will replace media buyers. Platforms still rely on humans to design funnels, choose the right objectives, interpret conversion signals, and take responsibility when performance breaks. This is where expert buyers win: understanding conversion architecture, GTM vs GA4 roles, funnel leakage, value-based optimization, and how paid media connects to email, remarketing, and long-term revenue.

The core takeaway is simple: AI amplifies expertise—it doesn’t create it. The buyers who succeed are the ones who master conversions, tracking, and full-funnel strategy, and use AI as a tool—not a crutch.

#AIinMarketing #PaidMedia #MediaBuying #GoogleAds #MetaAds #PPC #AdCreative #MarketingStrategy #DigitalAdvertising #ConversionTracking #GTM #GA4 #PerformanceMarketing #MarketingPodcast

In this episode, I break down a real-world example of how leads can collapse mid-funnel, even when you follow your process correctly—and what agency owners and consultants need to do to protect themselves.

The story starts with an organic lead: a parking/airport garage aggregator who claimed his business “crumbled” after years of success. After offering a free audit, it quickly became clear the account was completely cold, improperly built, and fundamentally broken—no GA4, no GTM, no real conversion tracking, and an abandoned ad account that hadn’t run in over a year.

What looked like a simple optimization turned into a full rebuild: tracking, ads, audiences, copy, learning phase—everything. I was upfront that results would realistically take months, not weeks. The prospect verbally agreed… until pricing and cash-in-advance came up. At that point, the deal slowly unraveled.

This episode isn’t about blaming the lead. It’s about understanding where deals fall apart, and why that doesn’t always mean you did something wrong.

• Cold accounts = cold reality Old, inactive ad accounts lose auction trust. Expect rebuilds, not quick wins.

• Free audits are a cost of doing business—but don’t give away the secret sauce Point out problems. Don’t explain how to fix them.

• Cash in advance is your strongest filter It separates serious buyers from tire kickers instantly.

• Stick to your process Every step should have a yes/no gate. If someone stalls, that’s your answer.

• Price isn’t always the real objection—commitment is Many prospects agree verbally but disappear when action is required.

• The goal isn’t max retainers—it’s mutual success Fair pricing, real results, and referrals beat short-term greed every time.