Clerics of Marketing

In this lo-fi episode, hear a raw, uncut, unedited recording of Adam going over the 2026 Service Program for The Marketing Clerics and how it is going to make a splash in 2026 for the electrical, plumbing, and HVAC spaces! 

Adam jumps on solo the day before Thanksgiving with a wild sentence: “I cloned myself yesterday.” Yep. He’s been testing AI avatar tools that let you record one high-quality video of yourself, then spit out new short-form videos with your face and voice reading fresh scripts. Sounds awesome in theory. In practice? The cheap tool he tried feels stiff and fake, basically the same video over and over with different lip movement. So he’s scrapping it and hunting for better options.
 
But this episode isn’t just “AI is cool.” It’s a real behind-the-scenes look at why The Marketing Clerics are experimenting with avatar video in the first place. Adam talks about staying on the cutting edge without falling for hype, why half the AI promises floating around online are straight up nonsense, and how testing tools firsthand helps protect clients from wasted time and money.
 
He also lays out the bigger vision: a future where business owners can do a one-time studio recording, train a high-quality AI clone, and then get authentic 30–90 second talking-head videos produced in their brand voice at a fraction of the cost. Educational clips, fun community content, niche authority videos… all with the owner’s face, without the owner having to film nonstop.
 
Short episode, but packed with honest takes, practical marketing thinking, and a little ADHD Dadpreneur flavor. Happy Thanksgiving Eve, y’all.

In this one, Adam and Brian get into a super practical marketing habit most contractors know they should do… but rarely do consistently: capturing job-site photos and stories that actually help you get more work. The usual advice is “take before and after pics,” but that’s too vague to be useful. So the guys break it down into specific shots and simple systems your techs can follow without needing to be “marketing people.”
 
You’ll hear exactly what to photograph (including the “rat’s nest money shot”), why those messy-before moments are marketing gold, and how to turn basic job-site images into content that builds trust fast. They also share a ridiculously easy method for getting techs to record quick voice memos after a job — then using AI to turn those notes into Google Business Profile updates, social posts, blog content, and case studies.
 
The conversation goes deeper into “hyper-local, hyper-specific” marketing in the AI search era: naming neighborhoods, calling out common local issues, and even tagging brands you install (Generators, EV chargers, Starlink, etc.) so you show up when homeowners search for that exact solution.
 
If you want your crew to help create content without slowing down jobs, and you want your marketing to start showing up in AI and zero-click search results, this episode gives you a simple playbook to steal.

In this episode Adam breaks down one of the most misunderstood numbers in the trades. Customer acquisition cost. Also called CAC. If you’ve ever wondered how much you should be spending to get a new customer or whether your marketing dollars are actually paying off this conversation will clear it up fast.
 
Adam explains what CAC really measures and why it’s not the same as cost per lead. He walks through the full formula in plain English and breaks down every category that should be included. Marketing spend. Sales labor. Software. Content. Overhead. He also explains the biggest mistakes contractors make when trying to calculate CAC and why most undercount their true costs without realizing it.
 
You’ll hear practical examples including a full walkthrough of a sample CAC calculator with real numbers so you can see how the math works in real life. Adam also covers what a healthy CAC looks like for home service businesses how the number changes based on the market you’re in and why your average ticket and lifetime value matter more than anything.
 
Finally he shares how to calculate CAC by marketing channel so you can see which platforms are actually profitable and which ones are burning cash. Google Ads Meta Ads SEO referrals print and more.
 
If you want clarity on scaling your business spending more confidently and knowing where your best customers come from this episode gives you the blueprint.

In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam and Brian tackle one of the biggest questions every contractor wrestles with. Is my marketing working. They break down why busy seasons can fool you, why slow seasons can scare you, and why neither one actually tells you the truth about your marketing performance.
 
The guys dig into the real indicators that matter. Steady traffic growth, rising map pack visibility, consistent review velocity, better branded search, cleaner call handling, and whether your website is actually converting the people who find you. They lay out simple metrics you can start tracking today, and explain the difference between leading indicators that show where things are headed and lagging indicators that reveal what already happened.
 
You’ll also learn how to spot red flags with any marketing company. Are they transparent with real data. Do they explain things clearly. Are they improving your owned assets. Are they asking you for stories, photos, and real content. Or are they acting like a vending machine that spits out AI posts and stock photos.
 
Adam and Brian close with a simple four step checkup any home service business can use when growth stalls. From your GBP activity to your call handling to your ads and website, they show you how to diagnose what’s actually broken instead of guessing by gut feeling.
 
If you want clarity on what good marketing really looks like and how to know if you’re moving in the right direction, this episode gives you a clean, practical roadmap you can apply today.

In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam and Brian kick things off with a hilarious parenting story involving a stunt-happy five year old, a broken baby gate, and an intense scavenger hunt that ends with some gentle psychological warfare. From there, they jump straight into a real conversation about AI and the rising trend of contractors trying to replace an entire marketing department with a twenty dollar subscription.
 
Adam shares a story from a contractor group about someone who almost paid a consultant to build complex automations before discovering that another AI tool could knock it out in a few hours. That sparks a deeper discussion on why AI is powerful but not a full replacement for strategy, local market understanding, or real human experience. The guys break down the trap of set it and forget it marketing, show how AI defaults to generic suggestions with no nuance, and demonstrate the difference between asking an AI for ideas and actually giving it direction, context, and expertise.
 
You’ll hear examples of how The Marketing Clerics uses AI as a tool, not a department. They walk through real use cases for contractors including research, persona development, content repurposing, simplifying complex explanations, building templates, and speeding up communication. Adam even shares one of his custom agents that takes a single analogy and explodes it into dozens of social post concepts and talking head prompts.
 
Adam and Brian also break down when you should never rely on AI: strategy, brand voice, ideation, images of your team, or anything that requires real understanding of homeowners. The message is simple. AI should amplify your expertise, not pretend to have it.
 
If you’ve ever wondered how to use AI the right way in your contracting business without losing your authenticity or sabotaging your brand, this episode gives you a practical roadmap with plenty of laughs along the way. Tune in for real talk, real tactics, and a reminder that automation will never replace your experience in the field. Subscribers get new weekday episodes at 7 a.m.

In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam and Brian are finally back together in the studio and they jump right into the real work behind effective social media for home service businesses. After a fun opener about early mornings, noise canceling headphones, and a full blown NF rap session, the guys shift into a practical, step by step breakdown of how to build a social strategy that actually performs.
 
They walk through how to review the last 30 to 90 days of your content, what metrics matter, and why view counts alone do not tell the real story. Adam and Brian explain how to compare posts, identify what is working, cut what is not, and study the details that drive engagement and conversions. They also show how platforms differ, why TikTok and LinkedIn may outperform Facebook in certain trades, and why chasing virality is a trap that often leads nowhere.
 
The episode also gives a full behind the scenes look at The Marketing Clerics internal process. You will hear how the team analyzes insights, collaborates with clients, drafts content, designs graphics, runs quality checks, and schedules posts based on data driven timing. The conversation highlights why custom content beats cookie cutter templates and how a consistent strategy keeps you from wasting time on posts that never move your business forward.
 
If you are a contractor trying to figure out what to post, how to grow your presence, or how to turn social media into real conversations and real work, this episode gives you a clear, simple roadmap you can start using today.

In this solo episode of the Clerics of Marketing podcast, Adam opens up about the daily chaos every business owner understands. Too much to do, not enough time, and the constant pressure to keep moving forward. From that honest moment, he shifts into a practical walk through what it actually looks like to start working with a marketing partner who takes the time to understand your business, your brand, and your goals.
 
Adam breaks down the difference between a high volume agency experience and the hands on approach at The Marketing Clerics. He explains what really happens in those first few weeks, from the sales call to the pre call with operations, to the kickoff meeting where the full team is introduced. He also shares how the team builds your brand kit, organizes your services, sets up your local SEO tools, configures automations, launches your Google Business Profile plan, and prepares your content strategy.
 
You will also hear a first look at the new 2026 Marketing Clerics model. Adam talks about how the new structure will simplify onboarding, streamline client communication, and give contractors a more predictable and high touch experience. The upcoming model focuses on clarity, clean processes, and scalable add ons that give business owners more control over their marketing.
 
If you want to understand what a real partnership looks like, how your onboarding will flow, and what changes are coming in 2026, this episode gives you the full picture with none of the fluff. Subscribe for weekday episodes at 7 a.m. and stay connected as the 2026 model unfolds.

In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam tackles one of the biggest questions he hears from friends, clients, and even other business owners. Why is marketing so expensive? Instead of giving a fluffy answer, he breaks it down with real numbers, labor hours, and a transparent look at what it actually takes to run high quality marketing for a home service business.
 
Adam walks listeners through the hidden workload behind Google Business Profile optimization, social media content creation, email marketing, and full website builds. He breaks down exactly how many hours go into each task, why cheap agencies can charge $500 a month, and the huge difference between template swapping and true custom work done by real professionals.
 
This episode also includes a first look at the Marketing Clerics new 2026 model. Adam explains how the next evolution of the agency is moving away from rigid packages and toward a flexible base plan with modular add ons that contractors can scale up or down with the seasons. Instead of locking clients into bloated retainers, the new model focuses on transparency, choice, and a build-your-own-marketing-stack approach that adapts as the business grows.
 
Along the way Adam gets real about the pressure small agencies face when competing with overseas labor, how margins work in a service business, and why fair wages and honest work matter. If you’ve ever wondered what you’re truly paying for in a marketing retainer, or if you’ve been burned by low cost “set it and forget it” agencies, this episode gives you clarity on the real cost of doing it right and a preview of what smarter marketing will look like in 2026.

In this episode of The Clerics of Marketing, Adam tackles one of the ugliest truths in the industry: most marketers stretch the truth far beyond what actually happened. From inflated case studies to “unicorn” ROI claims, Adam breaks down how agencies twist numbers, take credit for results they didn’t cause, and hide behind shiny headlines that fall apart under real scrutiny.
 
He shares personal stories from both marketing and IT consulting, including situations where results were legitimate but lacked the hard tracking data needed to back them up. Adam also walks through the generator installation example, showing why raw lead counts don’t tell the full story and why honesty about qualified leads, close rates, and real revenue matters far more than splashy metrics.
 
The conversation shifts into a practical guide for home service contractors on how to evaluate marketing partners. Adam highlights what questions to ask, what red flags to watch for, and why you should care more about consistency, communication, and long-term support than a handful of impressive screenshots.
 
At its core, this episode is about integrity — the kind that prefers truth over hype and genuine partnership over high profit margins. If you’re tired of marketing companies overselling their magic, this honest breakdown will help you see through the noise and choose a partner who shows up, sticks around, and tells the truth.