They're businesses too
Ad platforms make money when you spend more. Their automation is designed to grow spend, which isn't always the same as growing your profit.
I've spent my career inside marketing agencies. I know how they work, and why so many businesses end up paying more for less. Here's what you get instead.
Agencies have their place, but their model is built for scale: big retainers, layers of staff, and one playbook stretched across dozens of clients.
| Compare | Typical agency | Working with me |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Retainers that often run thousands of dollars a month |
Plans from $500 a month |
| Who does the work | Senior people win the deal, then junior staff run the account |
You work with me directly, from the first audit onward |
| Strategy | The same templates and playbooks reused for every client |
A plan built around your business, budget and goals |
| Attention | Your account is one of many on a busy team's plate |
Hands-on optimization every week |
| Commitment | Long contracts that are hard to leave |
Just a 3-month start, then month to month |
| Transparency | Polished reports that gloss over the details |
Plain-language reports, and you always own your accounts |
All of my experience comes from agency work, managing paid media for national consumer brands, multi-location dealer groups and luxury real estate developers.
I've seen what agencies do well. I've also seen where templated processes and stretched account teams leave money on the table: campaigns copied from the last client, budgets that never get questioned, and reports nobody has time to explain.
Now I bring that experience directly to you, without the overhead.
Google and Meta push more automation every year: auto-applied recommendations, broad match, Performance Max, Advantage+. These tools can be powerful, but it's worth remembering who built them.
Ad platforms make money when you spend more. Their automation is designed to grow spend, which isn't always the same as growing your profit.
Suggestions to raise budgets, switch to broad match or loosen targeting are common. When they're auto-applied, costs can quietly creep up.
Automated campaign types often show less about where your money actually goes, which makes wasted spend harder to spot and fix.
Automation is a tool, not a strategy. I keep a human in control of every decision that affects your budget.
"I cannot begin to recommend Dennis enough. He is methodical in his strategic planning, is not afraid to ask questions, and will improve upon any processes you currently have in place."
At an agency, your account is one of many, and staff turnover means it can change hands without much notice. With me, the person who builds your strategy is the same person running it every week.
Yes. I've managed more than 200 accounts and over $10M in ad spend, from multi-location dealer groups to national consumer brands.
When they fit. Automation can perform well with the right guardrails. I just don't hand over the keys and walk away.
Request your free ad game plan. You'll get an ad snapshot with custom ad concepts, then we'll walk through a competitor teardown and keyword opportunities on a quick call. No cost, no commitment.
See new ads built for your business before you commit to anything. Your free ad game plan includes custom ad concepts, a competitor teardown and keyword opportunities.
Get your free ad game plan