In this final episode of a four-part Marketing Sucks series, Amanda Casinha and Phil Ginther break down one of the most misunderstood reasons marketing fails: not understanding funnel stages.

From awkward couch setups to brutally honest real-world examples, this episode strips away the fluff around funnels and explains what they actually are, how people misuse them, and why jumping straight to “buy now” is killing conversions. Amanda and Phil walk through the four core funnel stages, the common mistakes businesses make at each one, and how misreading timing, trust, and objections leads to wasted effort and lost sales.

If you’ve ever asked, “Why isn’t my marketing working?” this episode answers that question with clarity, humour, and very practical takeaways.

What You’ll Learn

✔ The four true stages of a funnel and what each stage’s job really is
✔ Why most businesses jump straight from awareness to selling and fail
✔ The difference between cold, warm, and hot leads (and why it matters)
✔ The most common barriers stopping people from buying
✔ How fear, trust, timing, and price impact conversion
✔ Why over-educating at the wrong moment can actually kill sales
✔ How misreading cues online and in real life leads to lost opportunities
✔ Why treating people like numbers destroys trust instantly
✔ How different buyer types need different messaging at the same time
✔ Why random posting strategies rarely produce results
✔ How data, analytics, and timing drive effective funnels
✔ The questions you should ask before creating any piece of content

Connect With Us

For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia.

If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work.

Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community.

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

Most businesses say they’re running campaigns.
Very few actually are.

In Part 3 of this January series, Amanda and Phil break down what a real marketing campaign is, what it is not, and why so many businesses are unknowingly sabotaging their results by overcomplicating everything.

This episode introduces a deceptively simple rule that drives real conversions and explains why clarity beats creativity every single time. If your campaigns feel scattered, confusing, or underperforming, it’s probably not a content problem. It’s a clarity problem.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What a marketing campaign actually is (and what it’s not)
• Why sending emails and posting during a sale does not equal a campaign
• The role a campaign plays in achieving your objective
• Why confused customers do not convert
• The three essential components every campaign needs
• How over-educating buyers can cost you sales
• Why simplicity outperforms complexity in real-world marketing
• How to spot messaging that’s too broad to convert
  
  

What’s Coming Next

This episode sets the foundation for the final part of the series. Next week we’re covering funnel stages, where people actually convert, and how broken funnels quietly drain your marketing budget.

Make sure you’re following the show so you don’t miss it.

Connect With Us

For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia.

If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work.

Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community.

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

In week two of this January series, Amanda and Phil break down one of the biggest myths in modern marketing: that more content automatically equals more growth. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

This episode dismantles the obsession with daily posting, viral content, and arbitrary challenges, and replaces it with something far more uncomfortable and far more effective: real objectives, real numbers, and real accountability.

If your current strategy is “post more and hope,” this conversation explains exactly why that’s keeping you stuck and what to do instead.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why posting every day is an activity, not a goal
• The difference between content volume and content effectiveness
• Why going viral is not a business objective
• How empty metrics protect your ego but stall your growth
• What a real marketing objective actually looks like
• Why vague goals keep you comfortable, and specific goals force growth
• How numbers, timelines, and outcomes change everything
• Why discipline is boring until it starts making you money

What’s Coming Next

This episode builds directly into Part 3 of the series and next week you’ll learn how to structure simple campaigns that actually work and why most businesses skip this step entirely.

Make sure you’re following the show so you don’t miss it.

Connect With Us

For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia.

If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work.

Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community.

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

It’s the second week of January, and the hype is loud.

New year, new you.
New platforms. New offers. New ads. New everything.

In this episode, Amanda and Phil call out the New Year marketing lie that convinces business owners they’re already behind and need to do more, faster, right now. Spoiler: that energy is usually what drains your budget and derails your strategy.

Instead of panic-driven decisions, this conversation focuses on slowing down, returning to fundamentals, and getting brutally clear on what your brand actually stands for before you touch another tactic.

This is a reality check for business owners who feel overwhelmed by January pressure and want to make smarter, more intentional marketing decisions.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why the New Year “urgency” is mostly manufactured and expensive
• How rushing into new platforms, rebrands, and ads can quietly set you back
• Why January is the worst time to make reactive marketing decisions
• The difference between doing more and doing the right thing
• Why most brands cannot clearly articulate what problem they actually solve
• How clarity beats content volume every single time
• A simple internal brand exercise to ground your marketing decisions

What’s Coming Next:

This episode kicks off a 4-part January series. Next week we’ll chat about why posting more content is not growing your business and what actually does.

Make sure you’re following the show so you don’t miss what builds next.

Connect With Us

For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia.

If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work.

Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community.

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

You heard it here first: 2026 will be the year of email marketing. Not only is it the fastest way to be seen by your audience, it converts 4x higher than any other channel. If you’re not already on the bandwagon and growing your list, this episode of Marketing Sucks is required listening. 

Tune in as Phil and I explore the forgotten art of email and how to use it to make your revenue explode this year. We talk about how to write a newsletter CTA that doesn’t suck, how to warm up new subscribers, and the sequences and automations you need to set up. We also share some of our hottest lead magnet tips, so you can toss that tired PDF (sorry, not sorry) and create something people will actually WANT. 

Marketing sucks. Let’s learn together. Hit play to discover:‌ ‌

• Why most brands rely heavily on email for sales-specific content
• The unique perks of email marketing other channels don’t offer 
• The #1 reason your list isn’t growing (and the crazy simple fix)

Please rate, review, and subscribe!

Timestamps:‌ ‌

00:12  Intro

01:30  My email numbers

03:21  Why email? 

04:54  Why lists don’t grow 

06:55  Building a funnel

09:20  Lead magnets

12:47  Sequences  

14:04  Automation & personalization 

16:32  Emails to send

18:16  Action items

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

You can’t outsource being the founder or CEO. These days, your personal brand is your #1 business growth strategy - and if you’re not showing up online often and authentically this year, your business is going to suffer. Full stop. 

In this short-and-spicy episode of Marketing Sucks, Phil and I lay out the new rules of engagement for 2026, from keeping the algorithm happy to becoming BFFs with your audience. We talk about how your personal brand will actually shorten the sales cycle with your best-fit customers, why the fear of being seen is costing you money, scale, and growth, and how being petty can actually help you get more visible with less stress.

Marketing sucks. Let’s learn together. Hit play to discover:‌ ‌

• Finding a posting schedule that consistent and comfortable for you 
• How to stop giving a f*ck about other people’s judgments 
• What sets Canada’s most-trusted brands apart

Please rate, review, and subscribe!

Timestamps:‌ ‌

00:11  Intro

02:24  Consistency

04:19  Your personal brand

05:37  Shortening the sales cycle

07:17  Top trusted Canadian brands 

08:02  Fear of being seen

09:47  Action items

Links mentioned:‌ ‌

BrandSpark 2026 Winners Announced

brandsparkmosttrusted.com/canada 

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

Stop making your marketing way harder than it needs to be. In this episode of Marketing Sucks, Phil and I reveal the five major marketing mistakes you’re probably making right now - and how to stop driving yourself crazy doing all the things. 

Listen in as we break down the most crucial do’s and don’ts of showing up online, reveal the #1 easiest way to boost your conversions (it may not be what you expect), and give you our official permission to stop posting on every single platform. This is a must-listen episode for both new and seasoned biz owners.

Marketing sucks. Let’s learn together. Hit play to discover:‌ ‌

• Why that hot new app may be useless for your biz (and how to figure it out)
• Why repurposing content is more complicated than you think 
• What you absolutely need to have in place BEFORE posting

Please rate, review, and subscribe!

Timestamps:‌ ‌

00:11  Intro

02:08  Trying to be everywhere

05:29  Repurpose or not?

06:25  Dominating your platform

08:16  Having a strategy

10:53  Ignoring your list

13:28  Selling without solving

16:44  Time crunch

18:40  Chasing perfection

23:20  Recap

24:14  Action items & outro

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

Think you’re ready to scale your business? If you want to move from solo-run start-up to scalable brand, you’ll need to switch up your strategy and your mindset. Your success will depend on whether you have the right people (and tools) in place - and what you’re willing to let go of. 

In this juicy episode of Marketing Sucks, Phil and I talk about how to tell when you’re ready to grow, what you need to put in place first, and the key strategy and mindset shifts that’ll help you scale faster. You’ll learn how to get through the scale-up identity crisis intact, why you need to adopt a company (rather than creator) mindset, how to build out your brand ecosystem, and the key to making evidence-based decisions.

Marketing sucks. Let’s learn together. Hit play to discover:‌ ‌

• How to inject more structure and intentionality into your content
• What so many biz owners get wrong when it comes to hiring VAs
• The pipelines you need in place before you scale

Please rate, review, and subscribe!

Timestamps:‌ ‌

00:11  Intro

03:14  Letting go of your baby

06:52  Delegation

08:41  Building pipelines

11:32  VAs, marketing & data 

13:57  Company mindset

16:04  Building your ecosystem

17:43  Letting go

19:50  Action items

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

Consider this the business intervention you didn’t ask for - I promise you’ll thank us later. In this no-holds-barred, tough love episode of Marketing Sucks, Phil and I dig deeply into: 1) what’s going wrong in your marketing, 2) why it’s keeping you stagnant and exhausted, and 3) how to fix it so you can actually start seeing results.

We cover how to properly map out your tactical path (instead of just throwing spaghetti based on vibes), why you can’t just have your VA handle your paid ads, how to turn your business wishes into business plans, and the dumb-but-effective dashboard that will keep you from getting sucked into a data blackhole.

Marketing sucks. Let’s learn together. Hit play to discover:‌ ‌

• How to cut down on your channels while maximizing your impact 
• Where automation and AI help your business (and where they hurt you)
• How to verify and perfect your organic reach

Please rate, review, and subscribe!

Timestamps:‌ ‌

00:11  Intro 

01:46  How much do you want it? 

03:39  Doing too much

06:19  Stripping it back

07:54  Too many tactics 

10:33  Getting clarity on your actions 

14:26  Paid ads

16:41  Organic reach

18:46  Data blackhole

20:58  Dashboard & metrics

23:52  AI & automation

27:13  Using your tech stack 

29:07  Shape & shorten your content

32:44  Scaling & back-end

36:50  Recap & action items

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency

In this spicy episode of Marketing Sucks, Phil and I talk about the 5 marketing trends you can’t afford to ignore in 2026. Note: the trends covered in this conversation aren’t short-lived fads that’ll die out by April. If you ignore these major shifts, you WILL be left behind. 

Tune in as we dig into how the CEO brand effect is changing buying behaviour (and what this means for your personal brand), why raw content is massively outperforming polished, and how to optimize your marketing strategy for an AI-driven world.

Marketing sucks. Let’s learn together. Hit play to discover:‌ ‌

• How to build trust with your audience in just a few minutes a week
• The micro-marketing and community-led strategies that’ll have big payoff in 2026 
• How to become a trusted source for AI search so you stay visible

Please rate, review, and subscribe!

Timestamps:‌ ‌

00:12  Intro

02:29  CEO & personal brand effect

06:04  Sharing your story

08:28  Microinfluencers & community-building

15:31  Finding microinfluencers

21:23  Unsh*ttification of brand marketing

26:28  Being more real

29:11  AI-driven visibility & GEO

32:58  Community-led growth & brand ecosystems

37:45  Recap & action items

—

📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com.

🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall

Get social

Instagram: @grindsocialmedia

Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA

📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!

Podcasting support

Production: theultimatecreative.com

Show notes: copymagic.agency