Episode 617 Agency Talk Year In Review With Ryan Waterbury
Show Highlights
In this podcast episode, Rob Cairns and Ryan Waterbury conduct a comprehensive year-in-review for 2025 while looking ahead to 2026. The hosts discuss the critical importance of customer support systems and the technical challenges of WordPress core updates during the busy holiday retail season. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on artificial intelligence, highlighting its role in streamlining agency processes and commoditizing traditional web development. They also emphasize the necessity of digital visibility and email marketing as essential tools for lead generation in an increasingly noisy online landscape. Finally, the duo explores the need for business backup plans due to recent major cloud service outages and the impact of evolving privacy regulations on data collection.
Show Notes
In this month’s episode, Rob Cairns and co-host Ryan Waterbury dive into a comprehensive year-end review. They discuss the critical importance of support systems, the “commoditization” of web development through AI, the risks of relying on a single cloud provider, and why email marketing remains the king of ROI.
Key Discussion Points
1. The State of Technical Support
- The Problem with Popularity: Ryan shares a personal story of paying for high-end support and receiving zero help during a critical issue. Just because a company is highly lauded doesn’t mean their support is reliable when things break.
- Enforcing Processes: Both Rob and Ryan discuss the struggle of getting clients to use ticketing systems. They agree that for a service provider to be effective, they must force clients to follow established support channels to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
- Human-to-Human Value: In an increasingly automated world, personalized “care packages” and direct accountability are becoming a major competitive advantage for smaller agencies.
2. WordPress Core Updates & Timing
- December Releases: Rob and Ryan critique the decision to release major WordPress updates in early December, right in the middle of the retail/e-commerce peak season.
- The Argument for Separation: They advocate for pulling security updates out of core functionality updates. This would allow store owners to keep their sites safe without risking the breakage that comes with new APIs and features during their busiest month.
3. The AI Revolution & The “Commoditization” of Code
- Mainstream Adoption: AI isn’t just for techies anymore; Rob shares how even non-tech family members are now using Gemini for high-fidelity photo editing at the dinner table.
- Development as a Commodity: AI is making the act of writing code and building basic websites cheaper and faster. However, this creates a “DIY trap” where users build pretty sites that don’t convert or follow security best practices.
- The Shift to Visibility: Both agree that the future of digital agencies isn’t “writing code,” but rather helping clients find visibility and lead generation in an increasingly noisy internet.
4. The Fragility of the Cloud
- Recent Outages: Discussion on the recent downtime of Cloudflare, Azure, and AWS.
- The Backup Plan: When Shopify or Microsoft Teams goes down, business grinds to a halt. Business owners need to consider “digital sovereignty”—having a backup plan for when the 5 or 6 major cloud providers inevitably fail.
5. Why Email Marketing Still Wins
- Owned Data: In restricted industries (Cannabis, Firearms, etc.), email is often the only reliable way to reach customers without being de-platformed.
- High ROI: It remains one of the lowest-cost, highest-return marketing activities.
- Automation: Using AI to segment lists and send abandoned cart coupons is a proven way to “gamify” sales and keep customers coming back.
Final Thoughts & New Year Outlook
- Labor Market Shifts: Expect AI to start spilling over into non-digital labor markets in the coming year.
- Security Focus: As more DIYers jump online without following best practices, expect a surge in security breaches.
The “Feel” of Retail: While e-commerce is dominant, there is a 50/50 split among consumers who still crave the tactile experience of brick-and-mortar shopping.
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