Episode 20 of The Marketing Mechanic — the cautionary tale of a contractor who spent $120,000 on blog content and got zero additional calls.
This episode hits hard because $120,000 is not a small investment. A contractor trusted an agency to create blog content that would generate leads. Two years and hundreds of blog posts later, the phone was ringing the exact same amount as before they started.
Where the $120,000 Actually Went
The agency hired freelance writers to produce blog posts targeting HVAC-related keywords. The articles were well written from a grammar standpoint but completely disconnected from the contractor’s actual business. Generic tips about changing air filters. Seasonal maintenance checklists copied from every other HVAC blog on the internet. Nothing original, nothing local, nothing that demonstrated real expertise.
This is what happens when content creation is separated from content expertise. The writers had never seen the inside of an HVAC unit. They had never talked to a homeowner about a repair. They were churning out keyword-targeted articles that checked SEO boxes but provided zero value.
Content Without Entity Is Just Noise
The fundamental problem is the same one I see with every contractor who fails at local SEO: the content was disconnected from the entity. These blog posts were not linked to the contractor’s Google Business Profile, their YouTube channel, or their social presence. They sat on a website with weak entity signals, competing against thousands of similar articles from businesses with stronger digital foundations.
What $120,000 of Content Should Look Like
For $120,000 you could run the Content Factory process for years. Real technician videos from actual job sites, processed into blog posts, YouTube videos, social media content, and ads. Content that demonstrates expertise through real work, builds entity signals through geotagged media, and generates trust through authentic customer interactions.
The difference between this approach and what the agency delivered is the difference between content that looks good on paper and content that makes the phone ring. Use the Marketing Mechanic framework to build in the right order and your content investment will actually pay off.
Audit Your Content Investment
If you are spending money on content and not seeing results, request a free audit through Local Service Spotlight. We will tell you whether your content is connected to your entity, whether it is targeting the right keywords, and whether it has any chance of driving calls.
About The Marketing Mechanic: This is a whiteboard video series where I explain marketing concepts, frameworks, and strategies based on real experience — drawing from real names, real stories, and real data from people I have worked with. These are not live screen-sharing demonstrations. For live working sessions where we build and optimize together on screen, join our AI Apprentice program coaching calls every Thursday at 2 PM Pacific through High Rise Influence. New whiteboard episodes drop every Thursday morning on my YouTube channel.
Dennis Yu
Dennis Yu is the CEO of Local Service Spotlight, a platform that amplifies the reputations of contractors and local service businesses using the Content Factory process. He is a former search engine engineer who has spent a billion dollars on Google and Facebook ads for Nike, Quiznos, Ashley Furniture, Red Bull, State Farm, and other brands.
Dennis has achieved 25% of his goal of creating a million digital marketing jobs by partnering with universities, professional organizations, and agencies. Through Local Service Spotlight, he teaches the Dollar a Day strategy and Content Factory training to help local service businesses enhance their existing local reputation and make the phone ring.
Dennis coaches young adult agency owners serving plumbers, AC technicians, landscapers, roofers, electricians, and believes there should be a standard in measuring local marketing efforts, much like doctors and plumbers must be certified.