Episode 7 of The Marketing Mechanic — the platform ecosystem that powers everything: Local Service Spotlight, High Rise Influence, and the certification system for digital marketing.
In this episode I pull back the curtain on what I have been building for over 20 years. From managing a billion dollars in ad spend at companies like Yahoo, Nike, and Red Bull, to building BlitzMetrics, to creating Local Service Spotlight and High Rise Influence — all of it leads to the same goal: creating a certified, repeatable system for growing local service businesses.
Why Certification Matters
Plumbers need certification. Electricians need certification. Doctors need certification. But anyone can call themselves a digital marketer with zero training and zero accountability. That is why contractors keep getting burned by SEO agencies that do not deliver.
High Rise Influence provides training and certification for agencies and team members so they can run the Content Factory process and the Marketing Mechanic framework the right way. Local Service Spotlight provides the platform that handles video editing, SEO, and website automation for the contractors themselves.
The Ecosystem That Powers Local Service Businesses
Think of it as a three-layer system. The contractor brings their expertise and their real-world content. The platform (Local Service Spotlight) handles the processing, posting, and optimization. The certified agencies and team members (trained through High Rise Influence) manage the strategy and execution.
Together, these layers amplify your stories, build your entity signals, create location pages, and optimize everything across search and social — while keeping your trust and reputation intact.
Watch the full episode to understand the vision behind the platform. Then visit Local Service Spotlight to see how it works for your business.
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.