AI can summarize, outline, and regurgitate, but it can't interview your client and capture what it actually felt like to work with you. In this episode, host Alison Ver Halen sits down with Leslie Blaize, a freelance writer and case study specialist serving the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, to talk about why storytelling is one of the most underused tools in B2B marketing.

Leslie shares how her background in journalism and corporate communications led her to become the go-to case study writer for AEC firms. Plus the real-world stories that stick with clients years later — from a small-town water treatment project to an engineer who saved a client thousands by inspecting a job site on Christmas Eve.

Alison and Leslie dig into:

• Why AI can outline an interview but can't ask the follow-up question that unlocks the real story
• How to turn one client project into a "treasure chest" of testimonials, case studies, award entries, and social content
• Why confidentiality doesn't have to kill your case study strategy
• The art (and courage) of asking clients for reviews and interviews — and why the answers often surprise you
• Getting technical experts to open up: tips for pulling stories out of reluctant subject matter experts
• Why buyers decide emotionally and use data to justify it afterward, and what that means for your marketing

Whether you're in AEC, professional services, or any industry where trust and expertise matter, this conversation is a reminder: the story is always your differentiator.

About Leslie

Leslie Blaize, CPSM, is a freelance writer who helps A/E/C firms capture and transform project stories into compelling marketing assets that build trust, strengthen client relationships, and support business development. A former corporate communications professional and journalist, she specializes in translating complex technical work into clear, human-centered narratives.

Through presentations, podcasts, articles, and her LinkedIn newsletter, A/E/C Connect, Leslie encourages firms to preserve the valuable stories and social proof that often disappear once projects are complete.

Connect with Leslie Blaize:

Website: blaizecommunications.com

LinkedIn newsletter AEC Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/a-e-c-connect-6947590700544704513/

Email: blazecommunications@gmail.com

Connect with Alison Ver Halen:

Website: https://avwritingServices.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-ver-halen/

YouTube: youtube.com/@alisonverhalencontentmarketer

This episode of The Marketing Spotlight breaks format a little: my guest isn't a marketer. Ken Scales runs Scalesology, a data analytics, software development, and information security consulting firm — and he stumbled into a live experiment most SEOs are only theorizing about: can you actually train ChatGPT to recommend your business?

Ken started feeding ChatGPT his company's case studies, working back and forth with it almost like training a model, just to see what would happen. It worked … for a while. Traffic from ChatGPT to his site went from 5 hits a month to 20, then dropped back down, and he still isn't entirely sure why.

We dig into:

• What happened when Ken "trained" ChatGPT on his own case studies and business information — and how he tracked the results through Google Analytics
• Why Google isn't going anywhere, but AI search is becoming a real channel worth paying attention to
• The tricky problem of measuring AI-driven traffic when every user's conversation with a chatbot is different — there's no shared "keyword" to track
• Whether top-of-funnel, informational blog content is still worth creating if AI is the one reading it instead of a human clicking through
• Why brand mentions inside a chatbot response might become the new version of a backlink, even without a click
• The open questions neither of us could answer yet: Will AI search eventually sell ad placement like Google does? Will it retain what you "teach" it after a model update? Does consistency matter as much here as it does in traditional SEO?

If you've invested in SEO and are wondering whether AI search is an add-on, a pivot, or just noise. This is a candid, in-the-weeds conversation with someone actively testing it in real time, not theorizing about it from the sidelines.

About Ken

Ken Scales is the Founder and CEO of Scalesology, a technology and data analytics firm dedicated to helping organizations unlock the full potential of their data. With over two decades of experience leading teams across the analytics and tech sectors, Ken brings a unique ability to translate complex business challenges into practical, scalable solutions. Under his leadership, Scalesology has delivered transformative results for clients across industries by building custom applications, automating workflows, and driving data-informed decision-making. Ken is known for his client-first mindset, collaborative approach, and commitment to delivering measurable impact through innovation.

Connect with Ken: scalesology.com | 312-809-3996

Is SEO dead? Not even close. But it's changing shape fast, and the businesses treating it like a checklist are about to fall behind.

In this episode, I sit down with Eric Ritter, founder of Digital Neighbor and self-described "SEO Sommelier," to talk about what actually matters in SEO now that AI has entered the chat. Eric's been running his agency for nine years, and he's watching the field split into two camps: businesses churning out AI-generated content that blends into a "sea of sameness," and businesses using AI as a tool to sharpen a perspective no one else has.

We get into:

• Why search doesn't just mean Google anymore — and what "search everywhere" means for how you show up on TikTok, Pinterest, and AI tools like ChatGPT and SearchGPT
• The three legs of the SEO stool: content, technical optimization, and backlinks — and how AI is reshaping each one
• Why Google has always rewarded originality (and always punished copy-paste content) — and why that matters more, not less, in an AI-saturated web
• Practical, low-lift ways to build backlinks: directory listings, sponsorships, vendor relationships, and old-school digital PR
• Why branding and a distinct point of view might be the real SEO strategy of the next few years

Eric also shares the story of how a client's questionable hiring decision — "he has a blog, so he must know what he's talking about" — is what pushed him into podcasting in the first place, and why having a platform (podcast, book, blog) still shortcuts credibility even when it shouldn't have to.

Connect with Eric: LinkedIn (Eric Ritter) | digitalneighbor.com