Welcome back to The Built Environment Marketing Show hosted by me Ayo Abbas.

Most built environment firms know networking matters but are they actually in the right rooms? In this solo episode, I share a real decision I had to make between two events on the same day, and why choosing the less familiar option led to two potential project conversations by the time I got home.

This episode looks at why strategic networking has to match your positioning and what happens when it doesn't.

If you're an architect, engineer, or consultant spending time going to events that aren't converting, this one's for you.

Key takeaways

1. Your networking strategy should directly reflect your positioning
2. Being 'out there' isn't enough. Visibility only counts when you're visible to the right people
3. Most firms are spending the majority of their networking time with competitors
4. Strategic networking comes down to three things happening at once: the right decision makers, at the right time, in the right context
5. The firms winning better work at better fees go to fewer events — but they make each one count. Focus beats volume every time.

About the show

The Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing. It is a show that is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't always get to hear.

Donate to help cover the costs for making this show

📲 Share about the show on socials

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Welcome back to The Built Environment Marketing Show hosted by me Ayo Abbas.

In this special crossover episode with Keelin Cox from The AEC Marketer podcast. In this episode we're talking about what's really happening with AI in marketing (spoiler: quantity is up, quality is questionable), why AEC marketers still aren't getting the strategic recognition they deserve, and what UK firms need to know before attempting to crack the US market.

This is a rare behind-the-scenes conversation between two marketers who've spent their careers proving that marketing in the built environment is far more than just proposals and pretty pictures.

This is part II of the episode where I'm interviewing Keelin and if you want to check out part 1 where Keelin interviews me on her show head here http://aecmarketeer.fireside.fm/141

Key takeaways

1. How to use AI as a strategic tool rather than a content crutch - and why the difference matters for quality
2. Why marketers need to speak the language of business: KPIs, win rates, and bottom-line impact
3. The critical mistake most firms make when they think "marketing" means "proposals person"
4. What UK AEC firms must understand about US state licensing, office requirements, and regional differences before expanding
5. How to translate your strategic value into terms that leadership actually understands and respects
6. The game-changing mindset shift: clients aren't buying your time, they're buying your 20+ years of expertise

The Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing. It is a show that is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't always get to hear.

Donate to help cover the costs for making this show

📲 Share about the show on socials

🔗 Follow us on Apple or Spotify

📝 Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify

💬 Tell a friend about the show who you think will benefit.

This month is the 25th anniversary of podcast host Ayo Abbas starting work in the construction sector so she shares some lessons she's learned about the importance of articulating value that will help you whether you work in-house or elsewhere.

1. Why you must understand that clients aren't buying your time
2. Identify your unique value proposition and share it via real-world examples
3. Apply the 3-step Value Framework:
4. The importance of articulating your value clearly to avoid the "race to the bottom"
5. Why you need to own who you are and stop apologising

Abbas Marketing

The Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing. It is a show that is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't always get to hear.

📲 Share about the show on socials

🔗 Follow us on Apple or Spotify

📝 Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify

💬 Tell a friend about the show who you think will benefit.

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In this episode, Ayo Abbas kicks off a mini-series exploring how marketers are using AI across industries. She interviews Stuart Wilks and Kristian Downer about the practical realities of AI adoption, sharing real-world examples, concerns, and the future of marketing with artificial intelligence.

Stuart and Kristian shared:

• How to unlock AI's creative potential while preserving brand authenticity
• Ways to build robust AI governance that enables innovation
• What effective AI leadership looks like in progressive marketing teams
• The opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantages in an AI-driven market
• How to strategically position your team for the AI-enhanced future

Abbas Marketing

Limeslade

Dowsocial Marketing

Fyxer.ai - Meeting management and transcription tool

NotebookLM - Document summarisation and podcast creation

Crystal Knows - LinkedIn profile analysis tool

Social Media Marketing podcast - AI marketing resources and tools

MIT study on AI making people lazy

The Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing. It is a show that is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't always get to hear.

📲 Share about the show on socials

🔗 Follow us on Apple or Spotify

📝 Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify

💬 Tell a friend about the show who you think will benefit.

Marketing consultant Anna O'Riordan joins me, Ayo Abbas to challenge the B2B marketing funnel. Often heralded as the gospel of all types of marketing, we explore why traditional funnel thinking fails in B2B environments and share practical alternatives that actually work for complex buying journeys.

oh and here are the two LinkedIn posts that sparked this conversation:

Ayo's post https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ayoabbas_marketing-b2b-builtenvironment-activity-7342807335859331074-yGd4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAFPDJgBooVBV0bdyqCqr6gjVCXIR2mUhDA

Anna's post https://www.linkedin.com/posts/annaoriordan_life-doesnt-fit-in-a-funnel-and-neither-activity-7341396652613607425-28Dd?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAFPDJgBooVBV0bdyqCqr6gjVCXIR2mUhDA

Abbas Marketing

Afand.co

EsTeam.Pro

April Dunford

Alice Widger - Milk It Digital

Katelyn Bourgoin

Chris Walker

Antonia Wade - Transforming the B2B Buyer Journey

The Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing. It is a show that is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't always get to hear.

📲 Share about the show on socials

🔗 Follow us on Apple or Spotify

📝 Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify

💬 Tell a friend about the show who you think will benefit.

In this episode, I Ayo Abbas, founder of Abbas Marketing and host of this podcast share some of my thoughts on this very podcast turning 5 on July 3rd.

Abbas Marketing

The Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing. It is a show that is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't always get to hear.

📲 Share about the show on socials

🔗 Follow us on Apple or Spotify

📝 Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify

💬 Tell a friend about the show who you think will benefit.

In this episode, Ayo Abbas interviews Tom Coupe, founder of Design Communication Training and former communications leader at David Chipperfield Architects, Heatherwick Studio, and Squint Opera. Tom discusses how architects can master spoken communications to build stronger client relationships, win more work, and scale their practices effectively.

He shares:

How to adapt your design language beyond technical jargon to communicate design concepts clearly to non-architects

Ways to build client trust through storytelling

What makes great architectural communicators stand out - It's not just brilliant design but being adaptable

The need for structured preparation frameworks

How to handle unknown questions confidently

Ways to scale relationship management across a firm

And much more.

Abbas Marketing

Design Communication Training

The Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing. It is a show that is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't always get to hear.

📲 Share about the show on socials

🔗 Follow us on Apple or Spotify

📝 Leave us a review on Apple or Spotify

💬 Tell a friend about the show who you think will benefit.