Advertise on podcast: The Built Environment Marketing Show: marketing strategies and tactics for architects and engineers

This week is a crossover with Jeremy Brim, founder of Growth Ignition and host of The Red Review podcast. Jeremy's world is bidding, mine is marketing, and we worked together at Mace, so this is a proper two-way meeting of minds where we talk across these two fundamental disciplines that are so intertwined. In this episode we talk about: How clients buy now, and why the funnel is way too simplisticThe gap in senior leadership marketing and BD skillsJoining up marketing and bidding so they chase the same dealsThe importance of the 80/20 profit rule and finding more of your most valuable customersHow customer touch points have increasedThe need for strategic focus and knowing the five people who'll score your bid, a year ahead Download 101 events and conf ideasI've created an amazing free resource about what to do before, during and after events so you can get more ROI and visibility. Get your copy here Resources & LinksAyo Abbas - Abbas Marketing Jeremy Brim - Growth Ignition The Red Review podcast The 95:5 rule, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute Marketing and BD training About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by 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. BOOK A CALL TO TALK ABOUT WORKING WITH ME IN 2027 Ways you can support 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.

Decarbonisation and retrofit are two of the biggest challenges the built environment industry faces. In this episode, Ayo talks to Max Rengifo, Director of WRAP Architects and its new spin-off, WRAP Retrofit, about how a service that started as an aspect of everyday projects became a business in its own right. And what it will actually take to retrofit the UK’s housing stock at the scale the Government is committed to. In this episode we cover: How retrofit went from being a byproduct of Wrap's projects to its own business, WRAP RetrofitWhy Max and Sean put their idea in front of Kingston University’s MBA students, and the 300 page report it producedThe three main reasons behind splitting into two separate brandsWhat it takes to get properly accredited in retrofitWhy the UK needs to retrofit one home every 53 minutes to hit government targetsWhy talking about moisture and steamed up kitchens works better than acronymsMax's advice for practices considering more retrofit work Download 101 events and conf ideasI've created an amazing free resource about what to do before, during and after events so you can get more ROI and visibility. Get your copy here Resources & LinksAyo Abbas - Abbas Marketing Max Rengifo - WRAP Retrofit The Retrofit Academy Kingston University - Help to Grow UKREiiF About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by 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. BOOK A CALL TO TALK ABOUT WORKING WITH ME IN 2026 Ways you can support 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.

Why do some people get seen and others don't? In this solo episode, Ayo talks visibility and thought leadership, and the invisible work sitting underneath both. Nobody just lands on a stage, a panel or an advisory board. Ayo shares the six months of unseen work behind one senior director's conference appearance, and why that story stopped a room of junior engineers in their tracks. Then she turns to the other side of invisible work: the expertise technical leaders hold that rarely travels beyond a handful of people. We cover: What visibility and thought leadership actually meanThe real question to ask instead of “why not me”A behind-the-scenes story of what it really takes to land a stage momentWhy untapped technical expertise is a genuine commercial lossWhat to do next, whether you're a marketer or a technical / design lead Work with AyoWant help with your own marketing and BD strategy in architecture, engineering or construction? That's what I do at Abbas Marketing. Get in touch: [email protected] or head to abbasmarketing.com LinksAyo Abbas - Abbas Marketing About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by Ayo Abbas. 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. BOOK A CALL TO TALK ABOUT WORKING WITH ME IN 2026 Ways you can support 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.

Andy Burnham has been Prime Minister for few weeks and the content he's been pushing out has been relentless. Reddit AMAs, a chair in a square in Cardiff, a TikTok account built from zero, 26 posts in two weeks in fact. Politics aside, there's a serious comms strategy running underneath all of it, and it is worth understanding if you are running marketing and BD for a professional firm. I am joined by two people who have been watching it closely. Alex McCann runs social media agency Altrincham HQ and has been doing this for nearly 17 years. Jaysica Marvell is a social media consultant and a borough councillor in Stevenage, so she sees it from inside politics and outside it. We get into how much planning sits behind content that looks completely off the cuff, why the person in front of the camera matters more than their job title, the clients who say no to 90 percent of ideas and then wonder why nothing works, and why rough and ready content that's from the heart beats polished anyday. Work with AyoWant help with your own marketing and BD strategy in architecture, engineering or construction? That's what I do at Abbas Marketing. Get in touch: [email protected] or head to abbasmarketing.com LinksAyo Abbas - Abbas Marketing Alex McCann - Altrincham HQ Jaysica Marvell - Jaysica Marketing About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show is hosted by Ayo Abbas. 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. BOOK A CALL TO TALK ABOUT WORKING WITH ME IN 2026 Ways you can support 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.

Welcome back to The Built Environment Marketing Show hosted by strategic marketing consultant Ayo Abbas. This week I'm joined by Tim Heatley, co-founder of Capital&Centric, an investor, developer and operator spending three to four million pounds a week on regeneration across the UK. We talk about how he builds trust with communities before a single plan is shown, why his advice to architects and engineers is to take a naff scheme off their website, and, with the UK's political leadership in flux, what the rest of the country can actually learn from Manchester. Recorded just before Andy Burnham was confirmed as UK Prime Minister, this conversation already had us talking about the rise of Manchesterism and what the rest of the UK can learn from it. What do you think, could this approach work beyond Manchester? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the channel for more from the people shaping marketing, BD for Architects, engineers and contractors. Want help with your own marketing and BD strategy in architecture, engineering or construction? That's what I do at Abbas Marketing. Get in touch: [email protected] or head to abbasmarketing.com SUBSCRIBE TO MY YouTube CHANNEL HERE https://youtube.com/@abbasmarketing?si=Gskm6EAkj56xWEHO FOLLOW THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT MARKETING SHOW LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/built-environment-marketing-show/ FOLLOW AYO ABBAS LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayoabbas Website - https://www.abbasmarketing.com/ #BuiltEnvironment #BuiltEnvironmentMarketing #architecture #MarketingStrategy #developers

In this episode, Ayo talks to Rachael Bernstone, founder of Sounds Like Design and former architecture journalist of nearly 25 years, about why marketing has such a bad reputation inside architecture practices — and what changes when firms stop avoiding it. Topics covered: Why marketing feels like a "dirty word" to architects, and where that resistance comes fromThe link between university crit culture and adult reluctance to self-promoteWhy referrals remain the most important (and most under-used) channelThe shift from "client as patron" to "client as customer"Why most architecture websites fail to speak to actual clientsGateway/entry-level services and why partial offers are winning trust faster than full-service modelsHow framing a project distinctively builds authority that compounds across media and AI searchLead magnets as a thought-leadership and list-building toolWhy only 59% of architects say strategy is their real blocker Resources Rachael Bernstone / Sounds Like DesignRachael's original "Is marketing a dirty word in your architecture practice?" emailRachael's marketing quiz for architectsAyo's strategic advisory services About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

The Built Environment Marketing Show hosted by Ayo Abbas, strategic marketing consultant from Abbas Marketing. Book an intro call with Ayo Today's episode is all about what actually happens when things go sideways midway through marketing execution? In this episode, I get honest about two moments where marketing didn't go to plan — a content cliché bingo card for a campaign that was derailed by Wi-Fi not working and a bid submission that never arrived thanks to an incident...... Both carry real lessons about margins of error, adaptability, and how constraints often spark the best creative thinking. If you've ever had to pivot fast and figure it out on the fly, this one's for you. Resources Content Cliche Bingo Interactive App Abbas Marketing About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

Episode 101 of The Built Environment Marketing Show is a solo milestone, a chance to reflect, celebrate and take stock of six years of conversations about marketing in one of the most complex, overlooked sectors in business. Ayo Abbas shares what 101 episodes, 20,000+ downloads and 70+ guests have taught her about the state of built environment marketing in 2026, and what separates the firms who are winning from those watching their pipelines dry up. She covers four defining themes: the real role of AI in your marketing toolkitwhy brand has finally overtaken portfolio as the key differentiatorthe industry's persistent failure to value marketing talentwhat the LinkedIn algorithm shift actually means for how you show up. This one's for anyone who's ever had to justify a marketing budget, fight for headcount, or convince a partner that the work doesn't just speak for itself. Resources DOWNLOAD - 101 practical ideas to get more from events checklist Abbas Marketing Barbour ABI - The Case for Marketing Investment in the Built Environment Previous episode linksMace with Danielle Regan and Dave Hendy Episode 23 Part 1 and Part II Rachel Bell and Rob Sargent, Stride Treglown- Episode 1 Rick Robinson - Episode 6 Magnus Strom - Episode 25 Tristram Carfrae - Arup Episode 47 About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

Today's episode of the podcast features Nathan Spencer, MD of UKREiiF which is taking place at the Royal Armouries in Leeds from May 19 - May 21. We talk through: What's happening at the event this year including must see sessionsHow to navigate the programme and events so you reach your business goalsHow to manage your marketing and BD approach so you get the biggest bang for your buck. Resources DOWNLOAD - 101 practical ideas to get more from events checklist UKREiiF Abbas Marketing About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

What does it look like when comms professionals get fed up of seeing the same mistakes and decide to do something about it? That's exactly how the BE Comms Collective was born. In this episode, I’m joined by Aceil Haddad (founder of Matt PR) and Lisa Levy (independent comms consultant) to introduce the BE Comms Collective, a group of senior strategic communications specialists tackling the chronic comms failures they see across built environment organisations. Together we break down the seven deadly sins of built environment communications: from missing the bigger picture to a lack of crisis preparedness, short-term thinking to leadership that fails to listen. We also introduce a free diagnostic tool that helps organisational leaders identify which comms challenges are most pressing which you can access here https://www.matt-pr.com/get-diagnosed, and we explain how the Collective brings the right senior expertise to each brief. If your organisation is navigating major infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, or reputation management, this one's for you. About the showThe Built Environment Marketing Show 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

Welcome back to The Built Environment Marketing Show hosted by me Ayo Abbas.In this solo episode, I share real data from my own LinkedIn performance (impressions down 17%, engagement up 19%), unpacs how the new 360Brew algorithm is changing the rules, and explain why passive scrolling is quietly killing your reach. If you've been wondering why fewer people seem to be seeing your content, or whose content you've stopped seeing, this episode gives you the answers and a clear action plan. Key takeawaysLinkedIn organic reach is declining across the boardEngagement now matters more than reachBeing connected no longer guarantees visibilityHashtags are losing their role as content signalsComments can outperform standalone posts. Resources and links BEMS roundup episode from end of 2025 Reports on the 360Brew algorithm LinkedIn Post Performance Tracker and/or training [email protected] About the show The Built Environment Marketing Show 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

Welcome back to The Built Environment Marketing Show hosted by me Ayo Abbas.To mark me working for 25 years in the construction industry, this epsiode is an interview with my very first boss, Anna Hern from Ridgemount. Together we chart the evolution of construction marketing: from the old PR vs advertising divide, through the explosion of digital channels, to the AI era we're now navigating. Anna brings sharp, no-nonsense realness on what great clients look like, why strategy is still misunderstood, how digital measurement changed everything, and the counter-intuitive case for investing in your brand hardest when the market is at its toughest.Key takeawaysWhat great clients do differently (and strategy vs tactics)Trust, AI, and the role of media / gatekeepersExpectations, complexity, and measurement in modern marketingFuture-facing skills: brand building, critical thinking, and using AI well Resources and links Ayo Abbas on LinkedInAbbas Marketing websiteRidgemount agency websiteAnna Hern on LinkedIn Contact Ayo: [email protected] 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

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 takeawaysYour networking strategy should directly reflect your positioningBeing 'out there' isn't enough. Visibility only counts when you're visible to the right peopleMost firms are spending the majority of their networking time with competitorsStrategic networking comes down to three things happening at once: the right decision makers, at the right time, in the right contextThe 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. Ways you can support this show 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.

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/141Key takeawaysHow to use AI as a strategic tool rather than a content crutch - and why the difference matters for qualityWhy marketers need to speak the language of business: KPIs, win rates, and bottom-line impactThe critical mistake most firms make when they think "marketing" means "proposals person"What UK AEC firms must understand about US state licensing, office requirements, and regional differences before expandingHow to translate your strategic value into terms that leadership actually understands and respectsThe game-changing mindset shift: clients aren't buying your time, they're buying your 20+ years of expertise About the showThe 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. Ways you can support this show 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. Key takeawaysWhy you must understand that clients aren't buying your timeIdentify your unique value proposition and share it via real-world examplesApply the 3-step Value Framework:The importance of articulating your value clearly to avoid the "race to the bottom"Why you need to own who you are and stop apologising Resources and linksAbbas Marketing About the showThe 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. Ways you can support 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. iiXlDJoqObIMMcYPE4od