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

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 takeaways
What great clients do differently (and strategy vs tactics)
Trust, AI, and the role of media / gatekeepers
Expectations, complexity, and measurement in modern marketing
Future-facing skills: brand building, critical thinking, and using AI well

Resources and links
Ayo Abbas on LinkedIn
Abbas Marketing website
Ridgemount agency website
Anna 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 takeaways
Your networking strategy should directly reflect your positioning
Being 'out there' isn't enough. Visibility only counts when you're visible to the right people
Most firms are spending the majority of their networking time with competitors
Strategic networking comes down to three things happening at once: the right decision makers, at the right time, in the right context
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.
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/141
Key takeaways
How to use AI as a strategic tool rather than a content crutch - and why the difference matters for quality
Why marketers need to speak the language of business: KPIs, win rates, and bottom-line impact
The 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 expanding
How to translate your strategic value into terms that leadership actually understands and respects
The game-changing mindset shift: clients aren't buying your time, they're buying your 20+ years of expertise

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.

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 takeaways
Why you must understand that clients aren't buying your time
Identify your unique value proposition and share it via real-world examples
Apply 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 links
Abbas Marketing
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
📲 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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Today's episode is a veritable ride around The Built Environment Marketing Show podcast in 2025 in our End of year reflections and predictions.
It's one where I round up and share the main facts and figures for how this show has performed, who has been on, the topics we've covered and where I'm planning to take the show in 2026.
Thanks so much for listening to the show and to everyone who has taken time out this year to contribute to the podcast. It's really appreciated.
Resources and links
Abbas Marketing
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.
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.
Episodes in 2025
Ep 92: AI in marketing: The good, the bad, and the reality
Ep 91: Why marketing funnels don't work for B2B and what to do instead
Ep 90: Lessons learned from 5 years of podcasting
Ep 89: Using spoken communication to build confidence and authority with Tom Coupe
Ep 88: Architecture and construction industry awards from three perspectives
Ep 87: How to bring 'boring' industries to life with Michelle Garrett and Ayo Abbas
Ep 86: Making the most out of your time at UKREiiF, part II, with Nathan Spencer, Jeremy Brim and Ayo Abbas
Ep 85: Making the most out of your time at UKREiiF, part I, with Nathan Spencer, Jeremy Brim and Ayo Abbas
Ep 84: Reframing sustainability and climate communications - Part 2, with Rosie Cade and Brigitte Clements
Ep 83: Reframing sustainability and climate communications with Rosie Cade and Brigitte Clements
Ep 82: We’re back for 2025