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

Ayo Abbas, Marketing Consultant

The Built Environment Marketing Show is an independent podcast hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas. It is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't ordinarily get to hear. Each episode shares useful hints and tips from a built environment marketing context, and the experts on the show know not just marketing but marketing that works for architects and engineers. To me that's the most important part, the context and the relevance. The show is a mix of interviews and solo thoughts on different approaches that could be applied to engineering marketing or architecture marketing for your business, now. Key themes covered: - Digital marketing for engineers and architects - Social media for engineers and architects - Instagram marketing for engineers and architects - Websites and online marketing - Marketing strategy for engineers and architects Hosted by award-winning marketing consultant Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing.

  1. 6h ago

    “Hey, our website traffic is down." What to do about SEO and AI visibility

    Is your website traffic down and you’re wondering what’s going on? This solo episode is for you. I share my own numbers, including one page that had 177,000 impressions in four months and was clicked just 145 times. Zero click search is well and truly here, and AI overviews are pushing clicks down even further. I also share what happened when I asked ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity how they decide which architecture and engineering firms to recommend. Then I run through what my AI visibility audits keep finding, from firms that vanish on category searches to specialisms that are only hinted at. You’ll come away with five practical things to do and a better way to measure what’s working. If you lead marketing and BD in an architecture, engineering or construction firm, or you’re part of the team that makes it happen, this one’s for you. I’ve spent the past few years working on my own SEO and, more recently, AI visibility, so I open up my own analytics and share what the research from Ahrefs, SparkToro and Semrush says. In this episode, I cover: My own numbers: visits from Google doubled, yet my most visible page gets almost no clicksZero click search and why the top result now gets 58% fewer clicks when an AI overview appearsWhat ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity say about how they pick firms to recommendWhat my AI visibility audits keep finding, including firms that are invisible on category searchesThe content that gets you shortlisted, and why decision stage content is the quickest winZero click content and why value in the feed builds trustFive things to do now and how to measure what matters Download my free website SEO and AEO tipsIf you found this episode useful, grab my checklist of handy tips to help you put it into practice. Links and resourcesAbbas MarketingAhrefs: AI overviews reduce clicks by 58%SparkToro: 68% of Google searches don’t generate a click (2026)SparkToro: Zero-click content by Amanda NatividadMasooma at Ink & Copy’s newsletter 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 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.

    “Hey, our website traffic is down." What to do about SEO and AI visibility
  2. Oct 9

    Marketing and bidding: winning work the way clients buy now with Jeremy Brim

    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.

    Marketing and bidding: winning work the way clients buy now with Jeremy Brim
  3. Sep 25

    WRAP Retrofit: why an architecture practice launched a retrofit spinoff with Max Rengifo

    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.

    WRAP Retrofit: why an architecture practice launched a retrofit spinoff with Max Rengifo
  4. Sep 11

    Building visibility through thought leadership with Ayo Abbas

    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: ayo@abbasmarketing.com 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.

    Building visibility through thought leadership with Ayo Abbas
  5. Aug 14

    Andy Burnham's first weeks: Social media and Government communications analysis

    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: ayo@abbasmarketing.com 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.

    Andy Burnham's first weeks:  Social media and Government communications analysis
  6. Jul 24

    The rise of Manchesterism, collaborative development and growth with Tim Heatley

    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: ayo@abbasmarketing.com 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

    The rise of Manchesterism, collaborative development and growth with Tim Heatley
  7. Jun 26

    Is marketing a 'dirty' word in architecture? with Rachael Bernstone

    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.

    Is marketing a 'dirty' word in architecture? with Rachael Bernstone

About

The Built Environment Marketing Show is an independent podcast hosted by marketing consultant and content creator Ayo Abbas. It is unashamedly about marketing for architects and engineers, as well as bringing forward voices that we don't ordinarily get to hear. Each episode shares useful hints and tips from a built environment marketing context, and the experts on the show know not just marketing but marketing that works for architects and engineers. To me that's the most important part, the context and the relevance. The show is a mix of interviews and solo thoughts on different approaches that could be applied to engineering marketing or architecture marketing for your business, now. Key themes covered: - Digital marketing for engineers and architects - Social media for engineers and architects - Instagram marketing for engineers and architects - Websites and online marketing - Marketing strategy for engineers and architects Hosted by award-winning marketing consultant Ayo Abbas from Abbas Marketing.

You Might Also Like