The AEC Marketeer: Highlighting People & Projects from the Built Environment, with Keelin Cox

Podcasting can accelerate your network growth. Remotely.

Inspired by a lack of local Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) chapters and the desire to stay connected during COVID-19, Keelin Cox set out to create a platform that provided access to industry knowledge and offered inspiration for AEC professionals. Today, the her AEC Marketeer podcast has over 100 published episodes and is a top show in the industry. In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why Keelin decided to launch the AEC Marketeer podcast
• How Keelin's podcast helped accelerate her network growth and deepened relationships with key players in the industry
• How the role of Keelin's podcast evolved alongside her career from in-house marketer to solo consultant
• Why Keelin believes it's important to highlight the people and marketing teams behind the built environment

This episode was produced by Red Cedar Marketing. Need help launching and running a business podcast that actually produces results? Visit www.redcedarmarketing.com.

Transcript

John Tyreman: 0:05

Welcome business podcasters to another episode of podcasting and professional services. If this is your first time here, this podcast features stories of experts and professional service providers who have created a business impact through the power of podcasting. I'm your host, John Tyerman. If you're watching this on YouTube, hit that like button, hit that subscribe button. If you're listening on Apple or Spotify, leave a rating and review really helps grow the shell. Today's episode features Keelan Cox, who is the host of the AEC Marketeer podcast. And we talked about her experience interviewing AEC marketing professionals. She's published over a hundred episodes. Um, we talked about her podcasting experience, some of her new year's resolutions, what she's trying to do with her show, how she's layering in different monologue, types of episodes. and some of the things that she's doing to promote her show as well. So check out her show, the AEC marketeer, wherever you get your podcasts or go to AEC marketeer. com. All right. Before we get to my conversation with Keelan, imagine you're able to build trust with buyers. Imagine you're able to rapidly accelerate your network growth and create endless marketing content all from one activity. Well, that's the power of podcasting. And if you're ready to explore the idea of launching a podcast for your business, I'm offering a free podcast consultation. Uh, simply go to redcedarmarketing. com or send me a message on LinkedIn to get in touch. I'm looking forward to talking with you. All right. And now for my conversation. Today, my guest is Keelan Cox. She's the host of the AEC marketeer podcast and owner of AdiUvo Marketing, where she helps AEC marketing firms grow their business by doing work they can't do in places they haven't been. Keelan, welcome to the show.

Keelin Cox: 1:57

Thank you so much for having me. This is fun.

John Tyreman: 2:00

Yeah, we get to be on the other side of the mic now.

Keelin Cox: 2:03

Yeah, this, it's really interesting. We were just talking like I, it's, it's weird to be interviewed as an interviewer. So yeah, I'm, I'm, I'm taking notes for myself to make this process. a little bit easier for my guests.

John Tyreman: 2:19

Sure. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's the, you know, I like to say like podcast, we're so early in like the age of podcasting and that's why, one of the things that I like about this show is, you know, I get to like swap notes with other podcasters. So I feel like, you know, if we can all like all help each other out, you know, it just makes the industry that much better, you know?

Keelin Cox: 2:38

Yeah, definitely.

John Tyreman: 2:40

Uh, so Keelan, I, I like to set the stage for. Listeners so they can understand your business a little bit. And I think that like sets the stage for how your podcast plugs into your business. Can you give us a little bit of an overview of AdiUvo marketing? Who do you help and how do you help them?

Keelin Cox: 2:59

Yeah. So through Aduvo marketing, I sub consult to other marketing consultants. So when I left my job as an in house marketer, I, I was looking at the market and I thought, okay, well. We don't need another marketing consulting firm. I have loads of contacts and loads of friends that already do this and they're doing an incredible job. The need that I found, and I, I started talking to all these contacts of like, what are your pain points? What do you need? Um, And I think a lot of them thought that I was trying to start up my own consulting practice and so they gave me really great business advice. But the 1 thing that I heard a lot was, you know, we have a limited number of staff and when we have a surge in work, we have to turn that work down because we're only 2, 3, 4 people like these marketing. Consulting companies aren't very big. So, um, I like working on a project by project basis, and that's typically what marketing consultants are hired to do anyways. And so I come in when there's a surge and the team needs help. And that way I get to, I hate the word like balance work life. Um, But that's kind of what it is. Like I, I get to choose the projects that I'm on and the work that I get to do without necessarily having to chase after it all the time.

John Tyreman: 4:35

Fair enough. What are some of the kinds of projects that you totally love doing?

Keelin Cox: 4:41

Strategic planning is my absolute favorite. Uh, rebranding kind of fits in there because there is so much strategy that goes with it. There's also a lot of implementation. So those are like longer term projects, um, market penetration plans are really exciting because again, it, it adds in that strategy element. basically anything that's gonna, that gives my brain something to munch on. I, I really like, it's the, the monotonous busy work, uh, that I'm not a huge fan of. Um, so those are like my, my top three favorite kinds of projects.

John Tyreman: 5:23

I love rebrands. I worked in, um, I worked at Hinge Marketing for about seven or eight years and we did a bunch of rebrands. It all was like a big research project and interviewing customers and understanding what are the differentiators and it was a lot of fun work.

Keelin Cox: 5:39

Yeah. And you get to sort of walk away at the end of the day. And like, I, I tell the team that I'm working with now, it's like the tabs are still open in the background. So I get to sort of like process in the background and I see something really cool and I actually get to go apply that instead of working through like a chain of command. It's sort of like I get, I get to just act on the ideas, which is really cool.

John Tyreman: 6:06

Well, that's one of the best, that's one of the fun parts about being a solo business owner too, and being your own out of going out on your own is you don't really have anyone that you have to answer to other than your clients, of course, and your teaming

Keelin Cox: 6:18

sure. Yeah. Okay.

John Tyreman: 6:19

But, uh, yeah, there's a lot less red tape and that's, what's really cool. So Keelan, I want to, I want to dig into. Your show, AEC Marketeer, um, you launched it in June, 2020. Can you take us back in time? Like what went into that decision? Why launch a podcast instead of maybe, you know, another blog or a newsletter or something, other thing, other like that?

Keelin Cox: 6:46

Yeah. So I, I started thinking about it kind of early on in the year in 2019. Um, when I was working in house, I found that there were some marketers in the Pacific region that didn't have an SMPS chapter to go to. And so every time we went to an SMPS event, we had to come back and present what we had learned, which is awesome. And I remember having a call with this person. And she said, gosh, like you're so lucky that you get to meet all these really cool people and do all these really cool things. There's no chapter close by, so I don't get that experience. And so that's, that's one facet of it where I was like, okay, California has something like six chapters. And if they're still not covering, like, Whatever area there has to be so many more people who are in this exact position, especially when you have the chapters that are like an entire state. So, that was sort of 1 angle of it was like, how, how do I bring all this to them? Or, like, does does a platform or does some knowledge sharing exist for people who really want to get that information? They just. They don't have the resources locally. And that was before we started a lot of these webinars and stuff, because it's 2019. So pre 2020, that's changed a little bit. And then separately. I. I found that like I had a 25, 30 minute commute and I was like, I'd really like to just get my brain into this before I get into the office. Like sometimes I like to listen to music or the radio, but sometimes that just got old and I just wanted to plug in and I couldn't find any podcasts that was like the right length so that it would, you know, I could start it at the beginning of my commute and ended at the end of my commute. Um, that was AEC specific and there was one that was run by two men. And I was like, well, the AEC space that I was in at the time, which is proposals is like predominantly female. Like I want to hear from females because we have different challenges. Um, and so then that was another. Piece of it. And then I bought the podcast microphone in January, 2020. And I was like, okay, I'll play around with this. And then March hit. And I was like, okay, I really need to connect with people. Um, I'm not an extrovert. I really like one on one conversations. And I was like, this is the perfect way for me to connect with people while staying safe. And. You know, if it's some sort of a need, if it's the need that I wanted it to fit, even though I didn't have a commute anymore, um, I was going out on walks and stuff. So it was sort of like a, like a grouping of all of those reasons that I was like, okay, now it would be stupid if I didn't. So yeah.

John Tyreman: 10:03

Podcasting certain. No, no, no. That's it's a, it's a great story. Um, I resonated with it a lot too. I launched my first podcast in 2019. Um, and it was because I had a 90 minute commute to the office and a 90 minute commute back home, and I burned through all of my sports podcasts. I was like, let's listen to some business podcasts. And it was like, ah, there's something to this. But, uh, yeah, so, um, yeah, there was definitely a moment that happened during COVID where, you know, a lot of podcasts launched and that was kind of what springboarded them to where they are today. Uh, at least that's a common theme throughout a lot of the interviews that I do. Now, at the time you were working for Stantec as a senior marketing specialist, and then you founded a Duvo marketing in 2022. It's now August of 24 as at the time of this recording. So the podcast has been kind of like a constant throughout that whole timeframe. Can you talk about that transition? What was it like going from Stantec, a huge company, um, to going out on your, on your own, and then what role did the podcast play in all of that?

Keelin Cox: 11:11

I think when I was in house, the podcast gave me a way to, to be my own professional, uh, because Stantec is so well known. I felt like it was easy to, to get lost in it a bit. And I just wanted to have good conversations with people outside of my firm in a way that wasn't threatening to the work that I was doing. So like, it didn't compromise the work that I was doing. It kind of helped it in some ways. Like I was able to get new perspectives instead of when you're at these big companies and you're comparing notes with the other people that you work with, it can sort of be like an echo chamber of like, you know, it's great that we're all sharing how we're doing things, but it's, it's so much nicer to get an outside perspective and be able to apply that even if what you're talking about. Isn't necessarily what you do day to day. It's a really easy crossover. So it was sort of my saving grace. It was like a way of connecting outside of the company while still reinforcing the skills that I was trying to build and that I had. And then, um, I, I got pregnant with my first and kept the podcast going through mat leave and becoming a mom wasn't as smooth as I thought it would be. And I think the podcast really, you know, did me a solid there of like, I felt like I was still my own person. And. I was able to like have adult conversations, which was awesome. When you're basically stuck at home with a, a tiny baby that, you know, it was like, it was a full identity crisis, but it was made less bad by having the podcast and the podcast really helped open my eyes to. The different ways that people can earn money and do business. And the conversations that I was having, I was like, I actually, I really want to be going a different direction. And I tried to make that work at Stantec and it just, it didn't. Um, and I think like it's the one solid that I've had the whole way through. And now it kind of helps my business. But I think more than anything, it just lets me have really solid conversations and an excuse to talk with people like yourself that I wouldn't have normally had this opportunity or reason to have these conversations. So like, I, that doesn't fully answer your question, but it has just been a real saving grace. Like, I'm so grateful that this platform, this medium, I guess, exists because it could have been a brutal transition from in house to Consultant. Um, I don't know if I even would have made that leap had it not been for the podcast, because I just didn't know that you can do, you can make your own way of doing business after hearing so many different people. Um, it's definitely helped with, you know, me as a brand, my own personal brand awareness, um, and people want to hear from me more as a speaker and I love speaking. So it's made that possible. Um, yeah, does that answer your question?

John Tyreman: 14:50

yeah, totally. There's a couple, I think it's, it's interesting how, um, podcasting is a, what was a way for you to get out of the echo chamber in a big, in a large organization and connect with, you know, externally with other players in the market with, you know, different perspective clients, you know, that like embody that persona. Um, and then similarly, Like when you were going through maternity leave and when you were considering going out on your own, you know, having those conversations served a similar purpose where you're having, you know, you're connecting with the market, but you're looking at it through a completely different lens. Um, and you're right. I think it's like platform or a podcasting is appealing because, you know, people want to leverage their time. So one conversation, you know, there could be an audience of hundreds or thousands of people that are listening to the conversation. And it's, um, so it kind of scales your reach and your expertise that way. So that's one of the big allures of guests and things like that. So, yeah, that's really cool. So Keelan, you're a big new year's person and you, you did it like a, you did a new year's thank you note episode in December 23. I listened to that. I thought that was really cool. Um, your resolution for the podcast was to really showcase the AEC industry and the value that marketing brings to the table. Uh, how do you feel you're doing against that goal for this year? And can you share some maybe moments this year that maybe brought that resolution to life?

Keelin Cox: 16:32

I, I would say I'm at like a five out of 10 on that goal.

John Tyreman: 16:38

we're a little over halfway through the year. So, right,

Keelin Cox: 16:43

still have time to bring it back. Um, I'm trying to think like, I think some of my favorite episodes have been ones with people who aren't necessarily marketers. Um, And tying what they know back to what I know and what we know as marketers in the industry. I also think just by having a marketing podcast, and this goes for all AAC marketing podcasts, it sort of shows that it is a really technical skill that we have. It's like, it's a lot of psychology. It's as much. Like, I don't want to say it's as technical as like your architecture and engineers, because, um, we're not doing a whole lot of math per se. Um, but it's a lot of people skills and it's, it's reading situations very quickly. And I think just by having these conversations is showcased. Now, what I really want to do is start talking about really cool projects. And that's sort of what's been running in the background. Um, hopefully by the time this airs, I will have something. Um, but the idea is just to like, make the AEC industry as a whole, like really shit cool. Um, that's my goal is like, I know that when I'm driving past one of the projects that we're working on, um, I look at it and I tell my husband, Oh, and this had this and this and this and all these different components. And he's like, how does no one know about this? And that's, that's what I really want to, to move forward with a podcast. Like I want to elevate the whole industry to make it as cool as it is because the fact that people don't know a whole lot about it. Like it's not concerning isn't the right word, but like it's a missed opportunity. So yeah,

John Tyreman: 18:50

Well, and then I think, you know, you mentioned that there's a lot of math that goes into architecture and engineering, but I think that there is still a lot of psychology that goes into it too. If you think about, you know, how architecture impacts the energy of a space and the mood. That, you know, people come into. So, you know, you don't want to go into the DMV in a dimly lit, you know, even though that's

Keelin Cox: 19:13

Sure,

John Tyreman: 19:13

some in some cases, um, but yeah, you want to go into a building and you want to feel something. And, and that, that happens because of. Architectural design and the engineers that made it past structurally possible and the construction companies that built the thing. Um, so I think you're, you're absolutely right in that there's a lot of stuff that goes unnoticed and I think more people, if they just kind of like thought about it or were exposed to it. They'd have a deeper appreciation for the industry. So I think you're doing a great service,

Keelin Cox: 19:44

Oh, thank you. And I, I think I misspoke there. There is math and marketing. It's just not like the primary

John Tyreman: 19:51

right? Yeah. I mean, you know, there's, there's analytics and tying, you know, impressions to revenue and, you know, attributing lead sources in it. You know, there's, there is a lot of technical math that goes into marketing. Um,

Keelin Cox: 20:04

I'm just going to myself.

John Tyreman: 20:06

you, you, you may have ruffled the feathers of a few marketers out there, but that's a,

Keelin Cox: 20:11

Hopefully I've smoothed them down. Um,

John Tyreman: 20:16

So let's, uh, let's talk about you. So you, you, um, you touched on how the podcast has some level of an impact on your business, but not a huge impact on your business. I'd love to explore that a little bit. So how do you measure success? Of your AEC market to your podcast, I guess, like two parts, like how did you measure success in the beginning? And then maybe how has that changed and changed? And how do you measure success today?

Keelin Cox: 20:46

the way I measure success is actually pretty similar from, um, The beginning, because it didn't start as a revenue generating idea for me, it was more of a passion project and still is. And I remember going into it just saying, you know, if, if one person enjoys this, or if one person learned something new, then, then I've done my job. And. When, when I first started, I think like the first week, there are maybe five people who listened and three of those were probably family members of mine. And, and probably the guest just to make sure that I represented them well. And I was even happy then. Just to like have, have that knowledge out there. And now it's kind of similar. Like I'm still thrilled if one person learned something and it's really cool to see people writing on LinkedIn. Like they listened to the episode and learned this from, from this guest. It's not usually what I say. Uh, it's usually what my guests say, cause they're incredible. Um, But that's sort of, that's the whole motivation. That's my metric. Um, so the reason I say that it hasn't really, you know, generated business for me, it very well could have, and I'm just not aware of it. The people that come to me talking about the podcast, aren't the same people who come to me for services

John Tyreman: 22:28

Okay. But you're,

Keelin Cox: 22:31

and that's fine.

John Tyreman: 22:32

and yeah, and you're developing these relationships with, you know, players in the industry who, you know, at some point down the road, or maybe it's already happened, maybe they refer you some business, right? And so, you know, that's in, you know, like the echo effect or that kind of the, the ripple effect of the podcast and how it, how it, uh, ripples out into the marketplace.

Keelin Cox: 22:53

Big time. I mean, that's what networking is really is just making solid connections and then If someone needs you in the future, they think of you and most likely stands out to them as the connection you had. And then, and then they remember what services you provide. So, um, hasn't happened yet, but maybe.

John Tyreman: 23:16

Well, keep at it. part of your goal, and we touched on this earlier was, you know, broadening the impact of AEC, just kind of like in the broad market. I guess that kind of leads me to like, how do you distribute your podcast content? And then, you know, where does the podcast fit in maybe your funnel, your marketing funnel, and then how do you drive people to the podcast?

Keelin Cox: 23:36

The only place that I advertise is LinkedIn because LinkedIn is a very professionally focused platform. I tried Instagram and it just didn't feel like a great fit. And I reached out to one of my contacts who I had interviewed and asked him, like, should I, should I be on LinkedIn? Is that too presumptive? And he's like, you should have been on it yesterday. So I started the LinkedIn page and that's where I get most of the, the attention and the interest. Um, the platform that I use just distributes to all the other. Podcast hosting, you know, like, um, but yeah, LinkedIn is what I use. It's, it's a great resource because, because I'm doing these interviews, I basically get to leverage the network of my guests. So when I have an episode with them and I tag them in the post that opens up. Awareness of my podcast. To their entire network and then they repost and someone else repost. And it's like, it's a, it's like a, like bring the dust up. Um, and usually every episode that I post, I get like two or three new followers. Some, it depends on the person's network. Um, like it's been so effective and I haven't really felt the need to. Like I don't have Facebook anymore. I only had to create one for clients so that I could post for them. Uh, but I don't enjoy using that. And I'm like the very annoying millennial who does not post anything on Instagram either because I'm posting for clients all the time. So, you know, at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is come up with content about myself. Um, but LinkedIn feels like the most natural home for advertising podcast stuff or the podcasts of this nature. If that answers your

John Tyreman: 25:40

Yeah. Yeah, totally. LinkedIn is a great channel, especially for business podcasts, um, especially for podcasts focused on professional services industries like AEC. Um, so what's, what's next for the AEC market to your podcast? Do you have any plans for how you're going to take it to the next level? Or do you, do you just foresee just continuing on the same, same growth trend?

Keelin Cox: 26:03

I think there, there's a few things that I've slowly been adding in, um, because if I did the same thing, I would just get really bored. And I wouldn't want to do it anymore, and because it's a passion project, it sort of needs to stay exciting. So one of those things is these, like, I don't know what to call them yet, but like these project highlights. Um,

John Tyreman: 26:28

Oh yeah.

Keelin Cox: 26:28

Talking to the client and the marketing team behind the winning pursuit and like how that partnership was formed all about the project, like what makes the project cool. I want to highlight sustainability features. I studied environmental studies. So like that, it's always going to be a factor for me of like doing. Basically doing the right thing with the project. Um, so setting up the criteria of like what makes a really good project to feature. Um, I also really like reading and I found that in my cohort groups, or even with the people that I work with, I finished reading a book and I want to tell them all about it and how it applies to the AC industry. And so I've started doing book reports.

John Tyreman: 27:14

Oh, there you go.

Keelin Cox: 27:15

And it's really fun because then I don't have to bother everyone in my immediate space about a book that I've read. Whilst I still feel like I am, I'm taking something I learned and applying it to the industry and showing how it works. Um,

John Tyreman: 27:33

those so like solo episodes, monologues when you do those book reports?

Keelin Cox: 27:37

They are. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes there's like two parts because I just like the, um, what was the latest one that I did? The negotiation one,

John Tyreman: 27:46

Don't get never split the difference. Yeah. I saw

Keelin Cox: 27:48

never split the difference. Yeah.

John Tyreman: 27:49

book.

Keelin Cox: 27:51

Such a good book. And so I was like, there's no way I'm fitting this into a 30 minute episode. Um, so I split that one up into two, some of them that, you know, Maybe don't need two episodes is it'll just be one. I'm kind of a once off, like shooting for once a quarter. Um, I was doing career stories for a while and I really loved that. It's a way to get people that I just really enjoyed talking to back on just to talk about themselves. Like you probably know, there are some people who just have magnetic personalities. And. Like I finished the conversation. I'm just like, I want to know so much more about you. And so the career stories is a, is a good way to get them back and just like, talk about them as a person rather than their work, which is still work related, but you know, I figure if I find them so dynamic and interesting. Everyone else must too.

John Tyreman: 28:53

or maybe you like it because of their story. Maybe you'll inspire someone perhaps early in their career to consider a career in AEC because of something they heard on your podcast or because of a

Keelin Cox: 29:04

that's the dream really. Like, that's what started the career stories portion of it is like, look at all these different ways you can go once you've started in AEC marketing. Um, the best candidates for that just happen to be very dynamic people. So those are like my, my three ideas for like, Growing and stretching the podcast and maybe getting non marketers involved. That's, that's what I really want. Like I want, I want your engineer to know about AEC marketeer and your architect. Like I want it to be engaging for the AEC industry, not just for AEC marketers. And I'm just scratching the surface

John Tyreman: 29:51

I think that's so important because of the way that new business happens in AEC firms. It's a lot of the times it's on the backs of the doer sellers, right? These are technical experts who need to learn how to develop new business. And part of that today isn't just, you know, your relation, developing relationships. A lot of it is marketing. Right. And digital marketing and knowing how to be active on LinkedIn and knowing how to write a newsletter or contribute to, you know, blog articles and things like that. Um, and then I think what you're doing with the solo episodes are really great too, because, you know, now you are providing more of your voice. It's a little bit more balanced. Among the guests and it provides your listeners with kind of a peek into, you know, what's on Keelan's mind, right. Instead of just hearing from the guests,

Keelin Cox: 30:42

yeah, it feels really good to do those episodes. I don't, I like the cadence that I'm doing them because I like, I feel exposed when I do those. Like, I feel like interviewing people is a good way to sort of, like, not hide, but not be at the center. And I feel like those solo episodes, while I really love them, I can't do them too often because I'm like, ah, I've said too much. So it's, it's a fine balance.

John Tyreman: 31:14

It's challenging going from being the interviewer to doing those solo episodes. I've done a few, I've only think I've only done a handful so far, but. It's, it's a little lonely because you're there with just a mic. Yeah. It's a little weird, especially for, you know, like introverts. And, uh, yeah, totally. Well, Keelan for folks that are, that are listening and they want to follow your show, obviously, you know, the AEC Marketeer podcast is on Apple, Spotify, all the different channels, but if folks want to connect with you, is LinkedIn the right place?

Keelin Cox: 31:47

LinkedIn is the best place. Yeah.

John Tyreman: 31:49

Excellent

Keelin Cox: 31:50

And if you, if you want to connect, if you just send me a note. With your connection requests. That is like my biggest pet peeve is people just asking to connect without any context.

John Tyreman: 32:02

So if you're listening to this, send Keelan a note and say, Hey, Keelan, I heard you on John's podcast. Let's

Keelin Cox: 32:07

Exactly. Bingo.

John Tyreman: 32:10

Keelan, thank you so much for your time today. This has been

Keelin Cox: 32:12

Thank you so much, John.

John Tyreman: 32:15

All right. Thank you so much for listening to my conversation with Keelan Cox. If you found this episode insightful, please leave a rating and review, subscribe to the YouTube channel and follow along on LinkedIn. Happy podcasting.