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EARLY RELEASE
Why 90% of AEC Tech Startups Fail at Marketing (And How to Be the 10%)

Marketing expert Phil Carpenter brings 30 years of Silicon Valley experience to the AEC tech space, revealing why so many construction technology startups struggle to cross the chasm from early adopters to mainstream market success.

As a fractional CMO specializing in AEC and real estate development company owner, Phil shares the marketing strategies that actually work in this conservative, relationship-driven industry.

In this episode, you’ll:

• Discover the "beachhead strategy" that prevents startups from wasting marketing dollars on scattered efforts

• Learn why traditional B2B marketing channels often fail in construction and what works instead

• Understand how to structure lean marketing teams that deliver outsized results without burning cash

• Get Phil's framework for measuring marketing ROI across different channels and campaigns

• Learn the art of customer validation before you spend a single marketing dollar

• Uncover why PR and events outperform digital marketing in AEC tech

Chapters

• 00:00 - Introduction and Phil's background in AEC tech marketing

• 02:26 - Why Phil chose to specialize in the AEC industry

• 04:01 - The timeless principles of "Crossing the Chasm" for tech startups

• 06:01 - Strategies for identifying and conquering your market beachhead

• 09:44 - The critical mistake AEC startups make in target market selection

• 11:05 - Customer validation: How to talk to 10 customers before you spend marketing dollars

• 13:10 - Content marketing channel mix: What works vs. what doesn't in AEC

• 15:22 - Team structure: Should content and marketing be the same person?

• 17:33 - How AI is changing SEO and search behavior

• 20:11 - The testing framework for finding your most effective marketing channels

• 24:15 - Why PR is Phil's secret weapon for cost-effective growth

• 31:11 - Startup marketing budgets: Team structure and spending priorities

• 34:22 - How founders should measure marketing performance

• 37:59 - Product vs. customer-driven marketing strategy development

• 41:22 - Taking creative risks: The circus stunt that stole the trade show

• 42:14 - Autodesk's controversial "God" campaign: Risk vs. reward

• 45:08 - Why everyone does case studies (and why they still work)

• 47:04 - Marketing tech stack: Avoiding the over-tooling trap

• 49:26 - Scaling marketing strategy as your startup grows

• 53:24 - Phil's consulting process and working with startups

• 57:58 - Event marketing wins and failures: World of Concrete lessons

• 01:01:13 - The "fast follower" strategy: When copying competitors works

• 01:03:07 - AI trends in AEC marketing and industry adoption

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