How We Built A 3-Channel Inbound Strategy For An AI Building Management Platform
The client already had a decent pipeline from outbound sales. We helped them build an inbound channel alongside it using Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and SEO/GEO.
Building Management Platform
Help buyers find them before they talk to sales
The client built an AI platform for managing commercial buildings. It helps teams reduce energy costs, improve building performance, and spot equipment problems before they become expensive failures. Most of their pipeline had come from outbound sales.
Outbound was working, but it wasn't the only source of demand worth going after. Facility managers, property owners, and engineering teams often research software on their own before speaking to a salesperson. More of them are also using AI tools to research and compare vendors.
We were brought in to build an inbound channel that could capture some of that existing demand and give the sales team another source of opportunities.
Four things were holding inbound back
Use paid search now, build organic alongside it
We wanted to do two things at once: capture buyers who were already searching today, while building an organic channel that could bring in traffic without paying for every visit.
Start with Google Ads
- Shortlisted 30 high-intent keywords across facility management, building automation, energy management, and AI/smart-building searches
- Focused campaigns on facility managers, property owners, and engineering teams who were likely to be evaluating a solution
- Wrote ads around practical outcomes such as lower energy costs, fewer equipment failures, and less manual work
Add LinkedIn Ads once the message was clear
- Built audiences around job title, industry, and seniority to reach the people most relevant to the product
- Used founder-led thought leadership alongside paid campaigns to give prospects more context before they booked a call
- Added image and document ads that explain the product without asking prospects to jump straight into a sales conversation
Build SEO/GEO around the same demand
- Used the paid search keyword research to guide the SEO strategy, rather than creating a separate list of unrelated topics
- Optimized the site so search engines and AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity could better understand the product and its use cases
- Built landing pages and articles that could continue attracting relevant visitors after the initial campaigns were running
Roll the channels out in stages
Month 1 focuses on Google Ads and founder-led content. Month 2 adds LinkedIn Ads, using the content already published. From Month 3 onward, SEO/GEO builds organic visibility around the same high-intent topics.
Make sure the traffic has somewhere to go
- Set up conversion tracking across all three channels
- Set up HubSpot for marketing automation, sales automation, and follow-up
- Created dedicated landing pages with one clear goal: getting the right visitor to book a demo
Agree on the numbers before launching
We defined the metrics we'd use to judge each channel, from impressions, CTR, and cost per lead to ROAS, organic traffic, rankings, and AI search visibility. That gives us a clear way to see what's working and what needs to change.
Keyword strategy
We researched the search volume and CPC for each keyword and then assigned it to the channel where it made the most sense. The bigger terms are useful for paid search, while the broader set gives us the foundation for SEO/GEO.
| Keyword | Monthly volume | CPC | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| facility management software | 3,600 | $26.81 | Google Ads |
| building management system | 2,400 | $8.60 | Google Ads |
| building automation system | 1,600 | $4.61 | Google Ads |
| building management software | 1,000 | $23.26 | Google Ads |
| building energy management system | 590 | $8.93 | Google Ads |
| enterprise facility management software | 480 | $30.04 | Google Ads |
| commercial building management software | 170 | $46.10 | Google Ads |
| bms software | 260 | $5.56 | Google Ads + SEO |
| building automation software | 260 | $5.40 | Google Ads + SEO |
| energy management platform | 210 | $8.98 | Google Ads + SEO |
| building analytics software | 210 | $6.08 | SEO / GEO |
| building energy management software | 170 | $7.32 | SEO / GEO |
What we're building
Google Ads campaign build and management
Keyword research, campaign setup, ad copy, landing page guidance, conversion tracking, and ongoing bid optimization.
LinkedIn Ads and thought leadership
Role-based audience targeting, image and document ads, and founder-led content to support the campaigns.
SEO/GEO content program
Six articles a month built around the same high-intent keyword set, with optimization for both Google and AI search.
Landing pages built to convert
Dedicated pages for the highest-intent campaigns, each with one clear goal: getting visitors to book a demo.
HubSpot and Salestech setup
Marketing automation, sales automation, form and landing page setup, and automated follow-up sequences.
Monthly reporting across every channel
Track performance against the agreed KPIs and use the data to decide what to improve next.
How we build each article
Every article follows the same basic structure. It keeps the content consistent across the site and makes it easier for both search engines and AI tools to understand the page.
