BlueRecruit is a direct-hire marketplace for skilled-trade workers and the companies that need them. Unlike traditional job boards, BlueRecruit removes the noise—no resumes, no job posts—just verified skills, certifications, and experience that match what employers are actually hiring for.
For employers navigating wage changes and evolving hiring standards, BlueRecruit offers a streamlined way to find qualified talent fast.
You’ve spent time writing a great blog post, now what? With countless methods to promote your blog, simply hitting “publish” isn’t enough. Promoting your blog is just as important as writing it, especially if your audience includes busy contractors or distributors in the skilled trades.
Tip #1: Send it to your email list
Whether it’s featured in a monthly newsletter or sent as a standalone, your blog deserves to be in front of an audience who keeps up to date with the company. If the content is specific to a niche like plumbing or HVAC, segment your list accordingly for better results.
Tip #2: Share it on social media
Schedule multiple posts across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (X). Social media posts can highlight a stat, a quote or encourage your followers to check out the blog for more information.
Tip #3: Use industry-specific hashtags
Hashtags help expand your visibility beyond your followers. Use targeted ones depending on the blog post like #MarketingToTheTrades, #SkilledTrades or #ConstructionProfessionals. Using specialized hashtags for each blog can help to push the blog to the correct audience and increase engagement.
Tip #4: Repurpose it
One well-written blog post can do more than live on your website. Take that long-form content and break it down into short-form assets like social media carousels, short videos or even talking points for a podcast or webinar. Repurposing stretches the value of your content and helps you connect with your audience in the formats they prefer to engage.
Tip #5: Collaborate with industry partners
Share your content with manufacturers, distributor partners, or trade publications and encourage cross-promotion. You could also offer the guest post for their blogs, newsletters or websites and include a link back to your site. You can even pitch your blog as the foundation for a feature article in an industry magazine.
Promoting your blog doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need to be intentional. By using even a few of these practical tips, you can significantly increase the reach and impact of your content. Whether you’re targeting contractors or distributors in the skilled trades, making the most of each blog post ensures your message gets seen, shared and remembered.
CLEVELAND – December 2025 – Sonnhalter, a communications firm marketing to the professional tradesman in the construction, industrial and MRO markets, received a gold award in the “B2B Campaign” category at the 23rd Annual Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Cleveland Rocks Awards competition, recognizing excellent communications programs and tactics.
The recognition celebrates Sonnhalter’s integrated public relations campaign in partnership with NIBCO to commemorate the company’s 120th anniversary and the grand opening of the Rex Martin Interactive Museum in Elkhart, Indiana.
The campaign blended strategic media outreach, social media engagement and storytelling to highlight NIBCO’s legacy of innovation, family leadership and commitment to education within the skilled trades. Through customized content, proactive editorial pitching, two key press releases and a high-visibility ribbon-cutting media event, the campaign amplified awareness among industry professionals, trade and local media, employees and the local community.
“We’re honored to once again be recognized by our peers at PRSA,” said Matt Sonnhalter, Vision Architect at Sonnhalter. “This campaign was incredibly special, not only because it celebrated a major milestone for NIBCO, but because it helped inspire future generations to explore careers in the trades.”
Annually, the PRSA-Cleveland Rocks Awards acknowledge Northeast Ohio’s outstanding communications programs, which incorporate research, planning, execution and evaluation. PRSA Cleveland Rocks Award winners demonstrate leadership in public relations and contribute to advancing the profession locally.
About NIBCO INC.
NIBCO INC. manufactures and distributes a full line of flow-control products and systems for applications in the residential, commercial, industrial, marine, irrigation and waterworks markets. NIBCO, a fifth-generation business with its headquarters in Elkhart, Ind., operates 15 manufacturing plants across the United States and around the world. Visit NIBCO.com for information on the complete line of NIBCO products.
About Sonnhalter
Established in 1976, Sonnhalter is the leading B2T marketing communications firm to companies that target professional tradesmen in construction, industrial and MRO markets. Sonnhalter’s brand identity highlights its expertise in marketing to the professional tradesmen. Its tagline, “Not Afraid To Get Our Hands Dirty,” promotes the employees’ willingness to roll up their sleeves and dig deep into clients’ businesses, also, it refers to the market it targets: the tradesmen who work with – and dirty – their hands every day. Sonnhalter developed the acronym “B2T,” which stands for “business-to-tradesmen” to capture the essence of its specialty. For more information, visit the company website at Sonnhalter.com.
About PRSA
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals with nearly 32,000 professional and student members, and more than 100 Chapters nationwide. Serving nearly 300 members, the PRSA Greater Cleveland Chapter brings together public relations, communications and marketing practitioners throughout Northeast Ohio. Among the Chapter’s most important activities and duties is coordinating networking events and activities, developing and hosting professional development activities for members, serving as a resource for public relations students and providing recognition of excellence and best practices in all facets of the field of public relations. www.prsacleveland.org
Following is a guest post from our friends over at Long & Short of It, masters of ideation, customer insights and market research. They like to say they “dig and find lots of data and then turn it into actionable insights.” Following is their guest post.
“What in the world were you thinking when you bought that hat?”
That simple question, what were you thinking?, holds the key to understanding why some marketing campaigns convert and others fall flat. Most companies track what customers do, but few take time to uncover why they do it.
Knowing that someone clicked on an influencer’s post and ended up on your product page tells you very little about how to replicate that success. Were they excited? Curious? Hesitant? Were they just browsing or ready to buy? This is where the real power of a customer journey comes in.
A well-built journey maps what customers are thinking, feeling, and doing at each stage. It helps you see not just the steps they take, but the emotions and motivations behind them.
Let’s go back to the hat. Picture the buyer scrolling through photos, comparing styles, reading reviews, and maybe even asking a friend for advice. They are imagining how it might look on them, if it fits their style, if it is worth the price, and if they will actually wear it. There is a mix of curiosity, excitement, and hesitation. One small moment of doubt, and the tab gets closed.
When you understand what happens in that exploring phase of the journey, you start to see where people get stuck and what might help them move forward.
Now imagine the hat company discovers that most customers feel uncertain right before they buy, maybe about size, style, or quality. With that insight, they can act.
Maybe they add an AI-powered virtual try-on. Maybe they feature detailed sizing guides with real customer photos. Maybe they highlight a no-hassle return policy or emphasize glowing reviews about fit and feel.
Each of these actions addresses an emotional barrier revealed through the journey. Each one turns hesitation into confidence.
And once you understand the journey, it becomes more than a customer experience tool. It becomes input for your marketing plan. When you know what your audience is thinking, feeling, and doing, you can deliver the right message at the right time, through the right channel.
When you connect emotion with action, you stop guessing what drives customers and start creating marketing that truly moves them. That is the real power of a customer journey.
Another incredible year at SEMA has wrapped, and as always, the show delivered innovation, car burnouts and more. If you didn’t catch our full video breakdown, here are the Top Five Takeaways.
Brand identity refers to different characteristics such as a brands story, personality, communication style and visual identity like logo choice, color pallet, imagery and typography. These visual elements, among many others, are used to curate how a brand is perceived by the public. Therefore, a brands public perception has a direct link to its success on social media.
Brand Recognition
Having consistency with visual elements such as color choice, font, imagery and logo choice creates brand recognition. When people are scrolling on social media, they will start to associate these unique elements with a specific brand. The goal in brand recognition is for consumers to recognize a specific brand and its products from competitors, ideally, they should be able to recognize the brand on social media by visual cues alone.
Trust and Credibility
Consistency is key when creating trust and credibility with an audience. Having a unified brand presence on social media in terms of visuals, communication styles and brand personality signals professionalism to viewers. As opposed to scattered and random posts, the effort shown when creating consistent, professional and visually appealing posts that align with a brand’s identity heightens trust and credibility.
Engagement and Loyalty
Engagement and loyalty for a brand stem from familiarity. When customers and viewers feel confident in what they can expect from a brand, regarding social media presence and brand personality alike, they are more likely to engage with the brand. Also, when a brand stays consistent with its brand identity, customers are more likely to express loyalty because of past experiences and personal alignment with the brand.
Differentiates from Competitors
Having a strong and consistent brand identity is one of the most effective ways for a brand to stand out from its competitors. When posting on social media, a distinct visual identity will differentiate one brand from another. This is especially helpful for brands in saturated markets such as the trades industry.
Marketing Efficiency
A brands social media content creation process is streamlined when sticking to a defined brand identity. From the general aesthetics of a post like color pallet, typography and logo use to a brand’s personality and voice reduces time when creating posts. In addition to saving time, a strong brand identity helps with reducing inconsistency from post to post.
Overall, having a consistent brand identity is essential to using social media successfully. From building trust, credibility and loyalty through a consistent visual brand identity to standing out amongst industry competitors, curating a brand identity is crucial.
