by Sonnhalter | May 16, 2017 | Events/Trade Shows
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
It may seem like Manufacturing Day (first Friday of October) is still far off on the horizon, but the time to plan is now. With schools getting ready to take their summer breaks, you should contact them now in order to make sure your company is ready to highlight the great careers available in modern manufacturing and the trades.
And while the official Manufacturing Day site has great tools to help you plan and promote your event, a panicked phone call I got on Friday gave me another idea to share.
Image via RCB Flickr
Fortunately the panicked call wasn’t from a client, and wasn’t an actual “emergency.” Nope, it was my introduction to the latest craze sweeping schools across the country: Fidget Spinners (more…)
by Sonnhalter | May 10, 2017 | Marketing Tips
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
Brand/Content Marketing and all the other buzzwords are irrelevant.
I just finished reading a great article from the Virgin website.
But first an apology on behalf of the entire marketing industry…
We’re sorry for all the buzzwords. Really.
For years you’ve heard “content marketing” and “be your brand” and many other latest fads bandied about in meetings. In fact, at one previous employer, we had bingo sheets we’d take into the conference room to see how quickly we could achieve “product/end user integration,” “ROI” or anything else “at the end of the day.”
But really, all those words boil down to what the article highlights: Be a Storyteller (more…)
by Sonnhalter | May 3, 2017 | Marketing Tips
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
Pepsi recently had a severe digital flogging for a tone-deaf ad featuring Kendall Jenner and the evidently crisis-averting powers of their soda. From late night hosts and live shows in New York to TV pundits and seemingly everyone with a social media account, the multi-national corporation has been the punchline of many a joke.
Obviously there are a lot of lessons to be learned and cautionary tales aplenty. But for me, the main lesson in all of this comes down to:
Don’t try to be your brand. Have your brand be who you are.
What’s that mean? (more…)
by Sonnhalter | May 2, 2017 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing, Tradespeople Insights
By Rachel Kerstetter, PR Architect, Sonnhalter
You probably set up a Facebook page and a Twitter account a few years ago when social media was the new shiny object for marketers. But now, your social media is anything but new and exciting … and it doesn’t help you reach contractors. You might be wondering if you’re wasting your time on these channels or if you’re better served by switching to the newest social trend.
As a longtime leader in Business-to-Tradesman marketing, we’ve developed 12 helpful tips that will help you use social media to effectively reach contractors.
In “12 Tips for Reaching Contractors with Social Media,” you’ll learn how to evaluate the social media you’re already using and pick the right avenues for connecting with contractors. The tip sheet shares best practices for social media in this niche space using content and integrating it into your overall marketing programs.
Download 12 Tips for Reaching Contractors with Social Media by signing up here.
by Sonnhalter | Apr 25, 2017 | Events/Trade Shows
By Rachel Kerstetter, PR Architect, Sonnhalter
Did you know that today is Hug a Plumber Day? (Sometimes called Plumber’s Day.) Often plumbers don’t receive the credit and fame that they deserve, unless they’re Mario and Luigi and trying to save a princess. The Super Mario Brothers are the most famous plumbers, and they live in a Nintendo game.
The reality is that without plumbers, our world would be far from sanitary or pleasant. As part of our team’s commitment to getting our hands dirty in our clients’ work, we’ve had the opportunity to see plumbers at work, we’ve used their tools and we’ve heard their stories; we know that they deserve to be honored, not just hugged, today.
Plumbers do so much more than unclog drains and fix leaky faucets. It’s plumbers who install the miles of piping that make hot, cold and process water and gas utilities possible.
Did you know…
(more…)
by Sonnhalter | Apr 19, 2017 | Tradespeople Insights
By Chris Ilcin, Account Superintendent, Sonnhalter
One of the things that always struck me about manufacturers is they generally don’t realize how cool their jobs really are. And I get why. You’ve been doing this your whole life, it pays the bills and it has its disappointments, headaches and setbacks.
But manufacturing made the modern world we live in possible. And the stuff you see as routine, through anyone else’s eyes is really, really cool.
Don’t believe me? Ask a bunch of middle school kids in Pennsylvania. (more…)
