Brand Standards • Social Media • Digital Ads • Video • Copywriting • Media Planning • Collateral
There are many options for young adults looking to find a lasting career offering continuous opportunities to grow and advance. The state of Kansas needs more qualified men and women looking to grow their career in the construction field. Economic development depends on it.
We built a digital-first campaign using real voices from the field. Testimonial-driven video ads featured young professionals sharing why they chose construction—and why others should, too. All ad traffic was taken to the Build Up Kansas website where users could learn more about the vast opportunities and training available. Ads ran across Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, meeting our audience where they scroll. The message was clear: construction isn’t just a job—it’s a future.
Campaign
Skilled trades such as carpentry, welding, electrical work and construction have long taken a backseat to traditional college pathways, often overlooked by students and parents alike. Despite offering stable, well-paying careers, these industries struggle with outdated perceptions and a lack of visibility. AGC of Kansas sought to change the narrative, increasing awareness and enrollment in career technical education (CTE) programs across the state.
We launched a highly targeted 2 month paid media campaign, reaching both students and parents through YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. The strategy blended engaging visuals with compelling messaging, emphasizing the lifelong benefits of CTE programs—whether for personal skill-building or future career prospects.
Breaking through to high school students required meeting them where they spend their time—on social platforms. The campaign’s creative approach balanced aspirational storytelling with practical benefits, showing students the real-world impact of hands-on skills. By optimizing placements and messaging across multiple channels, we ensured the right audience saw the right message, ultimately driving awareness and perception that CTE classes are an excellent option for students.
Social Media
Build Up Kansas set an ambitious goal to grow its organic Facebook and Instagram audiences by 20% in 2024. To achieve this, they needed a strategy that not only boosted visibility but also sparked authentic engagement with their audience of young people and their parents, while showcasing valuable industry career opportunities.
We posted an average of three times weekly on Facebook and Instagram. Our diverse content mix included new job postings, industry conference highlights, event-related updates, industry related facts and figures and fresh blog entries. Visual formats such as images, videos and curated industry posts ensured variety and kept things engaging. We also leveraged Build Up Kansas partners, employees, schools, professionals and students to create content that was both informative and directly relevant to the community.
By tapping into a strong network of partners and community members, we created relevant content that resonated deeply with the target audience. Regular, focused posts not only fostered engagement but also drove traffic to key areas like job postings, events and the Build Up Kansas website. This approach elevated brand awareness while positioning them as a vital hub for industry updates and career opportunities—helping to build tomorrow’s workforce today.
Our aspirational Build Up Kansas construction recruitment campaign appeals to people who want to benefit their community and themselves. The campaign-themed microsite – BuildUpKS.com – and materials toolkit use heroic photography of dynamic young professionals working with both power tools and digital devices. And we see them being mentored and trained by more seasoned pros. Infographics lay out possible career progressions that can take you far. Simple, bold facts communicate benefits and opportunities. Testimonial videos are scaled vertically for optimal viewing on smartphones, ideal for our highly mobile target audience. Hearing from real people who have found construction rewarding clears up misconceptions. These guys love what they do and are proud of what they’ve built.
An integrated mix of digital tactics focuses on young adults age 17-22 who are actively looking for a career. Mobile-app targeting deploys banner ads and testimonial videos across YouTube and affiliate sites. Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook are all in the mix to reach these online-heavy users. In less than a month, the site had almost 20,000 views and 100 leads checking out the open positions across AGC of Kansas’ member-base. Turns out the idea of building something – including a great life – has tremendous appeal. People want to be part of a team doing meaningful, important work. To have accomplishments they can see and take pride in.