Case Studies.

Although CAWP had generated a “Skills Arcade” of games and career awareness tools to garner interest in the construction industry and appeal to its potential workforce, the organization recognized the need for a strategic marketing campaign to advance the arcade’s usage and maximize its impact on desired audiences. CAWP also required assistance in identifying partnership opportunities with other organizations committed to supporting the region’s construction workforce needs.

TrailBlaze was hired and quickly assembled a team of invested regional partners, including Denny Civic Solutions and SNAP Forward. After conducting a thorough audience analysis, meetings with CAWP and campaign partners revealed a desire to attract, in part, non-traditional employees into the construction workforce through the campaign. TrailBlaze generated a plan that leveraged audience analysis findings to conduct a comprehensive digital marketing campaign, placing particular emphasis on paid ads, commercials, and organic optimization on Facebook and Instagram platforms. To provide the campaign with compelling and audience-centric content, TrailBlaze assisted CAWP with the development of a series of “case study” videos featuring individuals who had participated in and benefited from CAWP’s pre-apprenticeship program. A more general promotional trailer of the CAWP “Skills Arcade” was also created to provide an attractive preview of the content offered within the arcade and promote the organization’s unique engagement with those interested in joining the construction workforce. In conjunction with video testimonials and arcade promotions embedded within the digital marketing campaign, TrailBlaze also created traditional advertising materials, which were displayed on Pittsburgh Port Authority buses and elsewhere in Western Pennsylvania.

As a result of the TrailBlaze team’s audience analysis process, including the development of audience persona sheets and “journey maps,” the team was able to pinpoint CAWP’s desired audiences and advertise compelling and personalized content to encourage participation in CAWP’s “Skills Arcade” and related programs. CAWP achieved its goal of increasing Arcade downloads, accounts, and applications received, securing more than 170,000 video views and 2,000 installations during the initial digital marketing campaign alone. Building on the success of this initial campaign, CAWP retained TrailBlaze’s digital marketing services for six additional months, generating further interest in the arcade. CAWP later requested TrailBlaze’s services in transferring their CRM (customer relation management) system data to a new CRM. During this process, the TrailBlaze team project managed the roll out and implementation of the new CRM, while upgrading to incorporate a more cost-effective LMS (learning management system) to benefit CAWP’s members. In sum, TrailBlaze’s efforts heightened CAWP’s ability to educate, engage, and provide valuable services to current and future members of the regional construction industry.