Andy Wadman, Author at FlexTrades

Recently, the FlexTrades Marketing Team revamped and polished our brand personality, including the traits and archetypes that best align with our target audience. Any business that wants to make a meaningful connection to its audience should consider what their brand personality is. That includes billion-dollar, multi-national manufacturers who make the goods we all buy all the way down to the $1.00 lemonade stand at the corner in your neighborhood.

Brand personality is a set of human traits that helps to define a brand. Things like values, humor, candor, and sincerity. These traits are handpicked to build an emotional connection to a specific target audience with similar traits.

Building a brand personality can help any business with the following:

Resonate with the right target audience
Create an emotional connection and foster brand loyalty
Differentiate your brand
Increase brand equity

Now, I won’t be sharing the “secret sauce” of FlexTrades’ Brand Personality, but I will walk through the brand personality of my daughter’s lemonade stand. The steps below are the same basic steps any business can use to start this process.

Step 1: Who is your target audience?

Most people enjoy lemonade occasionally, but that’s far too wide of an audience. Our first target audience would be the parents who crack open their wallet or purse to purchase lemonade for their kids. Our second target audience are the kids who might pass by on their bikes, Razor scooters, or hover boards.

Step 2: What are your primary traits?

The most popular way to start building brand personality is by using the Aekers five-dimensional model. This model divides brands into primary traits of sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness. Brands focus on one or two major personality dimensions while balancing and complimenting the others.

For our lemonade stand’s first target audience, parents, we’ll focus on Sincerity and being honest, wholesome, and positive in our messaging. When I see a lemonade stand as a parent, I see little entrepreneurs making their first buck and building a community in my neighborhood.

For our second target audience, kids, we’ll focus on Excitement while being lively, exciting, and imaginative. When I was a kid, seeing a lemonade stand was like hearing the jingle of an ice cream truck or going to get a Happy Meal. It’s fun and exciting to do something you don’t get to do very often!

Step 3: What are your brand archetypes?

The key to nailing brand personality is to specify the target market archetype and directly align it to the brand archetype. This way, you can resonate with your intended audience and position your brand intentionally. In marketing, it is generally agreed that there are 12 brand archetypes that are rooted in psychology. Each one is a categorization of a basic (and primal) human desire.

For our target audience of parents, we’ll focus on a dual archetype of Everyman Caregiver. The Everyman archetype highlights the hard-working and sincere staff of our lemonade stand, who bring refreshment to our community. The Caregiver archetype highlights the service being provided to thirsty kids and parents who just need a break. Brands like Johnsons Baby, Walmart and Target use these archetypes.

For our target audience of kids, we’ll focus on the Jester archetype. The Jester archetype is fun-loving, playful, and focused on enjoyment. Brands like M&M’s and Ben & Jerry’s use this archetype.

Step 4: Build your brand guidelines!

Once you’ve gone through the work of determining your brand personality traits and archetypes, it’s important to make brand guidelines. Brand guidelines are a resource for everyone in the organization to use as a tool to maintain consistent brand standards and brand integrity.

These guidelines include things like:

Standard fonts and color schemes
Company logos
Voice, tone, and messaging
Templates for signage, email, or social media campaigns

For our lemonade stand, this may include using bright colors with handwritten fonts to identify with kids. Maybe a superhero, princess, or dinosaur theme to further lean on the Jester archetype. Our voice and tone may be cheerful and welcoming to lean into our Everyman Caregiver archetypes.

Conclusion

The process of building a brand personality can be exciting, but it does take a lot of creative energy to do it right. Our marketing team had “homework” assignments before each meeting so that we all came prepared with our thoughts and suggestions on each step. It’s important to go into this process with an open mind and be ready to run with the best ideas!

As mentioned at the beginning, a business with a well-defined brand personality can more easily:

Resonate with the right target audience
Create an emotional connection and foster brand loyalty
Differentiate your brand
Increase brand equity

I challenge you to check out our website www.flextrades.com, and watch our social media pages to see if you can determine what our brand personality is!

Check Out our Primary Social Media Channels:

Educators at universities and colleges across the country, in just about every field, invite employers into their classrooms to give presentations to students. Employers embrace the opportunity to show students the work, pay, and benefits their company offers. Some employers take it further and provide tools that will help graduates get their first job and be successful.

When FlexTrades does a ReTool Employer Presentation for students, we show that we offer a rewarding career in the trades with excellent benefits. But we also understand that many students have other companies in mind, have already accepted jobs, or have plans to put their education to work elsewhere. Half of our presentation is catered to ANY job seeker, even if they aren’t interested in FlexTrades at the moment.

Below is an outline of the script for our ReTool Employer Presentation.

Act 1: About FlexTrades

The first act of a FlexTrades employer presentation is shamelessly, and genuinely, promoting the opportunities our company offers. We name drop some of our clients who are among the nation’s largest manufacturers in heavy agriculture, aerospace, consumer products, and more. We talk about our need for skilled technicians throughout every step of the manufacturing process.

The pay and benefits FlexTrades offers to employees are competitive nationwide. We talk about travel and how many of our technicians see travel as another benefit; seeing the country and enjoying hobbies and activities they can’t do at home. To close Act 1, we talk about the many opportunities for growth within the company and how to get started pursuing a career with us.

Act 2: Career Tips & Advice

Degrees, certifications, and hundreds of hours of time-on-tool get you a baseline of knowledge to do the job. But a resume must get you an interview, and that interview must go well before you ever get paid for those skills.

Our longest slide in the entire presentation is called “Resume & Interview Tips.” We share tips and advice that apply to anyone listening, whether they’re interested in FlexTrades or not. For example, calling out your skills and certifications correctly on a resume can determine whether you even get a chance to interview. Preparing for an interview by researching the company and practicing your responses to tough questions is equally important.

Act 2 answers one of the most important questions we should ask: What’s ahead in manufacturing? We talk about Industry 4.0 and what it means. You’ll need to hear our presentation for the full answer, but (spoiler alert) robots are not coming to take our jobs! Skilled tradespeople will always be needed, but we will need to adapt and continue to learn new skills.

Act 3: Questions & Answers

We place a lot of information in our ReTool Employer Presentation, so we always open it up to questions after the slideshow. Many students are curious to hear more about travel, where they might get to go, and how we get them there. Some students ask what tools they need to bring on a project (hint: very few). We are often asked what an apprentice-level ReTool employee can expect on their first few projects.

Instructors usually jump in to ask questions, too. They know their students better than we do, so they often anticipate questions students haven’t thought of yet. Some instructors even ask about how they can work on a FlexTrades project over summer break, or once they’ve retired from teaching.

We’re always excited to dig deeper into any of the topics we cover!

Conclusion

We understand that we aren’t the only employer out there, but we might be the perfect fit for a student who hasn’t found the right job yet. Or we might be a better fit when they’re looking for a change later in their career. Some of the students we speak to will go on to manage a facility or start their own company and may need FlexTrades technicians to get the job done.

We genuinely care about the next generation of skilled tradespeople and the world of manufacturing that they are entering. We want to encourage students in trade school programs to stay on the path and start a great career. If you’re an educator or instructor at a trade school, we would love to show you and your students our ReTool Employer Presentation live!

Ever since COVID-19, virtual presentations have become extremely popular. To book a ReTool Virtual Employer Presentation for your class, just click here to pick a time that works best for you!

If you’d like us to make an in-person presentation, or if you have any questions, please reach out to marketing@flextrades.com. If you or someone you know is looking for work, resumes can also be sent to marketing@flextrades.com.

We appreciate your time today, and look forward to working with you and your team soon.

Does your company have a complex staffing problem that requires a flexible solution? FlexTrades has solved manufacturing headaches for hundreds of companies big and small in all 50 states. We have a skilled workforce that is professional and ready to come to you. Consider just a few ways that your company can use our flexibility to solve your skilled labor problems.

Five ways FlexTrades Clients See “Flex” in FlexTrades:

Large Projects to Small Projects – One client in the consumer goods industry needed FlexTrades’ Technicians to run their entire production process. We were at the client’s site using their machines, but 100% of the work was done by FlexTrades employees. We’ve also had clients who purchased a new machine and just needed one expert to come in to set it up and train their staff on how to run it.

Project Duration – We solved short-term production backlogs in eight weeks when a client needed a quick influx of productivity. FlexTrades’ Technicians kept a client’s facility running for multiple years in a row. We can fill any shift you are running, whether that’s a day shift and night shift, or a first shift, second shift and third shift. Our only requirement is that it’s at least 50 hours per week because our Technicians really like to work! We’re true partners, and our timelines can flex as needed to get the job done right.

Recurring Need vs One-Time Need – We can help you with recurring seasonal work or work based on cyclical market trends and order cycle fluctuations. Or we can help with your one-time backlog to get you caught up. Our solution is flexible enough to fit your unique manufacturing requirements.

Variety of Skilled Technicians – Our technicians have been deployed to fill just about every role found in manufacturing. Our clients most commonly require skilled Machinists, Welders, Maintenance Techs and Production Techs. Many clients also need Assemblers, Diesel Techs, Electrical Techs, Engineers, Fabricators, Machine Operators, Material Handlers, Programmers and more!

Quick Spool Up Time & Less HR Work for You – Generally, it takes a few weeks for a FlexTrades Technician to get up to speed. Many of our clients are shocked by their speed and proficiency after having worked with more typical staffing options and other workforce providers. FlexTrades provides an extensive support system to its Technicians to help limit extra work for your HR, management, and administrative staff. You just need to point our Technicians to their workspace and watch them get you back on track.

Why FlexTrades?

We chose the name “FlexTrades” because we recognize the importance of being flexible. Each of our clients has a unique staffing problem that requires a custom solution. We help them take advantage of our flexibility with our skilled and professional workforce. Click here to read more about our innovative solutions. If you’re ready to tackle your workforce problems, reach out to our Business Development Department today for a FREE, no strings attached consultation!

It is April, 1949, in West Berlin. Western Allied soldiers walk the streets, there are military checkpoints to get in or out of the city, and the Berlin Airlift is at its peak. Every 45 seconds, the roar of a U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54 Skymaster is heard flying over apartments. Food, coal, diesel, and petrol is being delivered to the city by U.S. and U.K. pilots. The 2.5 million residents of West Berlin will survive another day.

The Blockade Begins

Following World War II, Germany was split between the Allied powers. Berlin was in the Soviet occupation zone, but the city itself was split into Soviet controlled East Berlin and Western Allied controlled West Berlin. On June 24, 1948, Soviet forces blockaded rail, road, and water access to Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The supply chain for food and coal for electricity was cut off. It was estimated that West Berlin had food to last 36 days and only 45 days worth of coal. Something had to be done fast if the Allies wanted to sustain the population.

The Berlin Airlift

U.S. General Lucius D. Clay suggested an Allied airlift operation to supply West Berliners. And just two days later, on June 26, 1948, the United States launched “Operation Vittles.” The United Kingdom joined the effort with “Operation Plainfare” on June 28^th. This was the beginning of The Berlin Airlift.

Incredible Facts About The Berlin Airlift:

In the beginning, the goal was to bring in 3,475 tons of supplies every day. However, it took time to ramp up to that goal. In the first week of the airlift, 90 tons of supplies were delivered every day. By the second week, 1,000 tons were delivered daily. By the spring of 1949, that original goal was smashed because 12,941 tons of supplies were being delivered daily.
To save time, many flights didn’t even land. They would air drop supplies into the airfields using parachutes.
The flights that landed flew out of West Berlin with manufactured goods.
American C-47 and C-54 aircraft flew over 92,000,000 miles. That’s only a million miles short of the average distance to the sun!
Operation Little Vittles: On July 17, 1948, U.S. pilot Lieutenant Gail “The Candy Bomber” Halvorsen flew to Tempelhof Airport on his day off. He offered his only two sticks of Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum to a crowd of children at the end of the runway. He promised that when he returned, he would bring more. When asked how the children would know it was him, he replied, “I’ll wiggle my wings.” The next day when flying into Tempelhof, he rocked his wings and dropped chocolate bars attached to handkerchief parachutes to the children waiting below. Soon after, mail arrived at the base addressed to “Uncle Wiggly Wings,” “The Chocolate Uncle,” and “The Chocolate Flier.” Maj. Gen. William H Tunner, who was in command of the airlift, expanded the effort into “Operation Little Vittles.” Other pilots started dropping candy, children in the U.S. sent candy to help, and major candy manufacturers joined in, too. German children called the aircraft “raisin bombers” or “candy bombers.” Over 23 tons of candy were dropped using more than 250,000 parachutes.
Throughout the operation, a total of 2,334,374 tons of supplies were delivered to West Berlin. The U.S. Air Force delivered 1,783,573 tons and the RAF delivered 541,937 tons.

On May 12, 1949, the blockade was lifted. Supply convoys were allowed to resume on the ground through the Soviet controlled sector. The airlift continued until September 30, 1949, out of fear that the blockade could be reinstated. The Berlin Airlift successfully sustained West Berlin for 15 straight months.

The Cost

The operation was a success, but everything has a cost. Over the course of the operation, 17 American and 8 British aircraft crashed. Sadly, there were 101 fatalities associated with The Berlin Airlift, mostly due to non-flying accidents. That included 31 Americans and 40 Britons who lost their lives to help save West Berlin.

What Can We Learn?

Supply chains can be shaken by events out of our control. The Soviet blockade in 1948 stopped the supply chain of food and supplies into West Berlin. A global pandemic and some bad driving in the Suez Canal caused the global supply chain to faulter, and for a couple weeks we didn’t even have toilet paper on shelves at the store.

Fortunately, humans and industry take on challenges and find solutions. In the aftermath of COVID-19, companies around the world are re-building their supply chains to be more resilient. Many U.S. companies are bringing their critical manufacturing infrastructure closer to home. There is a growing need for skilled trades people in all industries.

At FlexTrades, we do our best to live up to amazing examples of urgent problem solving, like the Western Allies throughout The Berlin Airlift. We work with companies across the country to solve their manufacturing headaches and employ hundreds of the most skilled and professional trades people in every discipline. Check out www.flextrades.com to learn more about what we can do for your company or for your career.

There were too many amazing stories, characters, and facts to include in one blog. Read more about the Berlin Airlift in these websites I used while researching this topic:

What is the definition of a dream job in manufacturing? There is no wrong answer to this question. Most of us will have a different definition, and that will probably change over the course of our careers. My dream job allows me to excel at my craft, learn new skills, and have a seamless work-life balance to enjoy my hobbies and time with family and friends. The “Flex” in FlexTrades means that we offer flexibility to our employees by allowing them to build an exciting and rewarding career, however you define the term “dream job.”

Five Ways Technicians Can “Flex” With FlexTrades

Variety of work: At FlexTrades, you have the flexibility to pick and choose which project to accept. One Technician may choose projects to get experience with new tools or new processes. Another Technician may only choose projects using the tool they are most experienced with. Whether you want to become a jack of all trades or the very best at a specific skill, you can find the right fit with FlexTrades.

Work your preferred schedule: The flexibility to choose when you work, and when you have time off, is not easy to find. Some of our Technicians are true ‘road warriors’ who go from project-to-project to bank experience and pay as quickly as possible. Some of our Technicians take a well-deserved break between projects. Some of our Technicians even prefer third-shift projects while others prefer second shift. FlexTrades is flexible and allows you to work the schedule that suits you best.

Choose your workplace: Our clients range from small mom-and-pop shops to massive Fortune 100 companies. Do you want the community of a smaller shop? Do you want to operate cutting edge equipment in a multi-million-dollar facility? With FlexTrades, you have the flexibility to choose the type of company you want to work with.

Go where you want: Our technicians have the flexibility to choose where they travel for assignments. Some choose the next project based on how soon they can start and will travel wherever the work brings them. Others choose to stay closer to home so they can visit their family and friends on a day off. Many choose projects based on what the region has to offer for hiking, fishing, hunting, or other hobbies to pursue in their free time.

Commitment to one project at a time: Once you’ve completed a project commitment, there are no strings attached. If you want to go right to the next project, you can. If you want to take time off at home before choosing your next project, you can do that, too. If you want to bring your experience to a facility in your town, we’ve got you covered. FlexTrades is flexible so as to encourage our Technicians to always do what is best for their themselves, their family and their careers.

We chose the name “FlexTrades” because we recognize the importance of being flexible. Our Technicians take advantage of that flexibility.

If you are seeking more freedom with your job, take a look at some of our open positions. If you’re ready to apply, contact a recruiter today. We’d love for you to see for yourself what puts the “flex” in FlexTrades!

Why Corey Loves Working With FlexTrades:

Jeremy P. Loves the Ability to Travel

Step 1: Who is your target audience?

Step 2: What are your primary traits?

Step 3: What are your brand archetypes?

Step 4: Build your brand guidelines!

Conclusion

Check Out our Primary Social Media Channels:

Act 1: About FlexTrades

Act 2: Career Tips & Advice

Act 3: Questions & Answers

Conclusion

Five ways FlexTrades Clients See “Flex” in FlexTrades:

Why FlexTrades?

The Blockade Begins

The Berlin Airlift

Incredible Facts About The Berlin Airlift:

The Cost

What Can We Learn?

Five Ways Technicians Can “Flex” With FlexTrades

Why Corey Loves Working With FlexTrades:

Jeremy P. Loves the Ability to Travel

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