The Kula Ring

The Kula Ring has discussed staffing issues in B2B manufacturing quite a few times now. However, this week we are sitting down with Hallie Haupt from IQ Manufacturing, she walks us through what it really looks and feels like to be a young person in the B2B manufacturing space. She shares some insight on how IQ has been able to catch some fresh, young talent on their shop floor and some of the difficulties of dealing with some of that older workforce that is so prevalent in the manufacturing space.

Taylor Smith of PSNERGY is on the show this week having a chat with us about getting the next steps that manufacturing can take. We cover the harmonious nature of how sales and marketing can work together in the future. And also tackle some methods to get the youth of today and beyond invested in manufacturing in general. Taylor is a wonderful voice in the space and is bringing some fresh perspectives to us on The Kula Ring this week. Plus, we talk about bowling! Jeff and Carman tell us just how much they know about bowling, which isn’t a lot.

Jonathan Quinn from Accredo Packaging is on the show this week talking with us about packaging, sustainable packaging. We peel back the layers, as Carman says, on some of the challenges around being sustainable in an industry that is so front and center in the conversation around sustainable practices. Jonathan is a super knowledgeable guy who has been around packaging for, quite literally, his whole life. He has talked to lawmakers and focussed on what consumers truly hold dear. This episode is jam packed with information.

This week on The Kula Ring, we are having a chat with Chris Moody from Demandbase. We talk about a lot of stuff! Chris is very knowledgeable in the ABM space and walks us through some of the tools that we can use to get more out of our ABM efforts. If this episode is something you are into and you want to hear more exactly like it, you can catch these three having another chat on Demandbase’s SunnySide Up podcast!

We are pleased to republish this episode with Allison Wagner. The topic is even more present for a lot of manufacturers.| Video marketing is not new, but many B2B manufacturers are still searching for a strategy. In this episode of The Kula Ring, Allison Wagner, Marketing Communications Manager at Morrison Container Handling Solutions, shares how she helped make video the company’s biggest marketing tool. She talks about the resourcing effort, why video is important for manufacturers to invest in, and how Morrison leverages video content to help prospects envision how to use their solution.

On The Kula Ring we love a niche market. The varied and interesting challenges that marketers face in these highly specialized markets never ceases to amaze. This week we are joined by one such marketer. Mike McCormack is the VP of Marketing and Strategy with the Appleton Group, a division of Emerson. Mike and his team market to customers that are secluded, both physically and technologically; within business infrastructures where internet connectivity may not be allowed for safety. It is an exciting conversation with unique hurdles that Mike and Appleton have had to overcome. You have internet though, because you’re reading this. So get listening, you won’t be disappointed.

This week on The Kula Ring we are joined by Jay Suggs. Jay has spent a considerable amount of time investigating what makes an effective team. He was the head of Johnson Controls’ diversity and inclusion initiative, and he gives us a look at what it takes to create an inclusive work team where everyone feels supported and brings something unique to the table; assembling the Avengers as he calls it. We look at some high level aspects as well as diving deep into some of the more difficult parts of being a good leader of people.

So we do stuff digital now, that probably isn’t news to you. But, what if your ICP isn’t sitting at a screen all day? How do we make sure that the marketing content we are creating is going to get in front of them and be effective when it is? Jon Star of Methods Machine Tools tackles this problem head on. Method’s buyer persona is, more often than not, an operator or technician that isn’t stuck at a desk all day. So Jon has put considerable effort into making sure that their marketing efforts are effective to someone on the move. This is a great chat that covers data backed marketing and eventually the virtues of executive comms. Go ahead, press play.

Like many B2B manufacturers, ARCA sells to a small number of very specific niche markets. Targeting a small list of banks and credit unions who could benefit from ARCA's cash automation and recycling solutions, their marketing team crafted highly personalized one-to-one account-based marketing campaigns and successfully generated awareness and opportunities within key accounts. Learn how ARCA successfully piloted ABM on this week's episode of The Kula Ring podcast.

The Kula Ring is back! This week we have the distinct pleasure of talking with Floyd Blaikie. Floyd is the Director of Strategy here at Kula Partners. She has been working on literally writing the playbook on Google Ads recently and we took this opportunity to sit down with her and pick her brain on the nuance of this ubiquitous medium. We cover some of the pitfalls that B2B Manufacturers face in a PPC system that is biased toward B2C with shorter sales cycles than most manufacturers are accustomed to. You are going to want a notebook for this one.