United Communications: Celebrating Expansion with Strategic PR and Event Planning

united communications event

Generating Publicity with Local Connections

United Communications has been a leading telecommunications provider in Middle Tennessee for over 75 years. The company launched Project UNITE in 2021 as an initiative to provide high-speed internet access to rural areas and under-connected communities. In 2023, United Communications began $53.4 million in grant-backed expansion projects—the largest investment of its kind in state history—to expand internet service to thousands of Middle Tennessee residents and businesses. The leadership at United Communications wanted to capitalize on this landmark project as a way to celebrate the impact of Project UNITE.

– Problem –

Planning and Promoting a Marquee Event

The best way to highlight the impact of Project UNITE was to host a newsworthy event with company leadership, professional partners, and local county and state officials. But managing an event of this magnitude—from planning to promoting and executing the event—would require assistance with all of their other responsibilities. The marketing team sought support in order to maximize the success of the project. That’s when they turned to the Green Apple Strategy team. 

– Solution –

Detailed Execution and Local PR Experience

United Communications leveraged Green Apple’s event planning expertise to create a celebration that would support the company’s brand promise of providing a world-class connection with a local commitment. The Green Apple team kept this goal in mind throughout the event planning process. Every detail, including the event’s location to its catering menu, supported United Communications’ brand positioning efforts. Green Apple also played an important role in the timing of the event, coordinating efforts with government agencies to ensure Governor Bill Lee, TNECD Commissioner Stuart McWhorter, and other elected officials could attend prior to the start of Tennessee’s state legislative session.

In addition to providing planning expertise, United Communications relied on Green Apple’s public relations experience. Green Apple crafted a PR campaign that made the event a newsworthy celebration for Middle Tennesseans and positioned United Communications as a trusted local provider of regional broadband. With deep ties and experience with local and regional media, the Green Apple team was able to drive earned media coverage of the Project UNITE celebration event.

– Results –

Positioning a Local Company as an Industry Leader

The January 2023 Project UNITE Celebration was a highly successful event for United Communications. It also generated significant interest from local news outlets resulting in 24 total print and digital news articles and highlighted in broadcast TV segments by CBS, FOX, and ABC news affiliates in Nashville and Knoxville. 

 + 90 people in attendance including government officials, partners, and media 
    members 

+ 31.48 million unique monthly visits to media websites covering the event

+ $300,000 in average paid advertising value for each news segment or article 

In planning and promoting the Project UNITE celebration, Green Apple became a valuable extension of the United Communications marketing team. As a result, United Communications’ team was able to focus on its core competencies, create a marketing experience that embodied the company’s brand identity, and generate momentum for its Project UNITE initiative.

– Creative –

What We Did

Marketing and Sales Strategy, Graphic Design, Event Planning, PR, Blogging, Email Marketing, Social Media, Video Scripting and Production, Employee and Customer Spotlights, and Recruitment and Operations Strategy.

Case Studies

A small selection of Green Apple’s solutions and marketing services.

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The Gardner School: From Experiences to Reviews: Designing a Five-Star Campaign.

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Transforming Positive Experiences into Five-Star Reviews The Gardner School is a nationwide leader in early childhood education and preschool, with nearly 40 locations across
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Charter Construction: Building a Strategic Recruitment Approach.

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Building the Next Generation of Company Leaders Charter Construction, founded in 1978, has established a reputation as one of Nashville’s top commercial concrete contractors.
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ATECH: Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities: Marketing a New Business Model

Transforming Pandemic Obstacles Into Opportunities

Since 1990, ATECH has served as an equipment repair company for thousands of restaurants and commercial kitchens across Tennessee. When COVID-19 brought the restaurant industry to a halt, ATECH needed a new way to generate revenue and retain employees. Green Apple stepped in as an agile marketing partner to help the company codify and promote a new planned maintenance service offering.

– Problem –

Navigating a Trickle Effect of Challenges

ATECH has decades of experience as a successful commercial kitchen equipment repair. Like others in the restaurant industry, their business came to an abrupt halt in March 2020. The restaurants they served shut down for weeks during the early days of the pandemic. Even when restaurants reopened, the need for equipment repair was still on the decline. ATECH’s leadership team realized they needed to find a solution.

– Solution –

Overcoming Obstacles with Agility and Creativity

The team at ATECH quickly identified a new business opportunity — offering planned maintenance services for restaurants and commercial kitchens — and turned to the Green Apple team for help. Our team designed and implemented a comprehensive marketing strategy that promoted the new service to current clients and potential customers.

This included a website redesign, marketing collateral, local SEO, and lead generation campaigns to drive business for planned maintenance. The effort led to tremendous growth and new business opportunities, which created a new challenge: staffing all their planned maintenance requests. Green Apple then pivoted to support ATECH’s new HR needs. Our team worked alongside ATECH to implement an additional marketing strategy for recruiting employees. Our strategy included event planning, tradeshow campaigns, technician spotlights, and social media management.

– Results –

A Bright, Sustainable Future

By serving as an agile marketing partner, Green Apple has been able to support ATECH’s most pressing business needs. As a result, the team at ATECH has experienced: 36% increase in revenue YoY 73% increase in their planned maintenance business 27 new hire applications Today, ATECH’s business is stronger than ever with a more sustainable business model and growing team. Together, ATECH and Green Apple have learned that marketing can play a helpful and important role in supporting any area of a business — from operations to HR. Whatever unexpected challenges might come next, the two teams are confident in their ability to work together and find new opportunities for growth.

– Creative –

What We Did

Marketing and Sales Strategy, Graphic Design, Event Planning, PR, Blogging, Email Marketing, Social Media, Video Scripting and Production, Employee and Customer Spotlights, and Recruitment and Operations Strategy.

Case Studies

A small selection of Green Apple’s solutions and marketing services.

father dropping off baby with daycare provider

The Gardner School: From Experiences to Reviews: Designing a Five-Star Campaign.

,
Transforming Positive Experiences into Five-Star Reviews The Gardner School is a nationwide leader in early childhood education and preschool, with nearly 40 locations across
See Case Study
charter construction team gathering at a job site

Charter Construction: Building a Strategic Recruitment Approach.

,
Building the Next Generation of Company Leaders Charter Construction, founded in 1978, has established a reputation as one of Nashville’s top commercial concrete contractors.
See Case Study
first acceptance insurance company team with awards

FAIC: Fueling Retention and Recruitment with a Culture-First Strategy

,
Strengthening Employee Connections through a Strategic Marketing Approach Following the acquisition of its retail division, First Acceptance Insurance Company was presented with a unique
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Silicon Ranch: Energizing a Solar Brand with Strategy & Events.

Making a Brand Shine Through Digital Strategy and Event Planning

Silicon Ranch Corporation is one of the fastest-growing developers, owners, and operators of solar energy plants in the United States. The company partnered with Green Apple Strategy to execute a brand refresh, design a new website, and plan a trade show event that would help the company stand out in an increasingly competitive solar energy market.

– Problem –

Standing Out in a Competitive Industry

Silicon Ranch Corporation has provided light and energy to thousands of people through its solar farm systems. As its leadership planned to expand its reach, they recognized the need for an enhanced digital presence.

Silicon Ranch reached out to Green Apple to help refresh its brand and design a new website. That initial project, paired with an updated approach to an annual trade show event, could help confirm Silicon Ranch’s presence and position as an industry leader and convert more leads.

– Solution –

Driving Results with Strategy, Creativity, and Execution

Before creating the new website, Green Apple conducted a digital audit and a UX audit. The data collected helped inform the design and the SEO strategy used to improve search engine rankings. The audits also identified several practical and actionable ways for Silicon Ranch to drive more leads. 

Green Apple also supported Silicon Ranch’s business efforts with event planning services. In 2018, Green Apple helped plan and execute a special evening at the historic Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, featuring award-winning singer-songwriters and hundreds of industry professionals. We took the event to Orlando, New Orleans, and back to Nashville in the years to follow. It became a major annual event in the industry, solidifying Silicon Ranch’s reputation with the members of NRECA and others in the field.

– Results –

Establishing a Foundation for a Bright Future

By partnering with Silicon Ranch for its brand refresh, website development, and trade show event planning, Green Apple was able to set the company up for a bright and successful future.

63% increase in yearly website visits

44% increase in unique page views

Connected with 300+ business leaders through annual event

– Creative –

What We Did

Marketing Strategy, Graphic Design, Website Design and Development, Event Planning, Blogging, Project Spotlights, Social Media, Email Marketing, and PR.

Case Studies

A small selection of Green Apple’s solutions and marketing services.

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The Gardner School: From Experiences to Reviews: Designing a Five-Star Campaign.

,
Transforming Positive Experiences into Five-Star Reviews The Gardner School is a nationwide leader in early childhood education and preschool, with nearly 40 locations across
See Case Study
charter construction team gathering at a job site

Charter Construction: Building a Strategic Recruitment Approach.

,
Building the Next Generation of Company Leaders Charter Construction, founded in 1978, has established a reputation as one of Nashville’s top commercial concrete contractors.
See Case Study
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FAIC: Fueling Retention and Recruitment with a Culture-First Strategy

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Strengthening Employee Connections through a Strategic Marketing Approach Following the acquisition of its retail division, First Acceptance Insurance Company was presented with a unique
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Survivor Fitness: Elevating #GivingTuesday to Fuel Mission & Momentum

Exceeding #GivingTuesday Expectations

Survivor Fitness helps cancer survivors regain their health and wellness through one-on-one personal training and nutritional support. A nonprofit organization that relies on the generous giving of others to provide scholarships to participants, Survivor Fitness has invested in an annual GivingTuesday campaign to jumpstart their year-end fundraising efforts.

Taking #GivingTuesday to the Next Level

Survivor Fitness has been participating in GivingTuesday since 2019 and recently connected with Green Apple Strategy to help design a campaign theme and social media strategy for GivingTuesday.

Heading into the 2022 giving season, the leadership team at Survivor Fitness wanted to capitalize on the momentum they gained throughout the year and create a unique campaign to help them reach their $7,500 goal. The team collaborated on ideas and developed a theme to capture the impact people could make by donating to Survivor Fitness. In 2022, that theme was “Give Help Today. Give Hope Tomorrow.” 

After finalizing the GivingTuesday campaign messaging, Green Apple worked to design and develop all digital marketing assets to launch the campaign successfully. 

Survivor Fitness reached the original $7,500 goal within hours of launching the campaign. This prompted their team to increase their fundraising goal that day.At the end of the campaign, Survivor Fitness raised more than $20,000 in just one day through its Giving Tuesday campaign.

Continuing to Expand the Mission

In 2023, the Green Apple was thrilled to support the next GivingTuesday campaign. “Because of You” was the 2023 campaign—crafted to highlight the special relationship between donors and participants. Green Apple created a comprehensive social media campaign that included content, graphics, and captivating videos for Instagram and Facebook. We also created a social media tool kit for Survivor Fitness partners and board members to share on their personal channels. 

The results from the 2023 campaign raised more than $18,500 in a single day, including matching donations. Another noteworthy highlight from the 2023 campaign was the number of participant applications Survivor Fitness received on GivingTuesday. In just over two days, Survivor Fitness received 18 new applications from cancer survivors interested in participating in the program—a new 24-hour record for them!

Impacting Hundreds of Lives

Each year, the impact of this one-day campaign has grown. Over the past two years, Survivor Fitness has raised more than $38,500 from their GivingTuesday campaigns. Through those donations, the organization can provide more than 1,000 training sessions to help cancer survivors face the future with hope. 

Survivor Fitness and Green Apple have gained valuable insights through crafting numerous GivingTuesday campaigns together, showing their dedication to constant learning and improvement. This ongoing process has led to more effective campaigns, advancing their mission with impactful messaging and strategic implementation.

– Creative –

What We Did

Marketing Strategy, Blogging, Participant Spotlights, Campaign Development, Graphic Design, PR, and Social Media. 

Case Studies

A small selection of Green Apple’s solutions and marketing services.

father dropping off baby with daycare provider

The Gardner School: From Experiences to Reviews: Designing a Five-Star Campaign.

,
Transforming Positive Experiences into Five-Star Reviews The Gardner School is a nationwide leader in early childhood education and preschool, with nearly 40 locations across
See Case Study
charter construction team gathering at a job site

Charter Construction: Building a Strategic Recruitment Approach.

,
Building the Next Generation of Company Leaders Charter Construction, founded in 1978, has established a reputation as one of Nashville’s top commercial concrete contractors.
See Case Study
first acceptance insurance company team with awards

FAIC: Fueling Retention and Recruitment with a Culture-First Strategy

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Strengthening Employee Connections through a Strategic Marketing Approach Following the acquisition of its retail division, First Acceptance Insurance Company was presented with a unique
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