Master roofer Sina Klein is active as an influencer on two social media channels. Her mission: to show young people how wonderful the trades are and, above all, to motivate young women to pursue apprenticeships in the construction trades. Her authentic insights into everyday working life have earned her a considerable number of followers. Companies also want to benefit from her positive image and reach. The first cooperation partner was the online shop Dach PRO. She currently works with various advertising partners, including Makita, FHB, Pica-Marker, and Plancraft. In episode 14 of our series "Influencers in the Trades," Plancraft founder Julian Wiedenhaus and Sina Klein chat about their collaboration and how an influencer manages to maintain credibility with all her advertising deals. (Photo: © Marlen Janssen)
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Roofer Sina Klein has several thousand followers on Instagram and TikTok, making her attractive to companies looking to offer their products to the trades. One of her advertising partners is Julian Wiedenhaus of Plancraft.
It's a social media collaboration with a rather friendly character: Plancraft has been supporting roofer Sina Klein since her apprenticeship and master craftsman school. An employee of the Hamburg-based IT startup even designed the logo for the young influencer from Lower Saxony's Instagram and TikTok activities. A video call with the highest "super" density so far in our short "Influencers in the Crafts" series, in which Plancraft Managing Director Julian Wiedenhaus and master craftsman Sina Klein chat about how advertising partnerships between companies and content creators work and how to balance advertising and credibility as an influencer in the crafts industry.
DHB: Sina, how many followers do you currently have on Instagram and TikTok?
sina: On Instagram there are just over 56.000, on TikTok around 28.000.
DHB: Julian, when Sina mentioned the number of her TikTok followers, you nodded in recognition. At first glance, the number doesn't seem that huge.
Julian: On TikTok, the number of followers isn't that important, because the videos get a lot of reach per se. 28.000 followers is a lot, though.
sina: That's true. However, TikTok isn't really my platform. It's a completely different community than Instagram.
Sina Klein is present on the social media platforms Instagram and TikTok as @dachdeckerin_sina Photo: © Marlen JanssenDHB: How do the two social media platforms differ?
sina: I have the feeling that people on my Instagram account are more interested in crafts—either because they consciously look for my content or because they are craftspeople themselves. On TikTok, the algorithm works differently. There, my posts are also shown to people who aren't specifically interested in crafts or the work of a craftswoman.
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DHB: How do you notice that TikTok users are less interested in your content?
sina: Most of all, it's the comments. People on TikTok are less hesitant about posting negative things.
DHB: You uploaded your first Instagram post in May 2020. A year and a half later, you became active on TikTok for the first time. What do you want to tell people?
sina: I especially want to show younger people how wonderful the trade can be, how multifaceted the profession of roofer is, and what a difference you can make as a woman. Unfortunately, there are still very few young women in the construction trade, but this small group of girls has already built a very strong social media community where we support each other and exchange ideas. It's really cool.
DHB: What questions do the young women ask you?
sina: For example, many want to know what I do when I have my period on the construction site, or whether I can recommend a brand or store that offers suitable work clothing for women.
DHB: That leads perfectly to our topic: When did the first companies approach you and ask if you would like to advertise their products?
sina: The first real collaboration came with Dach PRO at the end of 2021. I not only showcased their collection on my Instagram account, but I also modeled for them. I also learned a lot about social media from Selim Fritz and his team, which helped me increase my reach. After that, things took off. More and more companies approached me and offered me a collaboration.
Selim Fritz of " Dach PRO" was one of the first interviewees in our series "Influencers in the Trades". Click here for episode #003,5 Selim Fritz & Co. on handwerksblatt.de.
DHB: How should I imagine such a cooperation?
sina: Currently, most of my collaborations are through barter deals. Companies provide me with their products. In return, I show my followers how I work with them. I also have paid collaborations.
DHB: Which companies are you currently working with?
sina: Makita is definitely one of them because I simply love using their tools. I test FHB's guild and workwear and give them feedback on whether the clothing is also cool for women. Böcker is included because our company uses their cranes. Stickunion is a constant feature in my content because they embroider our workwear, which I wear every day. And Plancraft also pops up in my feed every now and then.
Julian Wiedenhaus, founder and managing director of Plancraft GmbH Photo: © Plancraft GmbHDHB: Julian, how did you come across Sina?
Julian: If you move around the craft bubble a bit and look at who is producing good content, you'll quickly stumble across relevant accounts and content creators like Sina.
DHB: When did you contact her?
Julian: That must have been around 2020. We sent her a message on Instagram and asked if we could interview her. This resulted in a YouTube video from our series "#crafttalk" have already been created.
DHB: Why did you choose Sina?
Julian: In this sphere of influencer marketing, it's extremely important that content creators align with the brand's values. We place a lot of value on down-to-earthness. That someone doesn't just talk about how great they are, but actually delivers. Sina embodies that. She's very grounded, super-motivated, delivers super-exciting insights, and is super-authentic. We thought all of that was cool.
DHB: Do you have a fixed agreement about how often or on what occasion Sina posts something about Plancraft?
Julian: No. Our collaboration is rather casual and deliberately long-term. Sina doesn't run her own business yet. It simply doesn't make sense for her to hold her tablet with the Plancraft logo up to the camera every day and receive X amount of money every month in return. But we were super happy when we were able to support her during her master's program. The courses also involve calculating performance.
Plancraft In the online article "Plancraft wants to keep software for the trades as simple as possible" on handwerksblatt.de we introduce the start-up from Hamburg and its software solution for the construction and finishing trades.
DHB: What content did you create during this time?
sina: For example, we produced a video together, which was posted simultaneously on both Plancraft's and my own account. It was about how things are going at the Master School, what new things I've learned, and what tips I can offer.
Julian: When working with content creators, the focus isn't so much on promoting our product. We're more concerned with digitalization in the trades in general. That it's not an end in itself, but can make a significant difference in the life of a founder or business owner. It would be important to me to know that using trades software might give me an extra hour or two for my family or my hobby. That's why we try to attend classes at as many master craftsman schools as possible to convey this message.
DHB: How far have you progressed with the master's school, Sina?
sina: I finished it in May 2023.
Master roofer Sina Klein Photo: © Marlen JanssenDHB: How long have you been using Plancraft, and what are your future plans for it?
sina: I've been using the software for two years now. I've registered a small business for my social media activities and use Plancraft to create quotes and invoices.
The next project would be taking over our company. My dad is 63. He still writes the quotes and invoices by hand, and my mom then transfers them into a super-old program. My plan would be to slowly convert our company to Plancraft software and make it an integral part of our business processes over the next few years. I could imagine producing a few social media posts in which I create a few quotes with my dad using Plancraft.
DHB: How many influencers from the craft industry do you work with?
Julian: In total, there are probably around ten partners. Plancraft is a tradesman software designed to help tradespeople complete work in the office and on the construction site faster and more easily. For example, it can be used to create quotes, record measurements, send work instructions to employees via team chat, and, of course, create invoices. Our software is aimed at the entire construction and finishing industry. That's why we're super happy to have content creators from a wide variety of trades.
DHB: Who else are your partners besides Sina?
Julian: One of the first was Andy Hansen, who goes by "Master Painter Andy" on Instagram. We've been working with him since 2021. Another partner is master painter Denis Fiedler, aka "Denis in Action." He recently demonstrated filling techniques with us at the "Paint, Finishing and Facade" trade fair in Cologne.
Disclosing Advertising Partnerships : Meta (which includes Facebook and Instagram) and TikTok provide content creators with information on how to disclose paid ads and brand collaborations. Here are the links to the online articles "Advertising for a Brand, Product, or Service" on TikTok and "Making Money" on Meta.
DHB: What role do influencers from the trades play in Plancraft’s marketing?
Julian: They are very important because they speak the language of our target audience. My co-founder's family runs their own trades business. While we know the processes, we aren't on site every day, either at construction sites or with customers where our software is used. Through social media, we primarily want to reach young tradespeople who want to start their own business and are looking for a software solution that gives them freedom in their daily work.
DHB: How do you determine whether your campaigns with influencers from the trades were successful?
Julian: There are various factors. These include reach and interaction with the posts. We look at how many likes and comments the posts have received, as well as how often they have been shared or saved. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how many new customers we have acquired. This can be easily tracked using a referral link or affiliate link.
DHB: What is behind this special link and how does it work?
Julian: We create a unique link to the Plancraft website for each of our partners. When asked to recommend a specific tradesman software, they simply share this link. This allows us to clearly identify which influencer referred how many potential new users to us, allowing us to gauge how well the partnership with Plancraft is working.
DHB: Is influencer marketing paying off for Plancraft?
Julian: Absolutely, yes. Even if it weren't profitable, it would be a super-important vehicle for conveying our brand image and reaching young craftspeople on social media.
Sina Klein's social media channels: Roofing contractor Sina Klein is present on the social media platforms Instagram and TikTok .
DHB: Sina, have you already turned down offers for collaborations?
sina: Yes, because they wouldn't have suited me or my content. There are a lot of cool products I could try, but that would seem totally unbelievable and make me seem like I'm only interested in money. That's why people don't follow me.
DHB: Credibility is essential for influencers. How do you ensure that you are and remain credible?
sina: By only promoting products I'm convinced of because I've been working with them for a long time. I also think it's very important to stand by a brand. What would it look like if I introduced a drill/driver from Makita today, a drill/driver from Hilti next month, and a month later a drill/driver from another manufacturer? None of my followers would believe that. As an influencer, you should always come across as credible and authentic. I hope I've been quite successful in doing that so far.
The green pica markers (left in the photo), which Sina Klein likes to use, can be seen in many of her social media posts. This has already prompted critical questions. Photo: © Marlen JanssenDHB: Have there been any critical reactions to your posts?
sina: Every now and then. Let me give you an example: In most of my videos, I see three green Pica Marker pens in a pocket on my trouser leg. The comment I got was, "What do you need three pens for? That's got to be an ad!"
Although I have a partnership with Pica Markers, when I film my daily work, I don't consciously hold the markers up to the camera. They're simply visible because I carry them with me every day and need them for work, as each marker has a different lead color or is suitable for a different surface.
DHB: At the end of each episode of "Influencers in the Crafts," interviewees can suggest who we should interview next. Who would you like to nominate?
sina: Master plumber Jennifer Konsek (Instagram: @jenni_vom_dach), master roofer Marleen Solle (Instagram: @roofing_marly) or SHK system mechanic Melissa Stadali (Instagram: @lissyshandwerk; TikTok: @lissyshandwerk).
Julian: Denis Fiedler (@denis_in_actionHe's a very special kind of painter, who primarily uses spatula techniques and is simply a great guy.
Name: Sina Klein
Age: 24 years
Conclusion: master roofer
Business: K&B Roofing GmbH
Trade: roofer
Location: Eldingen in the district of Celle
Employee: 4
Website: kub-bedachungen.de
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