European Cement Association

THE CHALLENGE

The European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU) is the representative organisation of the cement industry in Europe. The Association acts as spokesperson for the cement industry before the EU institutions and other public authorities, and communicates the industry’s views on all issues and policy developments regarding technical, environmental, energy, employee health and safety and sustainability issues.

However, CEMBUREAU’s social media presence was small and its content was not getting engagement. The communications team was only comprised of two people who had other duties and did not have the time to blog or post regular content online, so they needed external support to step up the association’s activities on social media. 

The objective was to establish CEMBUREAU as a reputable voice in online discussions at EU level.

THE SOLUTION

A social media marketing plan was put in place to support CEMBUREAU’S digital advocacy activities for EU Affairs. Online channels were used to educate, drive participation and build long-term engagement with a very specific audience: European policy makers and influencers. The association had decided to focus on organic growth without using any advertising or promoted posts, so I needed to be very targeted. 

Content marketing was at the heart of this 6-month campaign through the creation short and insightful articles, videos and infographics. An editorial calendar was created to feed into existing live events in order to encourage a virtuous circle of discussions and information exchange, both online and offline.

The policy blog Concrete Initiative acted as a hub for content, with targeted social media and email marketing helping to create online buzz and encourage collaboration with members, partners and influential bloggers.

Personalised training sessions were also prepared for the CEMBUREAU executive team, helping them to improve the impact of their social media presence in a cohesive, organic manner, enabling collaboration, teamwork and agility online. 

THE RESULTS

Thanks to engaging content and a well-planned editorial calendar, combined with events and other activities, CEMBUREAU drastically increased its reach. The team was now posting once a day using tools like Hootsuite and Buffer, planning curated posts and sending them at optimum times for maximum engagement.

As a result, CEMBUREAU’s social activity improved significantly and its follower base on Twitter increased by 72% in the space of a few months. Its social media influence also grew, with a Kred Score that rose to an above-average of 701, proving that CEMBUREAU had reached its goal of becoming a reputable voice in online discussions at EU level.