First-Place, Global Communication Campaign Helps Increase Conference Revenue

& Visibility for International Card Manufacturers Association

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J.–March 1, 2017– CMA Association Management’s strategic marketing and integrated communications division was recognized as the best in the nation for delivering the No. 1 social media campaign for associations in 2016, according to Association Trends, a leading association industry publication.

CMA received the top honor, a Gold Award, during the Salute to Association Excellence luncheon on Feb. 23 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.

“I am so proud that Association Trends has recognized our in-house social media and public relations team as the best in the business,” said Jeffrey Barnhart, founder and CEO of CMA, which provides leadership and governance, association headquarters, membership and member programs, growth-engine platforms, financial oversight, event management and full-service marketing. “It is especially rewarding to receive this award as we celebrate our 30^th year in the association management, marketing and communications business.”

The goal of the award social media campaign was to increase the International Card Manufacturers Association’s (ICMA) brand awareness, strategic relationships and support new programs that advance its mission.

ICMA is a nonprofit association of card manufacturers, personalizers, suppliers and related industry participants. With 225 members globally, ICMA serves as a resource for industry issues, including the production, technology, application, security and environmental challenges of cards.

CMA refreshed ICMA’s social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, giving a cohesive look to all channels. Compelling posts were composed on each channel, strategic hashtags were incorporated and artwork on each channel was updated to create a consistent online experience that supported ICMA’s brand.

CMA’s successful social media campaign achieved the following results:

• Grew website traffic in terms of users (+15.2 percent), sessions (+18.9 percent) and pageviews (+12.3 percent), which included the largest increase in Chinese visitors (22 percent) in the last five years.
• Increased social media referral up 42.6 percent for Facebook, LinkedIn and two Twitter accounts.
• Increased annual conference registration by 16.4 percent (340 vs. 292).
• Increased annual conference exhibitors by 47.7 percent (65 vs. 44).
• Generated 920,863 impressions on Twitter and Facebook, resulting in 7,646 engagements and 937 link clicks.
• Achieved a total reach of 11,283,339 on Twitter and Facebook for the year.
• Increased total fans increased 408 percent on Facebook and Twitter with 2,307 new fans, or 1,763 new followers on Twitter and 96 new fans on Facebook.
• Increased engagement on Twitter and Facebook channels increased by 2,078.3 percent with 1,179 total Facebook engagements (an increase of 291.7 percent from the previous year) and 6,467 total Twitter engagements (an increase of 12,834 percent from the previous year).

CMA’s entire marketing and communications division is dedicated to building an association’s value proposition, motivating members and prospects, as well as growing attendance at conferences around the world.

The company practices a “Growth Engine” mindset, which leads to association growth through creative strategies, such as royalty and affinity programs, strategic plan development, non-dues revenue generators and increased member resources.

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About CMA Association Management

CMA Association Management is a firm that utilizes its services to achieve measurable results for regional, national and international association clients for 30 years. CMA is triple-accredited and one of only 75 association management companies worldwide accredited by the AMC Institute and provides leadership and governance, association headquarters, membership and member programs, growth-engine platforms, financial oversight, event-management and full-service marketing. If you’re expecting results, please call 800.852.4269 or email us at info@cmasolutions.com.