By Lane Martin, Ingram Concrete-a US Concrete Company; Frank Corzine, Central Concrete Supply-a US Concrete Company; and Kayl Anderson, GCP Applied Technologies
Since 1930, National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) has been a leading advocate for the concrete industry. It brings together members from around the world to promote, educate and advance the industry in every possible aspect. In the past few years, the concrete industry has been driven toward adopting several digitally-based platforms for their daily operations. A combination of these developments in technology and the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted these changes to be far-reaching and swift. Many companies, including NRMCA, had to immediately adapt in order to continue finding success in the face of new challenges. In 2021, due to COVID-19 mandates and with their members’ health and safety held in the highest regard, NRMCA decided to hold the 2021 Annual Convention virtually. For many, this was an eye opener in regard to the opportunity for utilizing digital platforms for NRMCA and its members.
In response to both challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and opportunities provided by the emerging digital era, NRMCA introduced a Social Media Task Force that would promote success for ready mix suppliers by introducing them to the top social media platforms and to educate them on when and how to use them. The task force:
Created individual WEBINARS for each of the social media platforms and made member registration available on the NRMCA website. To get ready mix suppliers started, these beginner level webinars in May, 2022 took ready mix suppliers through the basics of:
-How to set up a social media account:
• When and How to Use “Twitter”
• When and How to Use “Tik Tok”
• When and How to Use “Facebook”
• When and How to Use “LinkedIn”
• When and How to Use “Instagram”
-How to post on the specific social platform (including the “Do’s and Don’ts”)
-Provide image resources
-Post resources
–Safety, Environmental, Operations
–Monthly Safety Bulletin
–COVID-19 Resources
–NRMCA Silica Guide (members only pdf)
Technical 1-Pagers
-Concrete in Practice
-Technology in Practice
-Specifications in Practice
-Pervious in Practice
-Business Benchmarking/Resources
• Online Buyers Guide
• M2M
• Surveys
• NRMCA Member Logos and Style Guide
-Human Resources Best Practices
• Layoff/Severance Considerations (pdf)
• Checklist Exit Interview (pdf)
-RMC Research & Education Foundation
“These webinars represent more than a year’s worth of work by a talented group of social media managers and marketing professionals comprised of NRMCA personnel, NRMCA producer members, state and provincial ready mixed concrete associations, cement producers and allied service and product providers across the U.S. and Canada.”
NRMCA’s Social Media Task Force Webinars: www.nrmca.org/membership/small-producer-council/
The 2021 Developing Industry Leaders Membership (DIL) Committee wanted to support this initiative and designed a survey for NRMCA member company employees and active Concrete Industry Management (CIM) students in order to determine how these social media platforms are being used. With assistance from mentors Alex Land and Amanda Muller, the DIL representatives were able to reach members across the United States and CIM students from TSU, MTSU and CSU – Chico. Participants ranged from executives to entry-level employees and 30-year veterans to individuals new to the industry.
Their findings confirmed that digital platforms are certainly utilized by all levels of current members and the next generation alike. NRMCA E-NEWS is the top source for industry news by current members and LinkedIn is the top source of industry news for CIM students.
Social media platforms are expected to become a new normal for professional development and company/industry news distribution channels. As they develop, NRMCA’s Social Media Task Force will continue to provide educational resources to further promote member success. Although the industry has faced an extraordinary number of challenges in the past few years, NRMCA continuously strives to implement new ways to help its members succeed.
This article continues the long-running series under the Developing Industry Leaders program. For more information, contact Eileen Dickson at edickson@nrmca.org.
For recordings of the webinars, and for the full article, please go to: www.concreteinfocus-digital.com/nrcq/0222_summer_2022/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1792471#articleId1792471
Image: URUPONG/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM | Viewable Image – promoting member success in a digital era