Since 1963, CFESA has served as the only trade association dedicated to the training, growth and advocacy of commercial food equipment service professionals. Even as the industry’s standard for service excellence, it faced challenges with member engagement and thought leadership.

Before our involvement, marketing efforts were fragmented — a mix of touchpoints without a unifying thread. Flagship events, from the annual conference to regional meetings, lacked effective and comprehensive digital promotion, limiting awareness and participation.

Audits and discovery sessions revealed three pillars for growth: (1) elevate technician career storytelling to attract talent, (2) cultivate year-round member dialogue, and (3) clarify CFESA’s role as the industry’s certification authority. These insights shaped a multi-phased, digital-first roadmap that bridged communication gaps and elevated engagement.

Infrastructure

• Laid a stronger, more strategic foundation for future outreach through audits of the website, customer relationship management (CRM) system and digital assets to surface blind spots in messaging, targeting and security.
• Created a cohesive and comprehensive brand messaging framework to align communications on every channel, from web to social to email, in alignment with organizational goals.
• Strengthened marketing infrastructure as a trusted advisor, sitting in on member-led committee meetings to identify gaps in initiative promotions and embed strategic guidance into ongoing planning and execution.

Member Engagement

• Launched an organic social strategy centered on event promotion, technician training and member benefits, leading to 900+ new followers across LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, and engagement increases of 25%+ on LinkedIn and Facebook in 2024.
• Rebuilt the email marketing strategy to deliver timely, targeted messages promoting upcoming training courses and events. Average email open rates exceeded 34.9%, with click-through rates up 53% in 2024 — far outperforming industry benchmarks.
• Elevated CFESA’s annual conference into a strategic brand and engagement vehicle, guiding members through a more connected experience via a benefit-focused landing page, seamless registration process and targeted event promotion that built anticipation.
• Transformed CFESA’s digital presence with a modern, intuitive website redesign that elevated the brand and made it easier for members and technicians to access programs, resources and engage more meaningfully with the organization.

Thought Leadership

• Produced a video series in partnership with UK-based ceda trade association to spotlight technician career pathways, positioning the trade as modern, vital and full of opportunity to attract the next wave of talent.
• Reinforced CFESA’s leadership on workforce development through strategic social content highlighting technician milestones, national training goals and advocacy efforts.