The challenge
How Midnight used the power of targeted LinkedIn campaigns to generate leads across new markets for WKE
Decarbonising the UK economy is one of – if not the biggest – challenge over the next decade. Of all the sectors in the UK, heavy industries produce a significant proportion of carbon emissions. Manufacturers of solutions and new technology in this sector have the potential to lead the transition.
WKE, previously known as Waste Knot Energy, is one company at the forefront of efforts to decarbonise heavy industry. Funded by Gresham House in London, the company has developed solid improved recovered fuel (SIRF) pellets as an alternative green fuel. WKE produces the pellets from dry commercial and industrial waste that would otherwise end up in landfill. Large-scale industries, like cement, power and steel, can use the pellets in the same way as regular fuel without significantly changing their manufacturing process. The result is no loss in productivity and output while reducing CO2 compared with gas and coal.
While interest has been rising around alternative fuels in heavy industry in the UK, WKE had noticed an interest in its product from other countries. With a growing need for the company to look more broadly at international markets to sell its alternative fuel, the brief was to build awareness and promote WKE’s game-changing alternative solution to a broader audience, build relationships, and initiate conversations with senior decision-makers in heavy industries globally.
How Midnight met the challenge
Midnight has partnered with WKE since 2021 with PR activity focused on energy security and promoting homegrown energy-from-waste (EfW) pellets to UK companies who may otherwise rely on importing pellets from overseas.
Thanks to our ongoing partnership, we had a strong understanding of the product, its uses and the complexities of the industries in which WKE operates. We already had deep insight into the effectiveness of different messaging to shape our communication strategy to potential clients outside the UK who may be interested in alternative fuels.
With a clear target audience and a number of key, core messages with which to test the market, we identified LinkedIn as the most effective channel to hit our objectives. As a result, we recommended a paid LinkedIn campaign to target WKE’s audience of global senior decision-makers in the cement, steel and power industries.
Midnight has strong expertise utilising the LinkedIn platform for clients. We know what works and what LinkedIn wants. Understanding the importance of content variety for LinkedIn’s algorithm, we sought to optimise engagement with a balance of compelling video content with motion graphics and strong captions.
Using an existing video featuring WKE’s CEO talking about the energy crisis, energy security and waste, we worked with animators and motion graphic producers to create a series of 10 powerful mini-clips. We tailored each clip to a specific hook or angle to showcase what WKE does to test what the target audience wanted to see. Our copywriting team supported the visuals with core messaging on decarbonisation and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Generating more than 80 enquiries in three weeks from a single campaign
Images by Chris J Parker Photography
The LinkedIn campaign went live for three weeks with a media spend of only £2k – a modest spend for such a large audience. We monitored the performance of each post to identify the most popular content. At the same time, we also posted the videos organically on WKE’s LinkedIn page to increase visibility and engagement.
The campaign achieved great results, with more than 370,000 impressions in three weeks. The paid activity enjoyed considerable engagement and comments and generated more than 80 enquiries, including direct enquiries from major global brands interested in WKE’s offer.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the whole campaign was our ability to open up new markets to the client.
As a PR partner who deeply understood the offer and message, we were able to make thoughtful suggestions to the WKE team to include new territories as part of the paid campaign. On a limited campaign budget, this could be seen as risky by diverting resources away from known markets for the brand. Our prediction paid off as WKE received a significant number of enquiries from organisations in markets the company had not and would not have targeted had it not been for this campaign.
Making an impact by opening new markets
The WKE campaign is a wonderful example of how brands benefit from working with a PR partner rather than a provider. Our understanding of the client and market due to our long-term partnership allowed us to provide strategic advice on other markets to target. And WKE’s trust in us allowed them to feel confident the approach we suggested would pay off.
WKE is a genuine British success story. The more successful WKE is in shifting heavy industry to a decarbonised fuel source, the more we all benefit. With WKE expanding its client base among major brands from heavy industry, the widening use of its pellets represents a direct positive impact on global moves towards Net Zero.
