Arc 3 Communications

This Week in Digital & Public Affairs: Snapchat IPO, Facebook Live and Conservatives

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Below is a roundup of key stories in digital and public affairs for this week:

Content, Digital and Social Media

The New York Times reports on the public S.E.C filing by Snap, the parent company of Snapchat. Snap filed confidentially to go public with the Securities and Exchange Commission late last year. Making the filing public was one of the company’s final steps before it begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SNAP. In the filing, Snap disclosed that it had built a nearly $405 million advertising business in just over two years. By end of last year,  an average of 158 million people were using the app daily, with the average user opening the app more than 18 times a day according to the public filing.

AdAge does a analysis of the Snap filing pointing out key facts that every marketer should know about. AdAge points out that while Snapchat has 158 million users, growth appears to have flattened out, as it was only up from 153 million at end of September 2016. In addition, the overwhelming majority of users are 18 to 34 years old and the highest engagement on the platform is among those younger than 25. AdAge also points out Snap’s admission in the filing that it has had difficulty in securing long-term commitments from advertisers and is concerned that advertisers may take knowledge from playing on their platform and use it with their competitors.

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

State Scoop reports on a recent poll of local governments by the Public Technology Institute that found that 85% of local governments use social media to disseminate information to their constituents. However of those local governments who use social media, 88% of them do not have a specific budget for social media activities and 63% do not have an enterprise wide social media strategy for their efforts. The survey found the top three social media platforms for local government were Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Associations Now offers 5 tips for associations to optimize online fundraising. Tips include creating a compelling narrative that bring donors into the story; design an easy to use branded giving page and make your website mobile friendly; remembering end of year dates and holidays; and periodic messages to donors throughout the year.

Campaigns and Elections

Backchannel reports on how Facebook Live has become the perfect incubator for conservative media. Conservative outlets like the Daily Caller are using Facebook live to not just explain policy but take their audience behind the scenes in the new Administration. Backchannel argues that the low key nature of Facebook Live is the perfect medium for the conservative news media to reach millions. The off the cuff, unscripted nature of Facebook Live videos mirror President Trump’s style and are more authentic and believable to conservative audiences.

Mike Su, Chief Product Officer for Mitú, a Latino digital media company, writes an analysis in Medium of how through the examination of Facebook data, his company found that despite Latinos being apprehensive about the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton made little headway among them on the Facebook platform. In their study, Mitú found across all Latinos on Facebook, Hillary Clinton had just a quarter of the interest that Donald Trump had. Su credits the Trump campaign for moving quickly and efficiently to grow it base on the platform and rants about record low spending by Democrats on Hispanic outreach.

These are some of the reads that matter to us for the week in digital and public affairs. Want to get in depth analysis, news and how to tips in digital and public affairs? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here.

This Week in Digital and Public Affairs: The 2016 Olympics, BuzzFeed and Ad Blocking

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buzzfeed-logoDigital and social media are transforming how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations are communicating and marketing to their key audiences.

Below is a roundup of key stories in digital and public affairs for this week:

Content, Digital and Social Media

Digiday reports on how The New York Times’ T Brand Studio which was born two years ago to assist clients in the creation of native advertising  (sponsored ads and content that look like actual stories in NYT) is now expanding into a full fledged agency. T Brand Studio will now assist clients in the creation of multi-media, stories and content that can be placed in publications beyond The New York Times. In pitching its new services, the Times will be competing not just with established agencies, but other publishers that are also producing content for clients such as Atlantic Media Strategies, started by Atlantic Media, publisher of news magazines such as the The National Journal.

Ad Week rants about the many ways that businesses and brands can get in trouble posting on social media regarding the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. For those businesses that are not official sponsors of the games like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Visa or P&G, posting on social media regarding the Olympic Games runs legal risks. The many restrictions issued by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) include prohibition against non-sponsors using the Olympics’ trademarked words or phrases such as Olympic, Olympian, Team USA, Go for the Gold; using terms that reference the location of the Olympics, such as the Road to Rio; and using hashtags that include Olympics trademarks such as #TeamUSA or #Rio2016. Non-sponsors are also prohibited from sharing or retweeting content from official Olympics social media accounts.

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

The Las Vegas Sun reports on how Las Vegas area governments and authorities such as the City of Las Vegas, Clark County and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority are turning to social media to modernize their communications and engage with citizens. The City of Las Vegas has a social media team of 4 staff members and is present on nine different social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Next Door and Google Plus to promote citizen engagement. Speaking of Snapchat, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority recently tapped hip hop star DJ Khaled to launch its new Snapchat account. The authority’s Snapchat launch generated more than 400,000 views and 25,000 engagements in a 48-hour period thanks to DJ Khaled.

In Associations Now, Ernie Smith reviews a report by the Interactive Advertising Bureau that found that a quarter of all internet users already block ads, which is less than anticipated.  The majority of users who block ads are adult males from 18 to 34. While ad blocking on desktop computers is at 26%, ad blocking on mobile devices is lower at 15%. The IAB has been focused on combating ad blocking over the years, and is recommending that advertisers promote lighter non-invasive ads. The study found that lighter non-invasive ads online encourage ad blockers to turn off their ad blocking software. One interesting note from the study: 40% of internet users believed that they had ad blocking software turned on, but many of the users confused anti-virus and pop-up blockers with ad blocking software.

Campaigns and Elections

Business Insider reports on BuzzFeed Editor-In-Chief Ben Smith sending a memo to the outlet’s news staff to refrain from taking “partisan stands” on social media. The memo was written after a BuzzFeed reporter posted a pair of now-deleted partisan tweets to her account during a video that played before President Barack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. BuzzFeed’s ethics guide states that “reporters and editors should refrain from commenting in a partisan way about candidates or policy issues.” After acknowledging the unusual nature of this year’s Presidential election, Smith stated in his memo: “I’m writing to remind you about our policy on not taking partisan stands on social media, or in our coverage, for either side. You have colleagues covering this race intensely and an audience who should trust that you, and we, are as fair and accurate as you know we strive to be.”

These are some of the reads that matter to us for the week in digital and public affairs. What do you think? What are your favorite stories? We’d love to hear from you!

This Week in Digital and Public Affairs – Algorithimic Feeds, Twitter and YouTube Connect

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YouTubeDigital and social media are changing how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations are communicating and marketing to their key audiences.

Below is a roundup of key stories in digital and public affairs for this week:

Content, Digital and Social Media

In TechCrunch, Josh Constine writes  about how Instagram and Twitter’s adoption of algorithmic feeds will force social media marketers to step up their content game on these platforms. Constine argues that the creation of a Facebook News Feed-esque ranking system for Instagram and Twitter will result in brands needing to post high-quality content and receive a consistent stream of Likes from people in order for their content to keep being seen by those that follow them. He argues that the free ride is over and that the quality of each gram and tweet will matter as to how the content is placed in front of consumers on their feeds. Constine points out that Snapchat will be the only major platform to remain authentic, serving content to users as its created and posted.

In VentureBeat, Ken Yeung highlights how Google is building YouTube Connect, a live streaming app product to take on Periscope and Facebook Live. The product which will be available on Android and iOS devices and is likely to be released at Google’s I/O developer conference in May. The app will allow users to login via a Google or YouTube account and immediately begin streaming from their mobile phone. According to Yeung, videos will be viewable live within the app, as well as on the YouTube site in the users’ respective channels. It will also be possible to store previous broadcasts in the app, which will make it possible for users and their friends to watch replays of their videos.

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

In DigitalGov, Jessica Milcetich, who manages social media for USAGov, provides a step by step guide to government agencies for making Snapchat stories as accessible as possible. Milcetich points out that in its current form, Snapchat isn’t a highly accessible platform that is up to to government accessibility standards (a situation that is not unique for emerging technologies). Her step by step guide figures out how to address these accessibility issues on Snapchat, so that government agencies can use the app.

In Associations Now, Ernie Smith explores that while email is a big workhorse for associations, sending too much email can lead to members tuning the association’s email communications out. He points to a recent study by the email marketing firm First Insight that shows that sending too much email can not only hurt engagement, but lead to complaints from recipients. The report recommends a strategy of sending fewer, more targeted messages to segmented audiences which leads to more effective results.

Campaigns and Elections

In the Atlantic, Vann Newkirk writes that in its 10 years of existence, Twitter has given rise to forces that are completely reshaping the course of political dialogue. Newkirk argues that Twitter’s impact in politics became very clear early on with President Obama’s adoption of Twitter and the rise of the Tea Party movement on Twitter in response.  Newkirk points out that the Tea Party’s rise to prominence mirrored the virality and exponential message growth that Twitter creates. According to Newkirk, Twitter is now engrained as a must have political tool with candidates, voters and commentators engaging with each other in candor, frankness and geniune back and forth dialogue.  He points out that the amount of discursive access to politicians is unprecedented in the past century of American politics and that this transfers power away from politicians and empowers groups and citizens who are Twitter savvy.  He argues that America’s early politics of the leaflet and town-hall based democratic scrum has been re-purposed and hyper-focused on Twitter, and that this has democratized modern political dialogue.

These are some of the reads that matter to us for the week in digital and public affairs. What do you think? What are your favorite stories? We’d love to hear from you.

This Week in Digital and Public Affairs – BuzzFeed, Mobile Websites and Twitter

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buzzfeed-logoDigital and social media are changing how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations communicate and achieve their goals. Below is a roundup of the more interesting stories that we read over the last week:

Content, Digital and Social Media

Gawker reports that BuzzFeed deleted posts under pressure from its own business department. An internal review found at least 3 instances in which complaints from the site’s business and advertising departments led Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith to delete posts by staff. The 3 deleted posts criticized or mocked an Axe body spray ad campaign (a brand of Unilever), Pepsi’s Twitter account and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. Unilever, Pepsi and Microsoft all are major advertisers with BuzzFeed.

TechCrunch reports LinkedIn’s launch of Elevate, a paid mobile and desktop app for social media management. The app suggests articles to its users based on algorithms from its news recommendation services Pulse and Newsle as well as “human curation”. Users are then able to schedule and share those links across LinkedIn and Twitter.  The app will be available to users in the 3rd quarter of this year.

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

Ernie Smith, the social media journalist for Associations Now provides an analysis of Google’s implementation this week of an update of its algorithm to favor mobile-friendly websites and its impact on trade associations. Smith provides things for associations to consider as they redesign or retrofit their mobile unfriendly site.  Smith notes the challenges facing associations who have lots of legacy content on their websites.

William Powers and Deb Roy of MIT’s Laboratory for Social Machines provides insights on Medium into their research of the town of Jun in southern Spain. For the last four years, the town has been using Twitter as its principal medium for citizen-government communication. Leading the effort is Jun’s Mayor, José Antonio Rodríguez Salashas  who has been recruiting the town’s 3,500 residents to join the social network and have their Twitter accounts locally verified at town hall.

Speaking of municipalities, the City of Philadelphia unveiled on its website this week a real-time analytics tool showing how people are visiting city websites. This tool may promote better civic engagement between staff and residents.

Campaigns and Elections 

Dave Weigel reports in Bloomberg Politics  on the launch of the app Clear by Ethan Czahor, the former CTO for Jeb Bush’s presidential exploratory committee. The free app which works as an add-on to Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allows users to scan their social media for a series of problematic terms that could harm their public reputation in the future. Czahor resigned his position with Jeb Bush earlier this year after it was discovered he had sent tweets disparaging women. Czahor believes that the app can help millennials avoid repeating his fate.

These were some of Arc 3’s most interesting reads in digital and public affairs over the last week. What were your favorite stories? Let us know if there is a neat story that we missed! We’d love to hear from you.

 

This Week in Digital and Public Affairs – Hillary’s Logo, Online Video Ads and LinkedIn

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hillary-clinton-logo-1Digital and social media are changing how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations communicate and achieve their goals. Below is a roundup of the more interesting stories that we read over the last week:

Content, Digital and Social Media

ZDNet reports that LinkedIn bought Lynda.com for $1.5 billion. LinkedIn’s purchase of the twenty-year-old subscription-based online learning portal is a clear sign of the professional social network’s intention to provide training opportunities for specific career skill sets to its members.

In Forbes, contributor Robert Hof provides a thoughtful analysis of the rise of online video in digital advertising. Hof points out  that TV-like online video ads are driving much of the growth in the ad industry. Hof forecasts that the video ads will make our smartphones more resemble our televisions.

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

Ernie Smith, the social media journalist for Associations Now asks the question of whether associations should care about the live-streaming video app Meerkat. Smith points out that Meerkat’s ease of use for live-streaming video makes it a valuable tool for capturing key moments at association conferences.

On DigitalGov, Sara Smith, the Social Media Strategist for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, provides her agency as a case study for the benefits of having social sharing buttons on your government website. Smith notes that NIDA’s addition of sharing toolbars to their website has resulted in a rapid increase in social shares and social media referrals to the site. The agency website is now averaging 20k social shares a month in 2015.

Campaigns and Elections 

Western Journalism and Mashable  report how Hillary Clinton’s  presidential campaign logo quickly became fodder for critics on social media. Clinton’s political critics, dismayed supporters and graphic designer aficionados panned the logo as amateurish and unprofessional.

These were some of Arc 3’s most interesting reads in digital and public affairs over the last week. What were your favorite stories? Let us know if there is a neat story that we missed! We’d love to hear from you.

 

Happy Thanksgiving! 10 Things I Am Thankful For

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ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving from Arc 3 Communications! As we celebrate the 3rd anniversary of our agency, it is good to reflect upon those things that I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful for our clients in the civic space that have entrusted us over the years to help with their content, digital marketing and social media needs. We have worked with clients ranging from government agencies to trade associations to political campaigns at the local, state and national levels. We have developed digital marketing and social media campaigns, new websites, content marketing plans and all types of amazing content to help them accomplish their legislative, policy, electoral and civic engagement goals.

2.  I am thankful for the talented team of creatives, digital marketing, social media, technical and public affairs experts at Arc 3. I am also thankful for our interns that have breathed life into our agency with new ideas and enthusiasm for our mission.

3.  I am thankful to our vendors who have become trusted partners in helping us to carry out our mission. These knowledgeable experts in accounting, the law, banking and technology are indispensable.

4. I am thankful to the awesome team at Strongbox West who provide us with an affordable, fun and innovative office space to work in that is filled with other startups in the creative, digital and technology space. The shared learning from other entrepreneurs has been immeasurable.

5. I am thankful to the many innovators in digital, social media and technology that have transformed marketing from a traditional marketing model to a world driven by content. This includes not only the creators of the well-known platforms such as WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Tumblr; but the countless other innovators who developed lesser known digital and social media platforms that have helped to create a competitive marketplace that produces amazing channels for communication and sharing.

6. I am thankful to our agency competitors for new business in the content, digital marketing and civic space who by their efforts in the marketplace, push us to do better, innovate and strive to be our best.

7. I am thankful for the digital, social media, creative and start-up community of Atlanta in which we are constantly learning new things through shared knowledge and crowd sourced learning. I am most grateful to the Social Media Club of Atlanta, SouthWired (former Digital Atlanta) and the many Meetups around the city that are ongoing.

8. As Founder of an agency focused on the civic space, I am thankful for the many long-standing institutions in government, politics and civic life and the people and ideas that sustain them. The great civitas of our country depends upon engaged citizens, media, candidates, elected officials, trade association and non-profit executives and public servants in government at all levels.

9. I am thankful for the countless numbers of friends and former colleagues throughout my career in government and politics, academia and the agency world who have offered encouragement and referred business our way.

10. I am most thankful to my family for their constant love and support through my entrepreneurial journey. My family has shared this experience with me every step of the way. It is hard to express my gratitude and thanks to my four children and most especially my wife Mary. My wife’s selflessness, determination and love for me has been the rock upon which my success has been built.

Finally, I am most thankful to God to whom all thanks must be given. Without his love and my faith in him, my entrepreneurial journey would have never gotten off the ground 3 years ago.

What are you most thankful for this year? Please share with us!

Patrick L. Burns, Founder and President of Arc 3 Communications

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content Marketing and Social Media Case Study: Cherokee County, Georgia Government

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The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners is the local governing body of one of the fastest growing counties in Georgia and the Southeast. The county is home to one of the lowest tax rates and the highest SAT scores in the state. 

One of the fastest growth segments of Cherokee County’s population was an influx of the first wave of the millennial generation who were purchasing homes and building families. Increasingly, these millennials were turning to online and social media as a primary resource for news about local issues and events. The county felt that their traditional marketing efforts were not reaching and informing this audience.

In addition, county leaders were becoming increasing concerned about the county’s digital and social media presence online and the impact that it may have been having in the economic development competition with other local communities across the country in attracting new businesses and large employers to the county.

Arc 3 Communications worked with Cherokee County Board of Commissioners to develop a plan for creating content for their website and social media networks to educate and inform stakeholders, constituents, businesses and c-level executives.

Through the development of a content marketing plan which included an identification of key messages, audiences and content buckets, the county was able to launch a new website and social media program that reached key audiences. Training was provided to county department heads and staff on key social media channels and tactics; content tips and the content marketing ideation process. 

Cherokee County’s new content marketing and social media program has resulted in a 53% increase in fans on Facebook; 241% increase in followers on Twitter; and 40% follower growth on LinkedIn. Cherokee County has also established a strong presence on Instagram in anticipation of the visual growth in social media. Cherokee County has seen its Klout Score, a measure of social media influence, increase by 300%.

However, a successful content marketing and social media campaign is not just measured by the number of likes and followers. More importantly Cherokee County has seen an increase in citizen engagement and civic reporting, greater citizen awareness about their local government, and more economic development leads. Cherokee County was just recently awarded the location to the county of Inalfa Roof Systems, an economic development win that was recognized by Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Economic Developers Association as the “Deal of the Year” for 2013.

Arc 3 to Offer Social Media Training Seminar for Local Government Officials

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Who is the Social Media Training Seminar for?

The program is designed for municipal and county elected officials, public sector communicators, public information officers (PIOs), City and County Administrators, CIOs and Department Directors.

When and Where Will the Seminar Be Held?

Seminar will be held Friday, April 11th, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Vinings Bank at 4135 Atlanta Road Smyrna, Ga. 30080. Vinings Bank is conveniently located a few miles north of Interstate I-285 in Smyrna near the west Atlanta and Vinings communities.

What Topics Will Be Covered?

Best practices for social media and local government will be presented. An overview of the major social media platforms in the categories of micro-blogging; social networking; social bookmarking; video and photo sharing; and geo-location will be provided. The social media platforms presented include LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Foursquare and how they can be utilized for educating and informing constituents and promote citizen engagement. Content tips, timing and tactics will be shared along with an overview of social media management tools. Key operational questions such as what makes a good social media policy; social media measurement and reporting; and social media and crisis communications will also be explored.

What is the Technical Skill Level Required?

A basic understanding of common social media platforms is helpful, but not required. The training seminar will cover an in-depth how-to of each issue or platform covered. Checklists and reference sheets will be provided.

How Do I Participate?

Register online to participate in the one day session by going to our event page. Upon registration, you will receive in-depth information on the agenda. Lunch will also be provided. Participants should bring a laptop computer or tablet for accessing social media platforms. Windows, Android or iOS systems are appropriate. For more information or questions, please contact Patrick Burns at pburns@rare-light.flywheelsites.com or 678.348.6024. 

 

Arc 3 Communications’ Monthly Top News Reads in Digital, Social and Public Affairs – February 2014

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Digital and social media are transforming how government institutions, political campaigns and trade associations communicate to key audiences. Below is a roundup of the more interesting stories that we have read over the last month:

Digital and Social Media

Mashable reports on 9 ways that social media will change in 2014. New ways include the rise of graphic software and the use of visual content to support social media platforms such as Pinterest and Tumblr.

In the Guardian, Scott Monty, who heads global digital communications for the Ford Motor Company, explores the question of whether or not marketers can learn digital restraint. Monty advocates for a less is more strategy for marketers.

Social Media Today offers six social media mistakes to avoid in 2014, which include many recommendations for digital restraint. These include avoiding tweeting too often, using too many hashtags and joining too many social media websites.

Gov 2.0 and Public Affairs

Huffington Post reports on 15 photos from the U.S. Department of Interior Instagram account that will make you want to travel the country. The Department of Interior account has over 200k  followers and includes scenic photos from the public lands, national parks and wildlife refuges that it manages.

Associations Now  offers advice on how to handle the good, the bad, and the ugly of online comments on a trade association’s website, social media or blog.

The New York Times  reports on the Twitter conversation surrounding the President’s State of the Union address and how the White House’s bully pulpit has lost its strength due to other voices shaping the conversation.

Campaigns and Elections

ABC News interviews Adam Sharp, Head of Government and Non-Profits at Twitter, regarding how Twitter will continue to shape political discourse, campaign advertising and election 2014.

Social Media Today  explores 5 ways in which social media will change political campaigns in 2014. One of these ways includes the greater use of visual and video content on campaign social media networks.

In Huffington Post, Milind Deora, India’s Minister for Communications, explores the impact of social media on electoral politics in light of the upcoming elections. Deora points to social media’s effectiveness in raising issues, but questions how it may be affecting the quality of political discourse and disrupting the social order.

These were some of Arc 3’s most interesting reads in digital and social and public affairs in early 2014. What were your favorite stories? Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.

 

 

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