Arc 3 Communications

Website Development Case Study: Georgia Secretary of State

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Georgia Secretary of StateProject Goals

For several years, the Georgia Secretary of State  conducted the Peanut Poll, a straw poll held every year at the Georgia National Fair in Perry. Each year, the straw poll focused on participant’s choices for federal elected office such as President and U.S. Senate. One of the most successful straw polls in the country, the poll was a part of the Georgia Secretary of State’s mission to raise awareness about elections and encourage voter registration.

However, in 2017 with no major election pending, the Secretary of State’s office sought to re-brand the Peanut Poll to be a contest to have Georgians pick the best high school football team in the state. In addition to a re-branding to reflect the change in direction of the poll, the Secretary of State sought to develop a new website and online polling system that would allow Georgians to vote for one of the 460 high school football teams online and on tablets at the Georgia Grown booth at the fair.  After voting, participants would be directed to the Secretary of State’s online voter registration page to check their registration status and register to vote if they had not already. The new “Gridiron Showdown” Peanut Poll sought to engage high school students who were now eligible to register to vote, but had not yet done so.

Our Solution

With the Georgia National Fair coming up quickly, the Arc 3 Communications team worked expeditiously with the Secretary of State’s Outreach Staff to create a new and unique brand for the Gridiron Showdown Peanut Poll. A new mobile first website was developed that incorporated a polling system that allowed for visitors to quickly vote for one of Georgia’s 460 high school football teams. Upon voting, Georgians were directed to the Secretary of State’s online voter registration page. At the Georgia National Fair’s Georgia Grown Booth visitors were presented with i-pads upon which they could visit the website and vote for their favorite team while voters from across the state also submitted their ballots on the website. The website polling system calculated and displayed the results in real-time as they happened. Each day at 5 p.m, a special guest would announce the results at the Georgia Grown Booth at the Fair. Voting results announced on the website were easily able to be shared on social networks.

Results

The new Peanut Poll brand incorporating a football referee raised awareness about the new nature of the poll and athletic directors from across the Georgia High School Association were excited about the poll and encouraged students, athletes and parents to participate. The Georgia National Fair also publicized the straw poll and the opportunity to vote at the Georgia Grown booth.

By the time of kickoff and voting began, media outlets around the state had already started talking about the Gridiron Showdown Peanut Poll and social media was buzzing. After ten days, over hundreds of thousands of votes had been cast making the Peanut Poll one of the most successful straw polls and voter registration efforts in the country. The Peanut Poll was embraced not only by high school communities in and around the Georgia National Fair in middle Georgia, but by 460 school communities from across the entire state. Participants from all walks of life participated in the Peanut Poll, including some celebrity voters such as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue who visited the Georgia Grown Booth and cast his vote for his favorite team. Special guests who announced the daily results included Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black who also cast the first vote at the fair online.

In the end, the new Peanut Poll was a success in its ultimate goal of encouraging folks to register to vote. The Georgia Secretary of State’s online voter registration page saw not only a surge in visitors, but also an increase in voter registrations. Because of the 2017 Gridiron Showdown Peanut Poll, new voters will cast their ballots in the 2018 Elections for the first time. These new voters will cast their ballots for something more important than their favorite football team; they will have the opportunity to vote for who will serve them in public office at the local, state and federal levels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content Marketing and Social Media Training for Georgia Movers Association

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Content Marketing and Social Media Training Georgia Movers AssociationArc 3 Communications recently conducted a content marketing and social media training program for the Georgia Movers Association as a part of their annual conference. The program was attended by hundreds of moving company executives from across the state of Georgia. The annual conference was held at the Idle Hour Country Club in Macon.

Arc 3 Founder Patrick Burns provided insights on what is content marketing and why it is important for a moving company’s marketing efforts. Participants were provided insights into how to incorporate a content marketing process inside their business and the fundamental elements for developing and implementing a content marketing program.

The Arc 3 Communications team also provided insights regarding the major platforms in digital marketing today – Facebook and Google. Session included strategies on how moving companies can utilize Facebook advertising to market their  business using tools like the Power Editor for targeting and Facebook Pixel for re-targeting. Tips for sharing timely and informative posts and how to leverage Facebook’s live video feature were also provided.

Session attendees were also provided tips for “Keeping Google Happy”. Practical and helpful website tips in the areas of security, page speed, local SEO, caching, optimizing images, accelerated mobile pages (AMP), and inbound links were shared. Finally, insights into Instagram Stories and Snapchat and trends that may lie ahead in marketing were presented.

The training session on content marketing and social media stimulated conversation among the moving company executive attendees on the types of content and marketing tactics members were using to help them to achieve their business goals.

Arc 3’s  content marketing and social media training seminars are customized for trade associations and have been very valuable to their members. Content marketing and social media are changing everyday with new platform updates, tools, shifting audiences and techniques. Through our research, lab work and networking we keep up with the latest trends in content marketing and social media.

Want to talk about a customized content marketing and social media training program for your association? Contact us here or via Facebook Messenger. Or sign up for our newsletter to get the latest tips here. 

Website Development Case Study: North Carolina House Republican Caucus

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North Carolina House Republican Caucus Website Development Case Study Project Goals

In the wake of the passage of House Bill 2, an onslaught of liberal interest groups, the media and celebrities attacked the North Carolina GOP legislature for its common sense bathroom policy. The preponderance of negative and fake information online regarding the issue proved to be a threat to the North Carolina Republican Party keeping its super-majority in the State House. The NC GOP sought to develop a website that would serve as a digital hub for providing accurate and resourceful information regarding House Bill 2, and allow people to donate to support the party for their courageous stand. Resource information was especially needed to allay concerns of suburban women in the Charlotte and Raleigh areas, who were constituents of key suburban GOP legislators.

Our Solution

Arc 3 Communications developed a website dedicated to the issue of House Bill 2 branded “Keep North Carolina Kids Safe” that had in-depth information regarding the new policy. The website included FAQs, an explanatory video, op-eds, and the latest news stories from across the country regarding the issue of transgender and single gender bathroom policy. The website also included powerful stories from women who courageously spoke out why it was important to have a single gender bathroom policy in state buildings and schools to protect women and children from sexual predators. All content on the site was easily able to be shared on social networks and it became a digital hub for the effort to fight back against the liberal media online.

Results

The website was a digital hub that stayed the test of time throughout the intense debate online regarding the bathroom policy in North Carolina, which included distributed denial of service attacks on several North Carolina government sites by a hacker associated with Anonymous in protest of House Bill 2. The site was a valuable resource for the North Carolina State House Republican Caucus Members who provided credible third party information regarding the bathroom policy issue to their constituents and alleviated their concerns. The website’s content consistently ranked high on Buzzsumo’s social sharing content rankings for most shared content regarding the issue each week. The North Carolina Republican Party was able to leverage the site to get a substantial number of new email subscribers and donors to the party to support its fundraising and electoral goals. In the end, the NC GOP House Caucus was able to re-elect key members in suburban districts and keep a super-majority.

Content Marketing Case Study: The Grady Health Foundation

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The Grady Health Foundation works with philanthropists, corporate leaders and civic activists to raise critical dollars and secure in-kind donations to benefit the Grady Health System. The Grady Health Foundation is a 501(c) 3 that directly supports metro-Atlanta and Georgia’s largest safety net hospital – Grady Memorial Hospital.

In an effort to increase public awareness about Grady’s unique role in the health of the city and state, the Foundation hired Arc 3 Communications to remodel its traditional marketing program into a content marketing program that utilized its website, social media, email marketing and digital advertising programs in a way that created a donor content journey that resulted in more subscribers, donors and advocates for Grady. Grady’s leadership sought to transform an essential Atlanta institution into the leading public academic health center in the U.S., and have patients and their families rave about their experience at Grady regarding the quality of care they received.

Working with the Grady Health Foundation staff and the Grady Health System public affairs team, a content audit was made of all content online; and a strategy session was conducted to identify audiences of current and potential donors, stakeholders and advocates. Audience personas were created and a content marketing program was developed that included the messages and content strategies that resonated with different donor audiences via the Foundation website, social media, email marketing and digital advertising via Facebook and Google. Content strategies included having a good balance of content in a variety of specialty areas that pertained to the capital campaigns underway, and having content with both broad donor appeal and geared towards more elite audiences such as major gifts and foundational grants. Seasonal trends – such as end of year giving – were also considered and out of the park content was planned each quarter and repurposed. Reused content such as photos and stories from the remarkable history of a 120 year old Atlanta institution was also incorporated into social media strategies. Video content for the Foundation’s annual White Coat Grady Gala honoring Grady’s top physicians and their lifesaving work was also created and repurposed throughout the year leveraging healthcare observances in specialty areas. Analytics and testing tools were utilized to analyze content before and after publishing on the website, social media, email marketing and digital ad platforms. Headlines, images and text were tested and reworked for improvement. As content was readied for distribution, channels were carefully selected and optimal times for publishing on them were chosen. Data and traffic were looked at every day for success or failure and improvement.

Today, Grady Health Foundation’s website is one of the most visited online health care foundation destinations. Its social media following is also impressive, with more than 8k  Facebook fans and 5k Twitter followers. The Grady Health Foundation has seen a dramatic increase in donations made over its website and seen an increase in major gifts to its capital campaigns and grants from national foundations from across the country. Within the last year, Grady raised a record $1.8 million at the annual White Coat Grady Gala and saw the official dedication of the Marcus Trauma and Emergency Center at Grady, funded through a contribution made by philanthropist Bernie Marcus and the Marcus Foundation.

Website Development Case Study: Georgia Construction Aggregate Association

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The Georgia Construction Aggregate Association (GCAA) is the leading advocate for the construction aggregate industry in the state. It is a member-driven association with producer members, associate members and trucking companies. The mission of the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association is to advocate for expanded use of aggregates in the private and public sector; educate the public on the value of construction aggregates; and educate industry employees on safety, health, and environmental compliance. Over 100 million tons of aggregate is produced each year in Georgia.

The aggregate industry has a long history in Georgia, with the first commercial rock quarry coming into operation in 1925. As Georgia has grown, so has the aggregate industry, growing from 25 million tons production in 1967 to its present day production of 100 million tons. The aggregates industry is not only the foundation for highways and infrastructure construction in Georgia, but also a foundation for economic growth in the state.

With a steady improvement in the aggregates industry due to an improved economy and the passage of the Georgia General Assembly’s Transportation Funding Act of 2015, a funding measure providing dedicated, predictable and sustainable revenue for the repair and maintenance of statewide roads and bridges, a renewed optimism has pervaded the industry.

To reflect this new optimism, the leadership at the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association wanted to update its communications with a new logo, redesigned website and e-newsletter design that was mobile friendly and contained engaging content that reached their members. In addition, the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association wanted a new brand, website and e-newsletter to better harness the power of online content to recruit new associate members; publicize events and support fundraising and policy initiatives.

Arc 3 Communications worked with the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association to develop a content strategy and plan for developing a new website and e-newsletter to educate and inform association members, stakeholders, state legislators and regulators. In addition they conducted a brand ideation session and worked with GCAA leadership on the creation of a new brand and logo. Through the development of a content strategy which included an identification of key messages, audiences and tailored content, Arc 3 helped the Georgia Construction Aggregate Association launch a new brand, website and e-newsletter that reached key audiences and reflected the new optimism in the industry.

The Georgia Construction Aggregate Association’s new website has resulted in substantial growth in unique visitors and page views to the site, and its new e-newsletter has seen a dramatic increase in open rates, click through rates, referrals to the website and new subscribers. GCAA’s new logo has given the association distinction and a strong new visual identity.

Most importantly, GCAA’s new logo, website and e-newsletter has resulted in an increase in member engagement, greater awareness about the aggregate industry among key partners, state legislators and civic leaders; and more associate membership leads.

Content Marketing and Social Media Case Study: Georgia Agribusiness Council

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The Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) is the state’s leading trade association for agribusiness interests. The mission of the Georgia Agribusiness Council is “To advance the business of agriculture through economic development, environmental stewardship and education to improve the quality of life for all Georgians.” Agribusiness is a 76 billion dollar industry in Georgia that employs more than 375k people.

Long a cornerstone of Georgia’s economy, agribusiness is an important and vital industry in the state. Education about the benefits of agriculture and farming, especially to millennials and younger audiences is a key part of the Georgia Agribusiness Council’s mission. The Georgia Agribusiness Council was increasingly concerned about the growing presence online and in social media of misinformation about agricultural practices being propagated to milliennials by environmental activists and animal rights groups.

In addition, the Georgia Agribusiness Council wanted to better harness the power of online content and social media to recruit new members; publicize events and support fundraising and policy initiatives.

Arc 3 Communications worked with the Georgia Agribusiness Council to develop a plan for creating content for their website and social media networks to educate and inform stakeholders, millennials, association members, political leaders and regulators and the media. 

Through the development of a content marketing plan which included an identification of key messages, audiences and content buckets, and the establishment of a content marketing ideation process inside the association, the Georgia Agribusiness Council was able to launch a content marketing and social media program that reached key audiences.

The Georgia Agribusiness Council’s new content marketing and social media program has resulted in a 32% increase in fans on Facebook; 25% increase in followers on Twitter; and 51% follower growth on LinkedIn. The Georgia Agribusiness Council website has experienced a 93% growth in unique visitors and 1000% increase in social media referrals to their website.

However, a successful content marketing and social media campaign is not just measured by the number of likes and followers. More importantly, the Georgia Agribusiness has seen an increase in member engagement; greater awareness about agriculture issues among Georgia millennials, state legislators and reporters; and more membership leads. The Georgia Agribusiness Council recently added 85 new member companies, setting an all-time high in membership for a single year.   

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.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Arc 3 Communications

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Thank you to our clients, friends and colleagues who have helped to make Arc 3’s 2nd year a great success. We set out to do ambitious and interesting work in 2013, and our clients have entrusted us to do just that.

Over the last year, we have done innovative work in the area of content marketing, digital and social media for clients in the political, public affairs and government space. It has been our passion to help trade associations, right-center campaigns and local and state governments evolve their communications and marketing strategies to fit the digital age.

Content and measurable data are both important to us. Arc 3 has helped clients to develop and implement effective strategies and campaigns that help them to achieve their organizational goals in a complex media and public affairs landscape. Content marketing and digital and social media only work if they help an organization to reach those real world objectives that result in a return on their investment.

The golden age of mass media communications through print, television and radio has begun to fade, and a new multi-platform and digital age has begun. The digital age has resulted in new ways in which people – especially millenials – are processing issue and policy information.

Over the last several years, businesses have been going through a transition from traditional marketing to content marketing out of necessity in order to reach consumers. Our civic institutions, campaigns and trade associations will have to change as well in order to sustain their key roles in the public square.

As our agency grows and evolves in the dynamic landscape in media and public affairs, we look forward to another year of fun, interesting and purposeful work.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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