Public Affairs

Arc 3 Communications Celebrates 11-year Business Anniversary

October 27, 2022 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Marietta, Ga. (October 27, 2022) – Arc 3 Communications, a public affairs agency located just off the historic downtown square of Marietta, Ga. celebrates their 11-year business anniversary today. Started by founder and president, Patrick L. Burns, Arc 3 Communications has provided winning content, digital, and advocacy solutions for clients since 2011. For 11 years, Arc 3 has provided quality services to trade associations, businesses, non-profits, and government agencies, helping them achieve their organizational goals in a complex media and public affairs landscape.

“I am so grateful to our clients from across the country who have entrusted us to serve their public affairs needs,” said company founder and president, Patrick Burns, “I look forward to working with our growing, talented and innovative team to help our clients achieve their advocacy goals for many more years to come.”

For more information about Arc 3 Communications, visit www.arc3communications.com

About Arc 3 Communications

Founded in 2011, Arc 3 Communications is an innovative public affairs agency that specializes in content, digital and advocacy services for clients. Arc 3 provides winning public affairs solutions to businesses, trade associations, non-profits, and government agencies. We produce dynamic content, innovative digital campaigns and effective advocacy that results in legislative, electoral, and public opinion victories for our clients.

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Announcing New Account Executive for Public Affairs, Gabrielle Deliz

September 22, 2022 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Rising star in public affairs strengthens multi-state advocacy capabilities

Arc 3 Communications, a public affairs agency that specializes in content, digital and advocacy, announced that they have hired new account executive, Gabrielle Deliz. With extensive government affairs experience in the private and public sectors, Deliz most recently served as a government consultant for the Thomas Howell Ferguson, P.A. CPAs firm in Tallahassee, where she consulted for the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). With strong legislative and regulatory knowledge at the state and local government levels, Deliz will provide top-notch advocacy for clients to meet their public affairs needs.

Prior to consulting on behalf of the FDEM, Deliz served in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She also previously worked for the Republican Party of Florida as a part of the 2018 campaign team behind the election of Governor DeSantis and other officials. Deliz has also served in the legislative office of the former Florida Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jose R. Oliva.

Deliz is a cum laude graduate of the Florida State University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and a Minor in Communications. During her undergraduate tenure, Deliz was deeply involved in the FSU Foundation, where she developed a passion for philanthropy and higher education. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at FSU.

“Arc 3 Communications has achieved impactful results for clients in the area of local and state advocacy across the country,” Deliz said. “I am excited to join the agency and look forward to providing additional value for our clients in these areas.”

“Gabrielle is a rising star in public affairs and will be a tremendous asset to our clients in the area of multi-state advocacy at the local and state levels,” said Founder and President, Patrick Burns.

About Arc 3 Communications

How to Secure Your Association’s Place as a Thought Leader with Your Content

November 18, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

The term “thought leadership” tends to be used loosely these days to describe any content that has to do with an industry, regardless if it has any real value to the reader or not. In truth, With so much online noise fighting for your member’s attention, your association must step up and provide quality content that benefits and provides real value to your audience.

What is Thought Leadership Content?

Thought leadership is not necessarily just a type of content, but a type of content marketing. According to Marketing Insider Group, this type of content marketing involves tapping into the experience and knowledge of your industry or business to answer the biggest questions on the minds of your audience on a particular topic. When it comes to thought leadership, your audience is usually looking for the best answer to a question.

In order to provide the best answers to your members, you need to be an expert on the topics you are discussing. As an association, you may have contacts in your network that can help with this; or you can take it upon yourself to do thorough research to develop content that has accurate and detailed information to ensure that you establish credibility and protect your reputation. Often members will look to the association for answers or support; and having this type of content available not only helps them, but also shows potential members that you truly understand the industry you represent.

How to Create Valuable Thought Leadership Content

Thought leadership content can come in many forms, and be distributed across many mediums. Blogs, essays, videos, presentations, webinars, research studies and any other form of media that can provide your members and potential members with useful, enlightening, and valuable information are considered thought leadership content pieces. This content is commonly available for free or in exchange for a registration of a name, email, and other contact information.

One of the key aspects to thought leadership content is that it is not a membership sales pitch. While critical to audience engagement, it should be kept enlightening, interesting, and informational. Your call to action at the end of the piece can be your pitch for your readers to take actions such as signing up for your newsletter.

A recent study by Edelman and LinkedIn shows there is an oversaturation of “thought leadership” content online. This makes it essential to come up with content that stands out from the rest. This can include original research and insights by your association with information that pertains specifically to your industry.

Whether you create content in-house or outsource for it, be sure to create, upload, and share content across channels including your website, e-newsletter and social media accounts.

Why is Thought Leader Content Important?

In this day and age, standing out by creating original content that resonates and solidifies your association as a trusted thought leader in your space is important. According to an article from Association’s Now, successful thought leadership content can raise your association’s platform. The recent Edelman and LinkedIn study showed 64 percent of the respondents say that thought leadership is used when deciding to trust an organization’s capabilities.

Having strong thought leadership content goes a long way in increasing awareness, bringing leads, establishing relationships, providing value, and recruiting new members to your association. It also drives SEO and your online visibility, making it more likely your association’s content appears first to people who are looking for information related to your industry. Doing your own research and creating original and high-quality thought leadership content will go a long way in securing your association as the overall thought leader for your members and potential members.

For help with your Association’s content marketing efforts or for more information, visit our website at www.arc3communications.com or contact us at info@arc3communications.com.

Top 4 Tips to Best Represent Your Association at In-Person Events

October 27, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

As in-person meetings begin to make a comeback, it is time to dust off your association’s trade show materials and be sure you are ready to put your best foot forward as you return to the in-person world of trade shows and annual conferences. We all became familiar with virtual platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams during COVID and may have even attended virtual conferences on behalf of your association during this time. As many can probably attest, virtual conferences and meetings do not have the same effect as face to face does. Below are four tips for making sure you represent your association well as the world returns to in person events.

Be Aware of COVID-19 Precautions and Rules

One thing that will be new as your association returns to in person events is that many if not all of these will have COVID-19 rules and precautions. These can usually be found on the website for the conference or event or will be emailed out by the host and they can differ depending on location. It is important that you are aware and follow these rules as you attend the show as it is respectful of others and also reflects well on your association.

One example of these new rules is one that involves wearing a certain color based on your social comfort level during COVID. At a recent in-person event, the hosts gave attendees different colored bracelets; green, yellow, and red. Green meant you are open to handshakes and high-fives, yellow meant you are open to elbow bumps only, and red meant you do not want any physical contact and would like social distance.

Many events also continue to have mask requirements, and some are requiring proof of vaccination before allowing attendance. Be sure you are aware of these types of requirements before attending an event to avoid not being permitted to attend. There may also be new rules for exhibitors and presenters, so if your association is participating in this type of role, be sure you review any such rules beforehand so all attendees with your association can be prepared.

Make Sure You are Up to Date

It has been nearly two years since many large in-person events were last held. For some, a lot has changed in that period of time. From personal items like your business card to association related items like information hand-outs at exhibit halls, it is important to ensure all information is current and relevant to show that you and your association are credible. The last thing you want to do is to give hundreds of people outdated information regarding your association’s industry; that would not do well for your credibility or reputation.

Your business card is your personal identification. Potential new members or current members may use it to get in contact with you. That is why you must be sure to have the right address, telephone number, email, association position and any other information you might include be up to date and current. It may sound simple, but it also may have been a while since you’ve given out your information outside of an email or a zoom message. Again, it reflects well on you and on the association that you represent.

Let People Know You’re There

An important part of conference and in-person events for your association is the networking. Whether it is an event your association is hosting or whether you are attending on your association’s behalf, networking is a big part of these events. Why not get a head start prior to attending the event and let people know you are going to be there? This is especially important if you are exhibiting in an exhibit hall or presenting at an important panel.

Social media pages, both personal and your association’s page are a great way to announce your presence and even where you will be within the conference so that people can find you. If the conference or host has an event app with an announcement feature, you can post on that. Check also if the conference you are attending has a twitter handle or a hashtag as a way to tag and announce updates. This will bring people to your exhibit or presentation and ensure you get the turnout you want.

Be Prepared

Again, it has been nearly two years since you may have attended an in-person conference. Be sure you have everything you need, and if you need to take time to get everything together, be sure to do so in advance to prevent rushing and forgetting something important. If you are presenting, be sure you have your notes, any handouts, and most importantly, a back-up of your presentation! If you are exhibiting, be positive you have brought your banners, décor, information, hand-outs, and if you give out pens, candy, or other freebies, remember to bring them.

You want everything to look great and run smoothly so that your association not only stands out but looks good doing so. Make sure you are ready for any inquiries about the association you may get from members or potential members. It is always good to be prepared and it reflects well on your association and how you run things.

As we come together once again face to face and readjust to large group events, be prepared to put your best image forward back in person representing your association and industry. This will help generate leads during these networking opportunities and will help grow your membership. It will also let the current members know you are credible, responsible and that you represent the industry and your members professionally. Stay safe and before you know it, attending conferences and events will feel like second nature again.

What is Public Affairs? (Infographic)

August 9, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns 1 Comment

The term “public affairs” is commonplace on the news and in government meetings, but what exactly is public affairs and what does it involve? Check out the infographic below to learn more about what public affairs is.

What is Public Affairs and Why It is Really Important

August 6, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

The term “public affairs” is commonplace on the news and in government meetings, but what exactly is public affairs and what does it involve? Not to be confused with public relations, public affairs is defined by the Public Affairs Council as an organization’s efforts to monitor and manage its business environment. It combines strategies for government relations, communications, issues management and corporate citizenship. Public affairs aims to influence public policy, build and maintain strong relationships with elected officials such as legislators, and engage with and monitor stakeholders. Those who specialize in public affairs act as lobbyists on behalf of their organizations, and they interact with groups who are interested in lobbying the government for legislation regarding particular issues.

How Does Public Affairs Work?

Public affairs tend to deal with noncorporate entities, such as government agencies, nonprofits, and trade associations. Some roles involved with public affairs include lobbyist, policy analyst, community affairs manager, and policy program coordinator. Advocacy plays a major part in public affairs. Government and public advocacy are key aspects to a successful public affairs strategy. Creating and maintaining relationships that will benefit your industry or cause is vital to influencing laws and actions.

Lobbyists, whose purpose is to take part in an organized attempt to influence legislators, are professional advocates for individuals and organizations. The advocacy a lobbyist takes part in can help shape laws and regulations and help introduce new legislation that will support the organization’s cause. They also fight back against any policies or legislation that would cause harm to their organization or industry.

The Difference Between Public Affairs and Public Relations

One common misconception is that public affairs is the same as public relations. While they have similarities, such as both involving interaction with the public, they are different in that public affairs involves matters that directly affect the public, such as legislation, whereas public relations build a connection between the public and a specific organization. Public affairs tend to focus on public policy while public relations deals more with commercial goals. This is the main difference between the two.

With public relations focusing mostly on marketing and improving a company’s image, the strategies are different from those found in a public affairs campaign. In public relations you may use some of the following strategies:

Drafting Press Releases.
Sending pitches to journalists.
Reaching out to media contacts.
Social media strategy
Creating content.
Launching PR campaigns.
Writing speeches.

Public affairs services are used by companies to help align business interests and public policies. Some of the strategies used to achieve this are:

Lobbying for and against legislation or regulations at the local, state, or federal level.
Establishing contact and maintaining ongoing relationships with politicians, political advisors, and government regulators.
Maintaining a strong relationship with company stakeholders.
Monitor policy proceedings that pertain to an industry.
Leveraging power of words to influence public policy.
Coalition Building
Data Analysis
Grassroots Mobilization
Surveys, Public Opinion Polling

Public affairs and public relations can both use the media to help their cause, so reaching out to journalists and media outlets to form relationships is a strategy found in both areas. Sometimes you may use some public relations strategies with public affairs, and vice versa.

Our Public Affairs Experience

During these tumultuous times of an ever changing political, legislative and regulatory landscape in which government is having a huge impact on industries and organizations, having a strong public affairs program is vital.

The Arc 3 Communications’ public affairs team is an effective advocate on behalf of business and a leader in shaping public policy issues. We offer experienced, talented, well-connected and spirited advocacy at the intersection of government, business, media, and the community.

We are “campaign people” who are driven by the understanding that there will be an “election day” and that we’ll have to deliver results.

Do you need help with your public affairs efforts and strategies? We would love to hear from you! Contact us here.

Key Tips for Ensuring Your Association’s Digital Marketing Efforts Are Compliant

July 21, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

In today’s world, much of the interaction we do with each other is through digital means. From social media to email, blogs to newsletters, many of your association’s marketing efforts are most likely digital. Both communicating with and providing value for your members, while also bringing in new members is achieved through digital marketing efforts. Ensuring your association’s digital efforts are compliant with laws and regulations regarding privacy rights and data is vital to protecting your association’s reputation and also your members.

In recent years, privacy rights and data protection have become key issues in the United States and globally. In 2018, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was passed that “gives consumers more control over the personal information that businesses collect about them.” In 2016, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became law in Europe. Like the CCPA, this regulation aims to give consumers more control or personal information, but also addresses the transfer of personal information outside of the European Union and European Economic Areas (EEA).

Being informed of privacy laws and regulations and making sure your digital efforts are compliant will not only help avoid legal issues but will protect relationships and trust with your members. While there are many requirements within these regulations, we have featured below a couple of key areas to be aware of when it comes to making sure your digital marketing efforts are compliant.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a major part of what associations do to provide news and information while also recruiting new members. One thing to be aware of when it comes to email is that there are strict anti-spam laws in the United States that you must follow to avoid hefty fines and a damaged reputation. The U.S. CAN-SPAM act, according to the Federal Trade Commission, is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.

This law can easily be followed by only including people on your email lists who have opted into your email program. A few more factors to this law are that you are honest with your headers and subject lines, tell the recipients where you’re located, and if the email is an advertisement that you make that clear. As before mentioned, offering a clear and easy opt-out is also required and once that action is taken, emails must promptly cease.

Follow these rules, act in an ethical and respectful way, and your email program will reflect your association’s values.

Member Privacy and Data

A big issue in today’s society is that of privacy and data. Who has the right to your data and what do those who get access to your data do with that information? These questions have been at the forefront of everyone’s mind with the rise of social media platforms and Google. Whereas you as an association may not have access to that level of personal data; members do entrust you with sensitive information such as their names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, credit card information, and more. Protecting this data also protects your association’s reputation and will lead to trusting relationships and increased membership.

One way you can ensure member data is protected is to make sure you have a secure website. According to Hosting Tribunal, nearly 33 percent of websites have inadequate security. An easy way to tell if your website is secure is to look at your URL in the address bar, if your website is an HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) website as opposed to an HTTP website, your website is encrypted using Transport Layer Security (TLS). Other factors play into website security such as regular website maintenance, updating plug ins, and ensuring your hosting company has good security offerings.

You should never share, sell, or make public any sensitive member information. This will not only put you in hot water with your members, but also with the law. Overall, ensuring you have a secure website and that you treat member data responsibly, you will protect your reputation and your member’s well-being while building lasting relationships.

Compliance is Key

Compliance with privacy and data laws is vital to a successful digital marketing strategy and also to protecting your members privacy and your association’s credibility and reputation. While we have not discussed all compliance requirements, these are a couple of key areas to be aware of. Government websites are a reliable source for reading up on these laws, especially those applicable to your geographic location, and checking to make sure your association is fully compliant.

For help with your association’s digital efforts contact us here. For more information regarding our content, digital, and advocacy services for associations, visit our website.

How to Create a Strong Social Media Policy for Your Local Government

June 22, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

A social media policy is a code of conduct that provides guidelines for employees when it comes to posting content on the internet, whether personally or professionally. The goal of such a policy is to protect against legal issues or public backlash that may result from employees posting inappropriate or sensitive information. Social media policies for local governments not only protect the image of the community and its representatives and professional staff, but also encourage government employees to share credible news, events, and useful information about the city or county on their online networks.

Control of Your Local Government’s Official Accounts

One aspect of your local government’s social media policy should be to establish who controls the government or department’s official social media program. This decides who has permission to create and deactivate official social media accounts; who can create and implement the social media strategy; and who can develop and enforce the social media policy.

There are two types of control you may decide to set up for your local government’s social media programs, centralized and decentralized. Having centralized control means you determine a single authority to have control over the creation of all accounts and require review by that authority of all posts or comments on the government’s behalf. This type of control can greatly reduce the risk of something being posted or shared that may be a liability. By having this form of control, a single authority can be held accountable for all social media activity. This single authority often times consists of a city of county’s communications team.

The other type of control is decentralized. This simply allows multiple department entities to have access to sharing and posting. For example, if the parks department wants to tweet about an upcoming event and the local police want to tweet alerts and updates, each will be granted permission to do so and trusted to abide by the social media policy. You can also have a combination of both where different departments may have access but posts still must be approved by a central authority.

A centralized approach tends to work best for small governments who may use their social less frequently and may only have a single Facebook page. Decentralized tends to make things easier for larger governments that have multiple departments and as a result, multiple social media pages across platforms.

Your Local Brand, Public Record, and Sensitive Information

Like with your personal social media accounts, your local government’s social media accounts reflect on your city or county, so it is vital to make sure anything that is shared or posted represents your local communities’ values. It is always important to think before you post, if you have to question it, it probably isn’t appropriate to share. According to the National League of Cities, some actions that are important to avoid are disinformation that may mislead and cause harm to the public, sharing private or confidential information, harassment and defamation, and violation of intellectual property rights.

It is important to set clear guidelines and rules for citizens, public employees, and elected officials who are utilizing your local government’s social media, whether on the content production end or as the consuming audience. Be sure to be specific and detailed regarding what sort of content can be posted and what kind of policies are in place when it comes to making and deleting comments. According to American City and County, local governments can run into legal trouble when an action taken on a social media page is seen as infringing on a citizen’s First Amendment rights, like deleting a comment.

Some recent court cases have decided that city, county, and even elected official social media pages are considered limited public forums of speech, and that citizens have the right to free speech when posting on them. Therefore, having clear and concise rules in the form of a legal social media policy can help protect your local government from any legal issues.

Protecting sensitive information is also vital when running your local government’s social media pages. With COVID-19, many citizens were getting all of their news and updates from digital channels including social media pages. This is exactly what these pages should be utilized for, but those with access and permission to post on behalf of the local entity must also be careful not to share any information that may be confidential or sensitive information.

This also applies to government employee’s personal social media accounts. Rules need to be in place regarding what employees can and can’t share, regarding government information, on their personal social media accounts. Also, as employees, their social media accounts reflect on the city or county as well, so nothing should be shared or posted that casts a negative light on the community. Rules regarding this can also be included in the social media policy.

Social Media Policies Protect Local Governments

Recently, the Cobb County School System in Georgia created and passed a new social media policy for their school district. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, this policy sets rules for Cobb County School District employees and prohibits them from making posts that harm or discredit the system or reputation of the school district. Violation of rules and guidelines outlined in the social media policy carries consequences that range from a written warning to the termination of employment. This helps ensure that posts made by employees of the Cobb County School District positively represent the schools within the district as well as the school system as a whole.

Social media policies protect local governments from liability that may come with issues that can arise from inappropriate social media posts. These policies help make sure that professional and personal social media accounts reflect positively on the government entities that the accounts and people represent. Having a policy ensures that your local government’s brand, credibility, and image are protected and allows things to run smoothly.

If you need help drafting or implementing a social media policy for your local government, contact us here.

Should Associations Spend All of their Advertising Dollars on Facebook?

May 27, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

In the recent U.S. Elections, Facebook decided to pull the plug on political advertising. During this moratorium, an issue arose when it came to what constitutes as political advertising and what is in fact simply news. News story posts that mentioned politics or issues were being blocked and placed in the same category as paid political advertising when, in fact, they weren’t. This raised the question “Is Facebook a media outlet that can decide what it wants to support and censor or are they the free platform they claim to be?”

Facebook has been called out in the past for archiving promoted news stories that cover politics or issues as political advertising. This brought push back from many journalism and news associations. It also raised the question of how much regulation can Facebook enforce on policy issues and associations it may disagree with. For example, if Facebook supports the Go Green initiative, could it eventually censor ads from associations that may represent things it deems harmful to the environment? This then causes one to ask, should associations put all their advertising assets into Facebook?

While Facebook ads can be a good way to spend association ad dollars, it is good to know your options in case policies change or they decide to censor issues important to your association. Google Ads are a viable option for reaching members and policy allies and allows you to tailor your ads to display to a specific audience or audiences. Some are shifting away from Facebook due to privacy and effectiveness issues. A recent survey by Inc. reported that 32 percent of CEO and senior-level executives surveyed said they are now getting less for their marketing dollars with Facebook than they used to, while 27 percent said they mistrust Facebook’s use of their business data.

With increasing advertising costs, noise, and fear of censorship from Facebook, it could be worth looking into alternate ways to spend your association’s marketing dollars. Putting resources into search engine optimization efforts and content marketing can be very effective means to attracting new members, and as before stated, Google Ads is another option for advertising. This isn’t to say you should completely cut Facebook advertising out of your marketing strategy if it works for your association; but it is always wise not to put all your advertising eggs in one basket.

Need help diversifying your digital strategy for your association? Contact us here.

Which States are Gaining or Losing Seats in the Next Congress (Infographic)

May 18, 2021 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment