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

March 19, 2014 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

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.

The Top Ten Most Social Media Savvy State Parties in America

November 11, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

With the 2014 election approaching, the role of state party organizations will become increasingly important as the primary election season ends and the general election season begins. Most of the primary election season wraps up by June with the majority of states concluding their primaries.

In the 2012 election, the Obama campaign skillfully used social media to target key constituency groups, amplify its message and get out the vote. It was commonly acknowledged that a “geek gap” existed between a more tech savvy Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Republican Party conducted a months’ long review of the 2012 election that resulted in a report entitled “The Growth and Opportunity Project”.

How have the parties across the country done at the state level socially in 2013? Does the “geek gap” still exist? Arc 3 looks at the top ten most social media savvy state party organizations. The list was compiled analyzing the Klout scores and number of Twitter and Facebook followers for all of the state party organizations for all 50 states.

1. Michigan Republican Party (Klout score 66) Led by Chairman Robert Schostak, the party has over the years been a leader in innovation and recently held its 30th Biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference where insightful technology panels were held. The Michigan GOP is the most social media savvy state party in the country with over 8K followers on Twitter and 11K likes on Facebook.

2. Texas Democratic Party (Klout score 65) Led by Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa, the party’s social media prowess was on display nationally with the ascendency of State Representative Wendy Davis’ filibuster into the national spotlight through the Twitter-verse. The Texas Democratic Party is at the social media forefront with over 14K followers on Twitter and 51K likes on Facebook.

3. Florida Democratic Party (Klout score 64) Led by Chairman Allison Tant, the Democratic party of Florida operates in a state that has long been on the national radar, especially since the 2000 Presidential election where the state decided the Presidency. With 24K likes on Facebook and over 17K followers on Twitter, the Florida Democratic Party shows that it is innovative in its use of social media.

4. Florida Republican Party (Klout Score 64) Led by Chairman Lenny Curry, the Florida Republican Party is tied with its competitor, the Florida Democratic Party, in the area of social media strength and innovation. The Florida GOP has over 15K followers on Twitter and 15K likes on Facebook and will need to utilize its social media strength in what is shaping up to be a competitive election year.

5. Georgia Democratic Party (Klout Score 61) Led by new Chairman DuBose Porter, the Georgia Democratic party has been wrought with internal controversy that led to the resignation of its most recent Chairman, Michael Berlon. Despite serious financial woes, the Democratic Party of Georgia has a strong social media presence with over 10K followers on Twitter and 12K likes on Facebook.

6. Virginia Democratic Party (Klout Score 61) Led by Party Chair Charniele Herring, the Virginia Democratic Party is coming off a successful election year in 2013 with the election of Democrats to Governor and Lt. Governor. With over 7K followers on Twitter and 10K likes on Facebook, the Virginia Democratic Party’s effective utilization of social media was a part of their victories in 2013.

7. California Republican Party (Klout Score 61) Led by Chairman Jim Brulte, the California Republican Party has a rich GOP tradition, but in recent modern times, California has been a blue state. With over 13K followers on Twitter and over 9K likes on Facebook, the California Republican Party has in place the channels to begin to get its message out and rebuild.

8. North Carolina Republican Party (Klout Score 61) Led by Chairman Claude Pope, the North Carolina GOP operates in a red state whose influx of new residents and changing demographics has resulted in some success for the Democrats at the state-wide level, though not consistently. The NC GOP has a strong social media presence with over 10K followers on Twitter and over 10K likes on Facebook.

9. Republican Party of Virginia (Klout Score 60) Led by Chairman Pat Mullins, the Republican Party of Virginia has faced challenges in recent elections. Once a reliably red state, Virginia has become a purple state. With over 5K followers on Twitter and 8K likes on Facebook, the Republican Party of Virginia is one of the most social media savvy state parties in the country despite its recent losses.

10. Missouri Republican Party (Klout Score 60) Led by Chairman Ed Martin, the Missouri Republican Party has the advantage of a state that has been growing Republican over the years. With over 5K Twitter followers and 5K Facebook likes, the Missouri GOP effectively and consistently publishes content that results in the ability to recruit volunteers, donors and supporters.

At the near the end of 2013, these are the top ten most social media savvy state party organizations in the U.S. The list reflects gains by Republican state party organizations that have strengthened their social media presence for what will be a very competitive upcoming election year. America remains an evenly split country as far as party identification. No one party dominates. However the state parties that leverage the power of social media for message amplification, get out the vote and targeting efforts can do much to move the needle in their respective state.

Are Governors or College Football Coaches More Social Media Savvy?

September 28, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

In the Southeast, college football is venerated and beloved. The head coaches of the football programs of a state’s flagship institutions are arguably the most influential people in a state. In 7 of the 10 Southeastern states, the highest paid public employee is the football coach at a public university.

The head football coach at a Southeastern public university has a very high profile. The coach is either praised or vilified depending on the outcome of a Saturday game. Successful football coaches in the South have enormous political capital that could translate to public office. However, many such as former UGA head football coach Vince Dooley, who considered a bid for U.S. Senate in 1986, decline to pursue a career in politics.

In today’s age of ESPN and round the clock media coverage of Southeastern football, many across the country can name a Southeastern state’s football coach, while not knowing the state’s Governor. For example, Nick Saban, the head football coach at the University of Alabama has high name recognition across the nation. Yet, how many can name the State of Alabama’s, current Governor, Robert Bentley?

However, in today’s new media environment, social media can level the playing field. Does the notoriety, celebrity and wealth of Southeastern football coaches translate into the social media space? Or are there Governors who are social media savvy enough to outpace the head football coaches in their state? Arc 3 performed an analysis of the Klout Scores and number of Twitter and Facebook followers for 10 Southeastern Governors and the head coaches of the collegiate football programs in their state. Here are a couple of Southeastern Governors whose social media prowess outpaces their football programs:

1. Governor Rick Scott (Klout Score 84): The first term Governor of Florida has over 40k followers on Twitter and 85k likes on Facebook. A successful entrepreneur before becoming Governor, he is credited with reducing the state’s unemployment rate from 11 percent to 7 percent. In the social media sphere he outpaces University of Florida Head Football Coach Bill Muschamp (Klout Score 65), Florida State University Head Football Coach Jimbo Fisher (Klout Score 27) and University of Miami Head Football Coach Al Golden (Klout Score 64). According to PeekAnalytics, Governor Scott has 156 times the social pull on Twitter as the average user. Social pull is a good measure of how influential an account’s audience is compared to the average Twitter user. Governor Scott’s social media prominence will be an asset as he runs for re-election in 2014 in the very competitive state of Florida.

2. Governor Pat McCory (Klout score 69): The recently elected Governor of North Carolina is social media savvy with over 18k followers on Twitter and over 47k likes on Facebook. A former Mayor of Charlotte, the pragmatic Governor has made economic development a focal point of his administration with some notable results. Forbes Magazine recently recognized North Carolina as having the nation’s 4th best business climate. As an excellent marketer for his state, he outpaces socially the head football coaches for both the University of North Carolina, Larry Fedora (Klout Score 62) and North Carolina State University, David Doreen (Klout Score 62). According to PeekAnalytics, on average, each of Governor McCory’s twitter followers has 631 connections across all social media platforms to make for a strong audience reach.

3. Governor Nikki Haley (Klout Score 84): With over 64k Twitter followers and 54k likes on Facebook, Governor Haley is a social media powerhouse. The daughter of Indian immigrants, the Governor was a speaker at the 2012 RNC Convention and is one of her party’s rising stars. The Governor’s social media prowess outpaces her state’s football program accounts, Clemson Football (Klout Score 66) and University of South Carolina Football (Klout Score 68). The head of the football programs for the respective schools, Dabo Swinney of Clemson and Steve Spurrier of South Carolina, have both demurred from Twitter usage, but their chief assistants have taken up the mantle. Governor Haley outpaces these top assistants, Chad Morris (Klout Score 51) and Jeff Scott (Klout Score 58) of Clemson and Steve Spurrier, Jr. (Klout Score 82) and G.A. Mangus (Klout Score 49) of South Carolina. Running for re-election in 2014, Governor Haley has 200 times the social pull on Twitter as the average user according to PeekAnalytics. In addition, each of Governor Haley’s twitter followers has 1,578 connections across all social media platforms, which makes her audience reach 3.8 times the average twitter user.

The majority of head football coaches in the Southeast outranked their Governors in social media prowess. A head football coach’s success is largely based on his ability to recruit key players, and social media has become an important part of the recruiting process. Today’s players are now the first generation to have been born into the internet age. Social media is a vital way to reach and persuade them. The Governors of the states of Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina have recognized the power of social to recruit voters and market their states. It is no coincidence that these three Governors are also rising stars in their party. These Governors understand and appreciate the power of social media to build loyalty and create fans in the dynamic new media environment of today.

The Top Ten Most Social Media Savvy Grassroots Organizations in America

February 28, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

The recent legislative battle over the SOPA bill between the Motion Picture Association of America and the technology industry highlighted the evolution of tactics in advocating for or against legislation and policies. The Motion Picture Association of America pursued traditional lobbying tactics, while the technology industry mobilized their grassroots supporters via social media and the internet to support the cause of internet freedom. The technology industry’s victory over the Motion Picture Association of America last year showed the effectiveness of grassroots organizations united behind a cause and its anniversary was marked this year as Internet Freedom Day.

Grassroots organizations with their organic nature and individual member support for specific causes stand to grow in influence and benefit from the advent of social media as an advocacy tool. Social media as a platform is most conducive to the passionate and intense nature of grassroots organizations and the causes that they support.

Arc 3 looks at the top ten most social media savvy grassroots organizations. The list was compiled analyzing the Klout Scores and number of Twitter and Facebook followers for the largest and most powerful grassroots organizations in the country.

1. National Rifle Association (Klout Score 89) – Few groups match the grassroots-powered influence of the NRA, which faces an intense fight with the Obama administration over its push for stronger gun control laws in the wake of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The NRA has a strong social media network to mobilize and inform its members with over 131K followers on Twitter and 105K likes on Facebook.

2. Sierra Club (Klout Score 88) – The Sierra Club has spearheaded strong opposition to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline with a solid team that includes Dave Hamilton, leader of the group’s “Beyond Coal” campaign, and Melinda Pierce, a veteran of the fights over Arctic drilling. The Sierra Club is one of most savvy social media grassroots groups with 183K likes on Facebook and over 58K followers on Twitter.

3. FreedomWorks (Klout Score 86) – Despite the recent departure of its former Chairman Dick Armey and the turmoil that ensued, FreedomWorks continues to exert considerable influence as a grassroots organization advocating for economic freedom. With over 98K followers on Twitter and 4.2 million likes on Facebook, FreedomWorks is a force to be reckoned with in the social media space.

4. Natural Resources Defense Council (Klout Score 86) – With over 1.3 million members and online activists, the NRDC is a strong force in opposition to the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline. David Hawkins of their group is considered one of the top experts on global warming. With over 81K followers on Twitter and 195K Likes on Facebook, the NRDC is a social media powerhouse.

5. The Wilderness Society (Klout Score 84) – With legislative efforts led by David Moulton, a former top adviser to Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), the organization is a strong advocate on climate change policy as well as conservation. The Wilderness Society has a solid social media presence with over 21K Followers on Twitter and 34K likes on Facebook.

6. Public Citizen (Klout Score 83) – Co-founded over 40 years ago by Ralph Nader, the group has focused heavily on campaign finance reform and the passage of ethics reforms in Congress in recent years. With over 14K Twitter followers and 23K likes on Facebook, Public Citizen has an agressive approach to social media in the tradition of its founder.

7. Human Rights First (Klout Score 83) – Led by Elisa Massimino, the organization is focused on keeping individual liberties front and center as the United States grapples with the changes that are sweeping the Middle East. Human Rights First has over 23K followers on Twitter and 33K likes on Facebook and a social media presence that helps the organization to highlight its many human rights concerns around the world.

8. Americans for Tax Reform (Klout Score 82) – Led by Grover Norquist, the father of the anti-tax pledge signed by most congressional Republicans, the group has been tested by members of Congress who are looking at tax increases and elimination of deductions as a way to shore up budget deficits. Americans for Tax Reform has over 14K followers on Twitter and 39K likes on Facebook and a social media network that could create a firestorm for any member of Congress who abandons their anti-tax pledge.

9. National Wildlife Federation (Klout Score 80) – Jeremy Symons, who previously handled climate issues for the EPA and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) serves as top political strategist for the influential conservationist lobby. Recognized as one of ” Top 5 Enterprises Using Social Media” by Mashable in 2010, the National Wildlife Federation has shown a commitment to social media to help raise awareness and build community. It currently has 125k Twitter followers and 118k likes on Facebook.

10. American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (Klout 80) – President Obama will visit Israel in March for the first time as President. However, the relationship between the Obama administration and Israel has been rocky. Former diplomat, Bradley Gordon and current top lobbyist for AIPAC, will have to use all of his negotiating skills to get the administration more in sync with Israel. With over 17K followers on Twitter and 36K likes on Facebook, AIPAC has a social media prowess that can exert pressure on members of Congress and the Obama administration at key moments in time.

At the early part of 2013, these are the top ten most social media savvy grassroots organizations. In the upcoming months, innovation in social media by grassroots groups will drive up their membership and result in legislative and policy victories. A grassroots organization’s effectiveness will depend on their creative use of social media to mobilize and educate their members and the media.

The Top Ten Most Social Media Savvy U.S. Politicians

January 11, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

Social media played an important role in helping to secure the re-election of President Barack Obama in 2012. President Obama’s utilization of social media also played a key role in his defeat of Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries and then Senator John McCain in the general election in 2008. In 2012, President Obama essentially took up where he left off in the last Presidential election and developed a decisive advantage in the area of social media over Mitt Romney. The Obama-Biden campaign’s utilization of social media for get out the vote efforts and its analysis of social data for the prediction of voter behavior, targeting of messages and media buying was truly remarkable.

But who are the other success stories in social media amongst politicians besides President Obama? Through the analysis of Klout Scores, Facebook Likes and Twitter followers amongst politicans across the country, Arc 3 has compiled the top ten most social media savvy politicans. In order to qualify for the list you must either have held elected office or been a candidate for elected office within the last year.

1. Barack Obama (Klout Score 99): President Obama maintained a substantial lead in both Facebook likes and Twitter followers over Mitt Romney. By the end of the campaign, Obama had 22.7 million followers and 32.2 million likes, compared to Romney’s 1.8 million followers and 12.1 million likes. The Obama-Biden campaign’s posting of an image of Barack and Michelle Obama in an embrace, accompanied by the message, “Four more years” set two social media records, receiving more Twitter retweets (755,000) and Facebook likes (3.5 million) than any other post in history.

2. John McCain (Klout Score 92): The U.S. Senator from Arizona and former Republican Presidential candidate in 2008 shows considerable strength in social media, outscoring both Vice President Joe Biden and Mitt Romney. Senator McCain has 880,594 Facebook likes and 1.7 million Twitter followers. His independent streak and reputation for bluntness are highly suitable for the medium of social media.

3. Joe Biden (Klout Score 90): Vice President Biden’s social media presence benefited from being a part of a very gifted Obama-Biden campaign digital team. Vice President Biden had 555,571 Facebook likes and 116,900 Twitter followers. Biden is known to be prone to verbal gaffes in the real world, but his digital world is very disciplined and tame in comparison.

4. Mitt Romney (Klout Score 89): Throughout the Presidential campaign, Romney’s number of followers on Facebook and Twitter were greatly outpaced by President Obama. At the end of the campaign, Romney had 1.8 million followers on Twitter and 12.1 million Facebook likes. The President had 12 times more followers on Twitter and 2 times more followers on Facebook than Romney. It was not all bad news for Romney’s social efforts, as Romney’s Facebook strategies did at times have him leading President Obama in Facebook engagement with his “People Talking About This” numbers being higher.

5. Nancy Pelosi (Klout Score 89): The current Democratic leader in the House has a solid social media presence consistent with her wired constituents in her San Francisco Congressional District. Pelosi has 285, 926 Twitter followers and 67,776 Facebook likes.

6. Newt Gingrich (Klout Score 88): The former Republican House Speaker and Presidential candidate had one of the strongest presences on social media out of the Republican candidates for President in 2012. Winner of the first Republican Presidential primary in the South, South Carolina, Speaker Gingrich has 292,262 Facebook likes and 1.4 million followers on Twitter.

7. Jerry Brown (Klout Score 88): The current Governor of California, home of Silicon Valley, logically has a solid social media presence. He is very strong on Twitter with some 1.05 million followers and has 136,190 Facebook likes. Governor Brown’s followers prefer Twitter almost seven times more than Facebook. A former Presidential candidate who earned the nickname “Moonbeam”, there is no shortage of content on his Twitter stream.

8. John Boehner (Klout Score 87): The current Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has strongly promoted social media over years amongst his GOP caucus members. Once issuing a press release entitled “PWNED: House GOP Dominates Twitter, YouTube, Social Media in Congress”, he has taken the lead and shown his members how to be social media savvy. (Note: PWNED is trash talk that means you “owned” your opponent). Boehner has 320,479 Facebook likes and 220,763 Twitter followers for his campaign accounts.

9. Ron Paul (Klout Score 86): The former Congressman from Texas and Republican Presidential Candidate in 2012 has a considerable social media following reflective of the passion his candidacy generated among tech savvy millenials and libertarians. Paul has over 1.1 million Facebook likes and over 200,300 Twitter followers.

10. Cory Booker (Klout Score 85): The Mayor of Newark, New Jersey utilizes Twitter as a way to hear constituent concerns. The Mayor’s twitter account has become a civic reporting system that has been a better platform for consituent’s voices to be heard than the actual telephone at City Hall. Mayor Booker has over 1.3 million Twitter followers and 128,137 Facebook likes. Many constituents in Newark say if you want a pothole fixed you need to tweet to him about it.

At the start of 2013, these are the top ten most social media savvy U.S. politicians. Will they maintain their status or will new leaders emerge and enter into the top ten? Arc 3 will be following closely to see who comes out on top at the end of what is certain to be a year of innovation and enterprise in social media and politics.

What is your Klout Score? How Your Social Media Influence Matters

September 12, 2012 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

What is your Klout Score? Your Klout score is a two digit score that measures your social media influence. If you have a Twitter account in which you are doing public updates you have a Klout score. You can supplement your score by adding Google Plus, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Tumblr, Instagram, Blogger, WordPress, LastFM or Flickr to your Klout account. While Google has an algorithm that measures page rank, Klout has developed an algorithm to measure social media influence. Google has an algorithim that ranks the relevancy of every webpage, while Klout is working to measure the influence of every person online. Klout scores are calculated using variables that can include number of followers, frequency of updates, the Klout scores of your friends and followers and the number of likes, retweets, and shares that your updates receive. Interacting with someone who has a high Klout score also helps to increase your score.

The Klout Score algorithm was created by it’s founder, Joe Fernandez in 2008. Klout’s algorithm was little changed until October of 2011, when the algorithm was tweaked, most likely to more greatly account for Facebook as tool of influence. This caused a considerable uproar among technologists, who heavily dependent on Twitter, saw a dip in their scores. Many technologists clamored that Klout simply no longer mattered and was meaningless.

However, with the most recent change in the Klout algorithm last month, technologists are giving Klout a second look and liking what they see. Prominent tech blogger, Michael Arrington (formerly of TechCrunch) liked what Klout was doing so much that he proceeded to invest in the company. The new Klout algorithm takes into account more real world influence — through a combination of bringing in 12 times more data points everyday, and taking into account things like Wikipedia pages and weighting LinkedIn profile data higher.

The new Klout profile page for an individual also is a timeline of recent social media interactions — specific Tweets, status updates and Instagram photos that have resonated with people. It’s no longer just about how many Retweets an individual gets, but who Retweeted them, and how they did it. Did they add their own commentary? Was it a “via”? Or a straight RT? Some 400 factors play into the new score. It’s less a number, and more a social resume on one page. The new version of Klout is focusing not just on the number of measurement of influence but also shows which clever tweets or posts by an individual resonated the most with their followers.

Does your Klout score and the social media influence that it represents truly matter? The answer is indisputabley yes. Klout scores are entering into our everday lives, especially for those who travel and conduct business on the road. Airlines, hotels and retailers are starting to evaluate ways in which they can use Klout scores to identify brand evangelists of whom they wish to keep happy. Individuals with higher Klout scores will get aisle seats on airplanes, more spacious hotel rooms, and special discounts at big name retail stores. The enterprise software giant Salesforce.com has a service that lets companies monitor the Klout scores of customers. Those with higher Klout scores will get more attention and quicker service from customer service representatives determined to keep them from tweeting or posting negative comments to their many followers. Klout has nearly 2 billion API (application programming interface) calls per day from some 8,000 partners – frequently from customer call centers who want to know exactly who are the customers that are calling in.

Some of the most influential brand customers with Klout scores of 50 or higher are eligible for perks and gifts ranging from free smart phones to all expense paid trips to weekend test drives of automobiles. Klout has done 400 “Perks” programs that have given some 750,000 influencers special deals with no quid pro quo– only a hope that they’ll say something nice about a brand. Brand rewards for Klout scores are a reflection in the social media age of the special treatment that brands have given out for years to high profile names, the press, and individuals who have spent lots of money on the brand. Klout has democratized influence.

Beyond the perks, Klout is rating and showing people’s online influence on various topics so that others can learn from them. In addition it rewards individuals for their social media efforts by helping them to feel listened to on certain topics. In this way, Klout’s ranking system is working to build a better online community. In today’s social media age, those that push out interesting content are the new influencers, and after several attempts, Joe Fernandez and Klout appear to be on their way to develop a rating system for measuring social media influence that is accurate and matters.

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