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Happy Thanksgiving! 10 Things I Am Thankful For

November 27, 2014 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Civic Innovation/Gov. 2.0, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, News, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Website Development Tagged With: Arc 3 Communications 3rd Anniversary, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing, Facebook, Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving and Arc 3 Communications, LinkedIn, Meetup, social media, Social Media Club of Atlanta, SouthWired, StrongboxWest, Tumblr, Twitter, WordPress, YouTube

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

February 6, 2014 By Patrick L. Burns Leave a Comment

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.

 

 

Filed Under: Blogger relations, Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Civic Innovation/Gov. 2.0, Data Visualization and Infographics, Digital Marketing, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: Facebook, Gov 2.0, pinterest, Social Media and Campaigns, Social Media and Election 2014, Social Media and Politics, State of the Union and Social Media, Trade Associations and Social Media, Tumblr, Twitter, U.S. Department of Interior

Vine, Instagram and the Role of Short Video in Politics

July 6, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns 1 Comment

Candidates, elected officials and the media are beginning to experiment with short video platforms such as Vine, Tout and Instagram Video. Because of the shortness of the videos created and shared on social networks, these platforms are ideal for the emerging mobile market, which is growing exponentially.

C-SPAN used Tout at the 2012 GOP Convention in Tampa. Delegates to the RNC Convention were encouraged to submit 15-second Tout videos of their experience. Several submitted videos by RNC Delegates were aired on C-SPAN. Earlier in 2012, C-SPAN sent its Campaign 2012 bus on a week-long tour of universities and towns in North Carolina to get feedback from students and citizens on the Presidential campaign, asking them to submit their thoughts and ideas via Tout.

Vine, a mobile app owned by Twitter has grown significantly in popularity.  Vine allows users to create six-second videos and share them via Twitter and Facebook. President Obama recently signed up as a Vine user and has posted short videos ranging from the White House Science Fair to a note commemorating the anniversary of the Library of Congress. Several members of Congress have used Vine to mark everything from the submittal of legislative bills to the welcoming of constituent visitors to the Capitol.

The National Republican Congressional Committee produced one of the first political ads on Vine in April targeting Elizabeth Colbert-Busch in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District special election. The ad focused on Colbert-Busch’s support from Union groups after a recent controversy regarding the National Labor Relations Board and its initial opposition to the location of a Boeing plant in South Carolina. The ad received a good deal of earned media coverage.

Instagram video is new to the short video platform scene having been just released by Facebook in June. Instagram video allows users to create 15-second videos and share them via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, Foursquare and e-mail. In another differentiation from Vine, Instagram has a “cinema feature” which helps to stabilize video shot within the app. Those elected officials who have long had Instagram accounts such as the White House and members of Congress, are starting to utilize the Instagram video feature. First Lady Michelle Obama recently uploaded videos of her South Africa trip with the President to her Instagram account. House Majority Whip, Kevin McCarthy recently uploaded an Instagram video of him playing Frisbee with the family dog at his home in California. Congressman McCarthy’s video received over 2k likes on Instagram.

Will other campaigns and elected officials follow suit in using  short video platforms? Only time will tell. One current challenge with using these platforms, are that they only allow you to shoot video with a mobile device and do not allow for the uploading of professional quality video shot separately. This results in less quality production of video for an ad. For example, Vine political ads have the quality of early release bootleg video recordings of movies playing in theaters, as they are a smartphone recording of a video produced elsewhere. Campaigns may be well-advised to use Vine and other short video platforms for  “insider” type shots and quick interviews that are shot originally on a smartphone.

Due to the continued growth of mobile, platforms such as Vine, Instagram and Tout are idyllic for the sharing of short video which users can view quickly while running errands or taking a break at work. Short video fits into the BuzzFeed news model of heavy and light content that the news is evolving into. However, these short video platforms are best for producing light hearted content until they have the capacity to upload production quality video.

Filed Under: Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Civic Innovation/Gov. 2.0, Digital Marketing, Government, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Strategic Communications Planning, Uncategorized, Web-based Video Tagged With: BuzzFeed, C-SPAN, Elizabeth Colber-Busch, Facebook, First Lady Michelle Obama, Flickr, Foursquare, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, Instagram, Instagram Video, NRCC, President Obama, Short Video, Tout, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine

The Effectiveness of Political Social Advertising

March 30, 2013 By Patrick L. Burns 1 Comment

Political advertising in national and statewide races has historically been dominated by large media buys on television. Of the billions spent on election ads, a small percentage has been spent on social media advertising, but that is about to change. Voters have gone off the grid.

In election 2012, over 40% of likely voters preferred other video sources to live TV, including laptop or PC and streaming devices such as DVD and DVR.  The majority of live TV watching was sports related. The average time spent watching video was still high at almost 20 hours a week, but nearly half of that time was not spent on live TV. Also, nearly half of likely voters owned a smartphone and 32% of likely voters owned a tablet.

We are moving to a new advertising paradigm in politics, and social advertising is a key part of it.  With candidates using Twitter and Facebook to stay connected with voters, keep up on news and contrast themselves with opponents, paid social is a natural fit for politicians. Social advertising is powerful as voters spend on average 10 hours per week on social apps and interest graph targeting helps candidates zero in on key voters. In the time that it takes to create 1 political 30-second spot, 15 paid social campaigns can be launched. These social ads can be created from breaking news and events in real time.

While Tumblr and LinkedIn offer ads, the overwhelming majority of social advertising is on Twitter and Facebook. Both Twitter and Facebook ads have proven to be effective in the area of politics.

Facebook messages have been shown to be an effective tool in get-out-the-vote efforts. In the prestigious journal, Nature, political scientist Dr. James Fowler found that a single get-out-the-vote message could produce a 2.2 % bump in voter turnout. More importantly, 80% of the impact came from friends sharing the message with others. This is the first definitive proof that social networks, as opposed to television or radio, have uniquely powerful political benefits. As Facebook bleeds into older demographics, campaign messages could have a much larger impact than the study found. Another key finding of the study was that candidates need users to voluntarily share the ads and messages with their friends for maximum effectiveness.

Many campaigns initially used basic Facebook Marketplace type ads, with a 25 character title, and a 90 character body, a 100 x 72 pixel image, which are the least ideal message delivery vehicles on Facebook. However a growing number of campaigns have found greater success at using ad units such as “Like” ads and sponsored stories, which encourage both current and potential fans to interact with page content.  Facebook has also recently allowed ads to be placed directly into Newsfeed which has resulted in better results.

Mitt Romney’s campaign for President utilized Facebook mobile ads last election cycle. These ads, which showed up in a Facebook user’s news feed, linked to Governor Romney’s page and indicated which friends were fans of the candidate. Zac Moffatt, digital director of Governor Romney’s campaign, claimed a remarkable click rate of 10% among people who viewed the ads.

Twitter ads have been proven effective to drive get-out-the-vote messages and target voters. Political campaigns are spending on the “promoted tweet,” which looks like a regular Twitter post and which advertisers pay to have show up at the top of a stream of tweets, or to people who might not see the tweet otherwise. Other political Twitter ads that may be placed are for Promoted Accounts and Promoted Trends. Like business ads on Twitter, political ads are clearly labeled as promoted with a purple promoted icon and information about who has purchased the ad. Based on demand from political campaigns, Twitter has allowed advertisers to tailor paid messages to people by state or region.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, who faced Milwaukee’s Mayor Tom Barrett in an historic recall election in 2012, used Twitter political ads successfully. Governor Walker’s campaign utilized Promoted Tweets and Promoted Accounts to drive a get-out-the-vote message to targeted voters and influencers. The Walker campaign’s use of Promoted Tweets drove voters to landing pages with details on the Governor’s stance on key issues and strong calls to action to pledge to vote. A week before the election, Governor Walker’s campaign also used Promoted Accounts to grow followers among targeted influencers who could help spread the campaign message through retweets. Governor Walker’s Promoted Tweets campaign garnered an average engagement rate of 6%. In addition, the Governor increased his followers from 16,600 to over 23,000 with his Promoted Accounts campaign. Overall his Twitter ad campaign reached 946,000 potential voters. Governor Walker’s effective use of social advertising was a key component in mobilizing voters in his defeat of a recall.

The use of social advertising by political campaigns will continue to increase. Social ads are an attractive selling point to campaigns looking for a way to maximize their impact for little cost. However, these ads should only be run as a part of a larger digital strategy that promotes great content such as a video, an image or interactive experience. Great content and socials ads to promote it is a winning combination for candidates  that have a need to get their message out in a cost effective way.

 

Filed Under: Business Advocacy, Campaign Management, Campaigns and Elections, Coalition Building, Government, Grassroots Mobilization, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Uncategorized Tagged With: Dr. James Fowler, Election 2012, Facebook, Governor Scott Walker, LinkedIn, Mitt Romney, MittRomney2012, Nature, Tom Barrett, Tumblr, Twitter, Zac Moffatt

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.

Filed Under: Blogger relations, Data Analysis, Digital Marketing, Public Affairs, Social Media Audits and Listening analyses, Social Media Relations, Strategic Communications Planning, Uncategorized Tagged With: data analysis, Facebook, Foursquare, Google, Google Plus, Instagram, interactive marketing, Joe Fernandez, Klout, LinkedIn, Michael Arrington, Salesforce.com, social media, social media audit, Tumblr, Twitter

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About Our Founder

Husband, Father of 5, Founder of Arc 3 Communications - a public affairs agency. Over 30 years in politics and public affairs. Follow me on twitter and instagram at @patricklburns. I live, work and play in the community I grew up in. Read More…

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