Marketing Disciplines
Public Relations, Media, Social, Web Development, Community Outreach
Industry
Public Service
Client
Uplift Arkansas by MHP/Team SI
Uplift Arkansas
Situation Analysis
Community transmission of COVID-19 was first detected in the United States in February 2020. On March 11, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in the state and signed an executive order declaring a state emergency. The state was thrown into chaos, alongside the rest of the world. MHP/Team SI and another local organization, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau (LRCVB), wanted to use their skills to help Arkansas at-large. Because of the fluid nature of COVID-19, businesses were in need of a platform where they could communicate real-time updates to their customers regarding the status of their business, from opening hours to how patrons could support them. They found a way to support Arkansas’ small businesses and nonprofits, and connect them with the communities they were still trying to serve: UpliftArkansas.com.
Insights
According to the Small Business Administration, 247,018 businesses (99.3% of all businesses) in Arkansas are categorized as small. In 2015, small businesses employed around 479,727 Arkansans and made up almost half of the overall labor force with the top industries being health care and social assistance, accommodation and food service, and retail trade.
This global pandemic spread quickly and devastated small businesses in Arkansas especially heavily, as a state ranked the nation’s 5th poorest. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Arkansas’ unemployment rate in March was 5%, an increase of 1.5% from February. In April, the unemployment rate more than doubled to 10.2%. The need for public support was immediate and growing.
Planning
Planning & Objectives
Quickly and in addition to their normal workload, teammates from MHP/Team SI began meeting to strategize and create UpliftArkansas.com in partnership with the LRCVB. To be altruistic and demonstrate that the agency was truly supportive, the objective was to create a free aggregated resource that serves as a hub for Arkansans to find information regarding the local impact of COVID-19, particularly relating to nonprofits and businesses. UpliftArkansas.com was created. Arkansas’ businesses and organizations can submit and update listings detailing their current state of operation and inform the public on how they can engage in business safely. This was a much-needed crutch due to Google experiencing vast delays in its Google My Business listing updates, so businesses needed a platform to publicize updated information. The objective was to truly help Arkansas at-large.
Correlation to Research: Statista.com reported the first weeks of March 2021 saw an 18% increase in in-home data usage compared to the same period in 2019, which meant the public was moving online to gather information. This, combined with drastically increased unemployment in Arkansas, told the team at MHP/Team SI that an online resource was needed to offer correct information and mitigate confusion.
Goal: The goal was to provide Arkansans a central location for updated business information in order to support local businesses, and offer business owners an additional (and self-maintained) outlet to provide current and updated information to the purchasing public.
Measurable Objectives
01
01
Secure 100 business listings
Receive at least 100 business listing submissions during the campaign window to demonstrate reach to business owners
02
02
Reach 10,000 page views
Engage 10,000 page views to demonstrate large reach of public users
Planning
Target Audience and Timeline
Target Audience
Statewide public, community leaders, business owners and organization directors; state government and elected officials; and Arkansas media outlets.
Timeline
March 11, 2020 – August 2020
Budget
All work for this project was supported with volunteer time and expertise, no funding.
Planning
Strategy
Multi-pronged approach utilizing strategic partnerships, organic social media, earned media and grassroots opportunities.
- The MHP/Team SI PR team crafted a communications plan to generate public interest and awareness of the website to make it the most valuable and trusted source of information on COVID-19 and the state of business in Arkansas.
- To reach its target audiences, the communications plan used multiple channels such as internal communications, media outreach, borrowed channels and community outreach.
Results
Execution
- MHP/Team SI crafted internal messaging to equip its employees and LRCVB employees to position themselves as brand ambassadors for UpliftArkansas.com. The agency contacted employees via email, the agency’s internal messaging platform, and an internal video call to educate them about the website. Several key members in the community with notable influential reach were identified as partners, contacted and provided a digital marketing toolkit. Within the toolkit, internal stakeholders were provided with message points, social media posts, graphics, a Facebook Profile picture frame and an ask to share on social media and with their community.
- After employees from all entities and designated partners were on board and the website was launched to the public, the PR team coordinated a press release distribution paired with a social media takeover where employees at all organizations and strategic partners would begin posting about the initiative simultaneously at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Through proactive pitching, the media was made aware of key stakeholders who were available for media interviews. The social media launch also offered a space for both the media and the public to ask questions with those leading the initiative.
- The agency also identified borrowed channels and community outreach efforts to raise awareness. Gov. Hutchinson mentioned Uplift Arkansas during his daily COVID-19 press briefing and gave the movement a shout out on his official social media pages. The agency took on different livestreams, groups and influencers to reach out to and spread key message points. The agency posted several types of social media content including videos, articles and branded images to help encourage brand recognition. In the following weeks, the agency identified and forged key partnerships in order to keep Uplift Arkansas at the forefront of its stakeholders.
- A partnership with the Arkansas Agricultural Department allowed the initiative to highlight how Arkansans can support local farmers through the website, and a partnership with Chenal Therapy LLC identified mental health professionals across the state that were offering free counseling services to front-line workers. These partnerships ensured we reached new audiences and affinity groups, as well as provided the team with additional opportunities to engage key audiences with new messaging through earned media, social media and other media partnerships.
Results
Objective 01
Secure 100 Business Listings
Exceeded our objective by securing 503 business listings.
Objective 02
Reach 10,000 Page Views
Users viewed 6,552 online page listings on Uplift to get info on ways to support local businesses. The website received 49,332 page views.
Results
Evaluation
Website Results
UpliftArkansas.com was ranked number one in search results with 503 business listings. Users viewed 6,552 online page listings on Uplift to get info on ways to support local businesses. The website received 49,332 page views.
Earned Media Results
- MHP/Team SI garnered an estimated 2,927,769 earned media impressions.
- MHP/Team SI secured 47 total earned media placements that included 14 TV broadcast segments (across the state), one print placement and 21 online media placements, as well as one podcast and two newsletter placements.
- UpliftArkansas.com received seven social media placements from five influencers whose followers totaled 237,757.
- UpliftArkansas.com received national recognition from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the governor of Arkansas and the American Association of Advertising Agencies for its efforts.
Organic Social Media Results
MHP/Team SI received 47,579 impressions/reach and 3,410 engagements through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Media Partnership Results
MHP/SI leveraged media relationships to engage multiple PSAs that ran on 40+ radio stations, more than six TV stations and 34 billboards in central Arkansas.
