SITUATION
The Louisiana Policy Institute for Children (LPIC) is a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring Louisiana’s children, from birth to age four, are prepared for success in school and in life. An independent source of data, research and pertinent information for policymakers, stakeholders and the public at large around issues related to young children in Louisiana, LPIC develops policy proposals informed by data, research, best practices and the experiences of other states to improve the outcomes of Louisiana’s youngest citizens. LPIC further provides educational and outreach activities based on their recommended policy solutions, working to ensure that Louisiana’s children are safe and healthy, while having the opportunities necessary to reach their full potential.
To help further their legislative agenda and to position the organization as a thought leader in the early care and education sector on both a regional and national scale, LPIC selected Gambel Communications as their public relations and strategic communications partner.
STRATEGIES
As part of an ongoing public relations and communications campaign, Gambel Communications works with LPIC on its media relations efforts, earning extensive coverage in print, online media, television and radio. Gambel also has helped organize and execute a number of initiatives for LPIC, including a legislative webinar leading up to the 2019 election, 2020 LA Early Ed Week events and four virtual press conferences (amid COVID-19) announcing institute research, to name a few.
Gambel Communications layers in with its public relations effort a sound social media strategy that serves to complement and amplify the organization’s accomplishments, messaging, legislative agenda, and more. Gambel Communications’ main social media focus for LPIC is the execution and management of their Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Gambel Communications curates social media content week in and week out for LPIC. Content includes a variety of relevant and timely news articles about the early care and education sector, company announcements, legislative updates, calls to action, and more – all coupled with photos, graphics, videos, which Gambel has either sourced or produced. Throughout each week, Gambel actively monitors posts and mentions of both LPIC and their leadership across social media platforms.
In addition to organic content creation and community management, Gambel plans and executes advertising campaigns on LPIC’s Facebook account with identified key performance indicators (KPI’s). Objectives of these campaigns vary throughout the year, but they are often to build following and engagement, or to drive individuals to donation pages when appropriate.
On top of the turnkey social media management of both LPIC’s Twitter and Facebook accounts, Gambel Communications is tasked with creating social media strategies and toolkits for various initiatives the organization undertakes throughout the year. These toolkits are widely shared with various stakeholders and industry partners with the goal of ensuring consistent messaging while maximizing awareness and impact. These toolkits include an introduction on how to best utilize the resources provided along with sample posts, visual assets including branded graphics and photographs, as well as suggested hashtags to include – all coupled with a timeline of when the posts should be published for greatest impact.
RESULT
As a direct result of Gambel’s social media strategy, content creation and community management, the following outcomes have resulted since LPIC first contracted the firm in 2019:
Number of individuals following the LPIC Facebook page increased by 232 percent, from 710 to 2,354
Number of accounts following the LPIC Twitter account increased by 196 percent, from 136 to 402
76,743 impressions on Twitter – an increase of 309 percent over the previous year
3,883 engagements on Twitter – an increase of 300 percent over the previous year
325 post link clicks on Twitter – an increase of 104 percent over the previous year
430,271 impressions on Facebook – an increase of 342 percent over the previous year
17,348 engagements on Facebook – an increase of 100 percent over the previous year
3,196 link clicks on Facebook – an increase of 264 percent over the previous year
Below are just a few of the significant policy and legislative outcomes that Gambel’s efforts have contributed to in Louisiana over the last year:
A historic investment of $18.8 million in new statewide funding for early care and education
More than 1,400 new child care assistance seats funded allowing low-income working parents to access subsidies for quality child care for their young children
$3 million in local funding by the City of New Orleans for early care and education, doubling the previous year’s allocation
Expansion of the Early Childhood Education Trust Fund and increasing the state-to-local match and new funding sources.
The Louisiana Department of Education receiving a federal Preschool Development Grant for $33 million for early care and education.
The state providing subsidized care for children of essential workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic
The Louisiana Department of Education releasing their “Strong Start 2020 Planning Guide for Early Childhood”
Louisiana Senate passing a bill that dedicates funding from fantasy sports betting to early care and education
The Louisiana Department of Education awarding various rounds of millions of dollars in federal funding grants to child care providers aimed at offsetting financial implications of COVID-19