The inspiration behind Arka Pana Consulting is simple: good people, organized around a shared belief, can change the world.
Social media has redefined how our world communicates. Arka Pana Consulting specializes in marrying new social media initiatives with established outreach strategies designed to guide your organization into the future. We turn passion into product.
With a nod toward founder Nora Brathol’s passion for international human rights, Arka Pana’s name was inspired by a church in Nowa Huta, Poland that survived communism, was consecrated by the man who became Pope John Paul II, and whose Christ statue is famous as a stark memory of the atrocities of World War II. Arka Pana church stands as a reminder of our world’s past and as an ark of refuge and hopeful faith in the future. All is possible with a touch of faith!
WHO WE ARE
RESULTS
Spoiler alert: this is the section where we brag. Hard.
- generated a 30% year-over-year increase in volunteer engagement
- increased web traffic by 60% in 90 days
- tripled an organization’s real, organic followers on social media in less than 3 months
- achieved a 5-year fundraising high for a non-profit by designing and leading a comprehensive marketing campaign
- utilized social media to secure traditional press (aka earned media) in major media outlets like the Chicago Sun-Times
- ran successful Influencer campaigns to ensure clients reach target audiences through mentions by high-profile individuals like elected officials and professional athletes
- doubled app downloads in 30 days
- overcame a 10-point polling deficit for a politician in 40 days
- increased product sales by 38% in 4 months
- doubled email open rate for a political campaign from 20% to 40% in 60 days
SERVICES
Strategy Development
Not every social media network is the right platform right for every business. We’ll help you define and identify the demographics and behaviors of your target audience (hello, Google Analytics) and provide an all-encompassing digital marketing strategy with concrete action items that will support your unqiue business goals.
From improving website UX and performing keyword and hashtag research to choosing a domain name or which social media networks to invest in, we’ll develop a strategy that fits you like the pigskin fits Aaron Rodgers’ hand*, so you can see the kind of social media returns of which dreams are made.**
*yes, we went there. Founder Nora Brathol did grow up in Wisconsin after all. And you know all you Bears fans are just jealous of his MVP awesomeness.
**our apologies to Jay Z. For us, the concrete jungle dreams are made of is less an empire state of mind and more of a viral campaign proof of concept.
Campaign Execution
So you know your target markets, you know where they are and what they are saying and doing – and now you’re stuck. Basically, you’ve got the strategy but don’t have the time or ability to execute. We feel you, and we’ve got your back (or more accurately, your keyboard).
From graphic designers and bloggers to Adwords and IT security experts (oh my!), our team is filled with specialists that will be here every step of the way, guiding you down the yellow brick road of digital success. The Social Media Wizard of Oz isn’t as far behind a mysterious curtain as you may think, and we’ll encourage you to not only take the first step munchkin style but we’ll be there if you feel like you’ve lost your mind Scarecrow-style , if you lose heart like the Tin Man or even if you feel like picking a fight online Cowardly Lion style.
Okay, we’ll stop with the Dorothy references (even though we do like wearing red heels). Moral of the story: successful digital marketing can be a long road and involves a lot of testing, and we have both the creative and technical chops to execute quickly and efficiently so you can get back to running your business and your love for your field.
Digital Advertising
Some claim that social media nowadays is all “pay to play.”
They would be wrong. Investing in organic social media campaigns, or a well-built website that optimizes for key search terms, will equal higher quality leads and more loyal customers long-term. However, ad campaigns are a crucial part of any successful digital marketing strategy – the ROI on targeted Facebook ads optimized for specific conversions, or Google Ads for long-tail keywords, can be pretty just as awesome as that first bite of cherry pie after you spent all weekend in July picking fresh cherries in Door County (Wisconsin girl nerd alert). Speaking of pies…
Those cherries are only one ingredient. You also need flour. And sugar. And lots of other things, probably (we don’t bake). The point is that any digital advertising campaign will not be as successful as it could be unless the time, effort, and yes resources are invested to ensure all the ingredients are there in the right amounts. Paying for Google Adwords without a website funnel optimized for conversion is a like baking a cherry pie without flour. Investing in Facebook ads without installed Facebook’s pixel is like baking said pie without sugar – sure, it could still be eaten, but everyone will leave dinner disappointed. And not investing in organic SEO at all is like throwing a pie in the oven without a pie tin (luckily, we’re good at cleaning up messes — and we’re Yoast Certified).
Keyword Research
Keyword research is the base for all things internet. But it’s not as simple as what you type into Google: from hashtags to eblast subject lines to blog titles, good keyword research is like good cake: exacting in the ingredients, carefully mixed, and delicious when it’s right but oh so bad when it’s wrong. In other words, exactly what Buddy Valastro does for cakes, we do for your brand. We’ll research the competition, we’ll build a list of better (and likely bigger) keywords that actually have a chance to convert for you, and we’ll keep doing it until you’re done writing or the cows come home, whichever comes first.
Social Media Audits
So you’ve been investing in social media, and it hasn’t paid off. Perhaps you’ve made some mistakes, like not doing regular data analysis or prioritizing quantity over quality. It’s okay – live and learn, right? We’ll perform an audit on every aspect of your digital marketing campaigns, from individual social media posts to your website’s keywords to your Google Ads cost per conversion, digging deep into that data and finding what others have missed. Then we’ll spend oodles of time with you, making recommendations and providing reports and clear action items and unique data points and realistic projections and….oh man, we’re drooling just thinking about it. Because we’re problem solvers – and we love our data.
Consulting
Digital marketing can be overwhelming – we get it. There’s lots of nuances in data interpretation, a huge variety of opinions in what is “right,” and a sea of options when it comes to hiring someone (or someones) to help in this space.
We want you to be successful online and for your investment in social media to pay off, which is why you should ask these questions before hiring any digital marketer. Whether you are looking for a second (or third or fourth) opinion, or you don’t have the budget to dive right in, or you’d like to try the DIY route, we’re here to give you advice before you pull the “like” trigger. Book an hourly consultation, have us come speak at your event, or present to your business.
