Some of our clients come to us asking for a specific online strategy for getting their message across, but often clients that come to us for public affairs counsel ask to be convinced of the need to integrate online communications into their outreach before they embrace the whole strategy. The reality is that if you want to have a voice in the policy process, with congressional offices and regulators, you need to take that voice online, in addition to using traditional media. When our clients ask to be convinced of this, we might ask: where do you think policymakers go to get information on your organization, on your issues?

They go online. According to a National Journal study, at least 70% of congressional staffers visit online news sites multiple times per day, and 17% keep at least one national news site always open in their web browser.

And Congress reads blogs. Beyond being entertaining to political junkies and covering stories that the mainstream media don’t, blogs are an important source for congressional staffers because they identify future political issues and offer more analysis on political debates. Nine out of ten Congressional offices read blogs, as reported in a study by the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. And 53% of congressional staffers are active blog readers, according to the same National Journal study.

These are the facts of public affairs work, and we have a drawer full of them. Check out this resource with more research that proves that organizations that want to make their voices heard, on issues and policy, must use the power of the Web and blogs.

October 30th, 2008 by Lowen Baumgarten | 1 Comment