Lobbyists Embrace Social Media
Twitter, Facebook and other types of social media are increasingly becoming important tools for Washington's lobbying community. In a discussion on National Journal's lobbying blog, several lobbyists this week discussed how they have come to rely on these tools to advance causes for their clients.
Pat Cleary, Fleishman-Hillard's senior vice president of digital public affairs, said his firm has embraced social media for all its lobbying and advocacy campaigns. "Twitter has quietly emerged as a powerful grassroots tool," Cleary said. His firm first used it in a campaign for a coalition called FixHousingFirst, which was pushing for a tax credit for all new home buyers. "It turned out to be such a huge success," he said.
Shawn Bullard, president of the lobbying firm Duetto Group, touted the rise and importance of texting as a tool for fundraising and grass-roots organizing. While much has been made of the funds raised for Haitian earthquake victims through texting, Bullard also pointed to the recent success that Republican candidates such as Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell have had in asking supporters to "text GOBOB to 46462 to volunteer, work phone banks, but most importantly to vote."
While social media is an important component of any campaign, Connie Partoyan, executive vice president of the public relations firm Direct Impact, said "it should be in addition to and not at the expense of other key parts of the campaign (advertising, research, message development, grassroots, etc). Social media is just another avenue to get your message out and mobilize people who are important to your effort."
Categories:
Lobbying
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus