ocial Media has made it to the final frontier: Congress! And to best understand how and who is using it the Congressional Management Foundation has put together a first of its kind research paper "#SocialCongress: Perceptions and Use of Social media on Capitol Hill". Here at SevenTwenty we were are super excited to partner with Brad Fitch President & CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation and have him join us to share the results of the study so you can know how offices are using social media, who is responsible for social media strategy and what staffers view as the benefits and drawbacks of social media.

1. #SocialCongress
Perceptions and Use of Social Media
on Capitol Hill
Call In: (702) 489-0007
Access Code: 445-939-781
Pin: ENTER AFTER LOGGING IN

2. Congressional Management Foundation
• Founded in 1977
• Management Guidance to Individual Offices
• Training and Publications
• Research on Congress
• Evaluate Web Sites – Gold Mouse Awards

4. Agenda
• History of Research
• Methodology
• Findings

5. Methodology
• Survey Conducted Oct. through Dec. 2010
• 260 Respondents
• Representative Balance by Chamber & Party
• House – Majority Senior Managers
• Senate – Plurality Senior Managers

6. #SocialCongress Introduction:
Congress is often accused of being slow to
adapt. Whether it be through institutional reforms or
technological developments, the House and Senate
are often criticized as being resistant to change. This
has not been the case with social media.
— Introduction, #SocialCongress

7. While congressional offices may lag behind
some leading private-sector organizations in their
use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the
legislative branch has adopted social media much
more quickly than it adopted other technologies,
such as fax machines, email and websites.
— Introduction, #SocialCongress

8. While difficult to precisely quantify, it is hard
not to conclude that both legislators and citizens
have benefited from a robust new offering of
communications vehicles and platforms.
— Introduction, #SocialCongress

9. Findings

10. Finding 1
Congressional offices are using social media to help
gauge public opinion, augmenting traditional tools
used for that purpose.

11. Survey Question
“In your opinion, how important are the following
for understanding constituents' views and
opinions?”

12. 34%
34%
42%
44%
54%
56%
64%
68%
83%
90%
90%
97%
98%
Member/Senator's blog
YouTube
Twitter
Online town hall meetings
Online surveys/polls
Identical form communications
Facebook
Paper surveys/polls
Telephone town hall meetings
District/state office hours
In person town hall meetings
Personalized messages from constituents
Attending events in the district/state
Very Important Somewhat Important

13. Finding 2
Congressional offices now include social media
among the tools used to communicate Senators’ and
Representatives’ views and activities.

14. Survey Question
“In your opinion, how important are the
following for communicating the
Member/Senator's views and activities to
constituents?”

15. 39%
44%
51%
64%
72%
74%
79%
80%
82%
83%
85%
91%
95%
98%
99%
100%
Member/Senator's blog
Online town hall meetings
Twitter
Paper newsletters
YouTube
Facebook
Telephone town hall meetings
Franked mass mailing letters
National media
District/state office hours
In person town hall meetings
Email newsletters
Member/Senator's official website
Attending events in the district/state
Responses to constituent mail
Local media
Very Important Somewhat Important

16. Facebook
YouTube
Twitter
Member's
Blog 34%
39%
42%
51%
34%
72%
64%
74%
Constituent's Views
Member's Views
Constituent's Views
Member's Views
Constituent's Views
Member's Views
Constituent's Views
Member's Views
Importance of Social Media Tools for
Communicating with Constituents
Very Important Somewhat Important

17. Finding 3
Congressional staff feel the benefits of using social
media outweigh the risks.

18. 72%
59%
55%
7%
10%
14%
Social media enables us to
reach people we were not
reaching before.
Social media is worth the
time my office spends on it.
Social media offers my office
more benefits than risks.
Staffers’ Views on the Value of Social Media
Agree Disagree

19. Finding 4
Younger staffers see more value in social media than
their older colleagues.

20. 66%
58%
32%
6%
12%
27%
30 and Younger 31-50 51 and Older
Social Media is Worth the Time My Office Spends on It
Agree Disagree

21. 63%
49%
36%
10%
24%
18%
30 and Younger 31-50 51 and Older
We Can Control Our Message on Social Media
Agree Disagree

22. Finding 5
Staffers from offices that embrace technology are
more likely to see social media as a benefit to the
office and to believe the Internet has improved the
dialogue between citizens and Congress.

23. Technology Adoption Terms
• Early Adopters: “My office is among the first to use
new communications tools.”
• Mainstream Adopters: “My office waits until other
offices have proven new tools.”
• Late Adopters: “My office is among the last to try
new tools.” “My office is not interested in using new
tools.”

24. Technology Adoption Terms
• Early Adopters:
• Mainstream Adopters:
• Late Adopters:
34%
48%
12%

25. 43%
77%
54%
69%
62%
53%
Made Members/Senators more responsive
to their constituents.
Caused staff to worry more about
information being leaked prematurely or
taken out of context.
Email and the Internet Have…
Late Adopters Mainstream Early Adopters

26. 54%
11%
68%
36%
88%
47%
Social media enables us to reach people we
were not reaching before.
Social media enables us to have more
meaningful interactions with constituents.
Social Media and Constituents
Late Adopters Mainstream Early Adopters

27. Finding 6
Social media managers have a more positive view of
constituent communications than senior managers
or staffers who are primarily tasked with answering
mail.

28. 45%
74%
68%66%
47%
60%
70%
59%
46%
Reduced the quality of
constituent messages to
Capitol Hill
Made Members/Senators
more accountable
to their constituents
Made Members/Senators
more responsive to their
constituents
Email and the Internet Have…
Social Media Managers Mail Staffers Senior Managers

29. Coming:
Congress on Facebook

32. Presentations & Webinars
• “How to be an Effective Citizen Advocate”
• “How to Influence Lawmakers Back Home”
• “How to Conduct an Event in the District Members
of Congress Will Attend”

33. Invite Legislator to Facility

34. Organizers’ Benefits
• Chart of the Month
• Slide of the Month
• Private Briefings on Research
• 2-4 Minute Co-Branded Training Videos

35. Videos
• “Strategies for Influencing Undecided Lawmakers”
• “How Congress is Using Social Media”
• “What Congress is Looking for in Constituent Communications”
Handouts
• How to Build Relationships with Elected Officials
• How to Maximize Your Impact on Congressional Decision-Making
• How to Create an Event Which Will Attract a Member of Congress,
Local Media and Enhance Your Mission – It’s Easier than You Think

36. 2013 Research / Surveys
• House Chiefs of Staff – Best Practices for Fly-In Meetings and
Leave-Behind Material
• House Schedulers – Best Practices for Setting Up Meetings with
Members of Congress and Staff
• House District Directors – Best Practices for In-State Interactions
with Lawmakers

37. CongressFoundation.org
bfitch@CongressFoundation.org