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Celebrating 15 Years
Keeping you informed of news, information and insights from New Jersey's leader in government affairs, public relations and community organizing.
 		March 2009
Message From Steven E. Some: Communicating Everywhere
Photo of Steven E. SomeI hope this month's newsletter finds you doing well and enjoying the beginning of spring. This month we're focusing on how businesses, associations and organizations can use the technologies available at our fingertips to move issues, spread communications and enhance public participation. I hope you find this month's edition insightful and informative. As always, please don't hesitate to call us at 609-514-2600 if there is anything we can do for you, your business or organization. -Steven E. Some, President - Capital Public Affairs
What Are Facebook and Twitter?
If you've paid any attention to the news over the past 6 months, you have no doubt heard Facebook and Twitter endlessly mentioned, debated and discussed. But, what are the bottom-line on these web site and how can they move your business or issue forward? Let's take a closer look:

Facebook Logo
Facebook is a social networking web site. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, update their personal status and profiles and interact with with people their connected to on Facebook. The web site's name refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of a campus community that some US colleges give to incoming students and faculty as a way to get to know people on campus.

Initially targeted exclusively to college students, the site now accepts registrations from anyone. Since taking the lid off membership, Facebook has seen a meteoric rise in active users, especially from visitors 35-years of age and older. Generations of new Facebook users are re-connecting with high school and college friends, staying connected and informed with family members and friends and, increasingly, using the tools available on the site to market and promote their business. That's where it gets interesting.

Businesses can and should establish a presence on Facebook utilizing Facebook Pages. Pages are very similar to individual profiles but are meant specifically for businesses, causes and organizations. Setting up a page allows you to post contact information, messages, status updates, videos, etc. - almost any digital content you can think of! You can also connect with colleagues, customers and colleagues as people become "Fans" of your organization on Facebook. The marketing and promotional potential on Facebook can be overwhelming. It's best to think big, start small and strive to remain active on the site, regularly updating and promoting your business, organization or cause.

Twitter Logo
Twitter burst onto the technology scene in 2007 at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. Since then, it has become a media darling as well as a huge question mark for many people. Twitter is a social networking service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets, or updates, are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. So, it's a service that allows you to post (nearly) anything you want, 140 characters at a time.

It may seem like not much of value can be said or promoted in 140 characters or less. That's a common misconception. Twitter is a great way to publish links to your news stories, blog posts, white papers, etc. It's also a great way to offer bight-sized insights and expertise on your subject matter. Twitter is searchable, making it easy to find people and organizations with similar goals, tastes, location, etc. That same search functionality also empowers brands and organizations to closely monitor the conversation and be aware of relevant tweets about their company, service, cause, etc.

Twitter is a great way to identify your intended audience and interact directly with them. Of course, as with all social networks, you must be sure to add value and continually demonstrate your expertise. Yes, services like Twitter and Facebook have their share of navel-gazers, but they also have a wide range of businesses and organizations pushing their messages to interested and active audiences, and that's a great thing in any economy.
CPA Services and Solutions
We've received a very warm response to our monthly newsletter with many readers responding directly to the email messages, calling our office or visiting our web site. Some people had questions about the complete list of services we offer our clients and we thought it would be valuable for all newsletter readers to be aware of the services offered by Capital Public Affairs.

Public Relations - Communications is a critical component to the success of our clients. We develop our clients' messages and then work with members of the media to achieve the desired results. Our approach is designed to effectively deliver key messages to targeted audiences, build and maintain quality reputations and motivate and shape public opinion. We not only respond to specific situations, but actively control them to achieve desired outcomes. We take a multi-faceted approach to strategic media public relations, engaging all possible angles in order to achieve our client's business objective in a timely and effective manner.

Government Affairs - CPA has been at the forefront of leading the debate on issues of state and national importance and we have made our mark by creating and executing successful government affairs campaigns for major corporations, governments, trade associations, coalitions, and nonprofit organizations.

CPA's team is experienced in developing and implementing focused and seamless goal-oriented plans that are consistent in message and successful.  Our professionals work extensively with local and regional elected officials, government executives, and community leaders to achieve results for our clients. In addition, our extensive political and governmental experience, derived from decades of combined service at the state, local and federal levels afford us superior access to key players within all layers of government.

We understand that in order to be successful, a government relations strategy must educate elected officials and other government decision makers in a comprehensive, straight-forward and timely manner. Our strategies are designed to show decision-makers that our clients' proposals are in the best interest of government and the people they serve. We anticipate the needs of politicians and decision-makers and build our arguments to address them. Getting the meeting is important, but having the right strategy before you get there is crucial to accomplishing your goals.

Community Outreach - Constituent mobilization is an integral part of any effective political or public policy campaign. Capital Public Affairs has developed strategic grassroots capabilities and is now recognized as one of the leaders in this practice.

Our extensive network of operatives can be galvanized on very short notice. They know the political landscape, the local community and most importantly, the people whose opinions matter most - friends, neighbors and business leaders who policymakers turn to for advice.

Polling & Survey Research - Whether we are conducting research for a large, long-term campaign or conducting a single project, we pro-actively set out to anticipate, meet and exceed our clients' expectations by providing the highest level of service and value possible. Good survey research starts with sound methodology.  That's why our firm places such importance on questionnaire design, accurate sampling and proper demographic stratification. Samples of interviews are always monitored for quality control and every analysis we provide contains a detailed methodological overview.

Capital Public Affairs knows how vital it is to identify and quantify public perception and opinion in order to effectively educate, inform and influence decision makers. We don't just report numbers; we will develop your communications and marketing plans by translating the data into a strategic message. We consider our poll numbers to be akin to a "road map" that helps chart a path to victory. Simply put, it helps our clients "get there from here."
CPA Moves Issues for New Jersey Chiropractors
ANJC LogoThe Association of New Jersey Chiropractors is working on legislation in Trenton to enhance their members' scope of practice. Part of the challenge facing the Chiropractors was how to mobilize patients and supporters in favor of the legislation so that they could have a meaningful impact on the debate. Capital Public Affairs stepped in and worked with the Chiropractors to implement a web-based grassroots mobilization effort. Our work has focused on the web-based system located here.

Speaking about the efforts, the Association's Executive Director Dr. Sig Miller said, "The Association of New Jersey Chiropractors needed to ensure our issue was heard and understood in Trenton. We knew we had a large groundswell of mainstream support, but we needed a way to leverage that support and move the issue ahead in Trenton. Capital Public Affairs provided a web-based solution that empowers patients, doctors and other supporters to quickly and easily contact their elected officials and voice their support for our legislation. We are very pleased with the innovative solutions and services provided by Capital Public Affairs. They've made a big difference for our members and our patients."
 
NJBIZ Considers Future of Public Affairs and Communications
NJBIZ LogoNJBIZ recently had an article about the state of the public affairs industry in New Jersey. The feature discussed new methods local firms are using to find clients and move issues forward. Steven E. Some was interviewed for the story and provided an excellent summary of CPA's vision of the future.

But perhaps the lobbying firm that most transformed itself is Princeton-based Capital Public Affairs, which two years ago went from pure lobbying in hallways of government buildings to what it calls a "grassroots public affairs firm" employing strategies made famous by President Barack Obama's election campaign.

It (CPA) will create Web sites, launch letter-writing campaigns, conduct surveys and write news releases, in addition to lobbying policymakers, said Steven E. Some, principal.

"In the last two years, we have completely changed our firm," said Some, who heads a staff of 12 in Trenton and Washington, D.C. "This type of new-world service is what clients want today."