This is a open letter to Congressional staff.
Staff spend an inordinate amount of time trying to blast messages — from press releases to advertising — that will end up being seen by many, but only heard by a few. These are also important, but they are messages designed for the masses. How well do you respond to mass marketing?
Yet staff often ignore a prime opportunity to get a tailored message directly into the hands of people who want to hear that message. You know what issues concern them, and you have an opportunity to hand deliver an unfiltered message directly to them. This is a marketers’ dream, but your reality.
This is exactly what constituent mail is. It is an opportunity to speak directly to someone about an issue they care about without the filter of the media or the distortion of your opponent. They could become an ambassador for you, vote for you, or at least tell your friends you had the professional courtesy to respond.
Yes, maybe they just clicked a link, maybe they were transferred to the office via an operator for an organization, or maybe they don’t understand the issue or have the facts. Who cares? They are a constituent. You now know who they are, how to get a hold of them, and what motivates them. You have the opportunity to talk to them and say exactly what you want them to hear.
Your time is well spent responding to constituent mail.
There is a lot to be said here, but the bottom line is that constituent mail is political gold. Cash it in, don’t throw it back in the river.