Showcase site visits from elected officials

If you’ve hosted a lawmaker at your business, you’ve likely experienced the pride of walking them through the showroom, introducing them to your bobtail drivers and talking about providing propane to your community.

There are many reasons to bring in an elected official for a visit to your company. Hosting a congressional site visit is an effective way to promote your business and the propane industry, according to the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA).

Once you bring an official to your facility, it’s time to talk about marketing and promoting the meeting. During the visit, be sure to take good notes and snap a lot of photos.

Notes needed:

• Write down the highlights of the meeting.
• List any conversation topics and what was discussed.
• Document the tour with details about what was seen and who was met.
• Check spellings of everyone’s name and title.

Photo possibilities:

• Take a group photo that includes the elected official as well as company employees.
• Snap a picture of the policymaker touring the facility.
• Get photos of any introductions or conversations during the tour.
• Remember to send selected images to the official and their office.

Be sure to share the news of the visit with your employees as well as your customers. There are many ways to spread the word.

Here are some suggestions on how to promote the visit digitally:

• Post on social media. Nearly all elected officials are on at least one social media platform: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. When posting images or updates from the visit, be sure to tag the lawmaker and their office in your posts. Any images used for social media can also be used for other marketing purposes and platforms.
• Send email newsletters. Send out an email notice to employees before the visit so that they are fully prepared. This can help generate ideas for discussions and get the team ready for introductions. For customers, recap the visit with photos and details in an e-newsletter to let them know about the visit and your company’s involvement in the community and with legislation.
• Share the news in your community. Draft a press release about the visit and facility tour to post on your website alongside photos of the meeting. Consider sending the press release to local media outlets to spread the word about the visit and your propane company. If you need help drafting a press release or with the logistics of setting up a visit, you can leverage resources offered by the NPGA.

3 steps to set up a site visit

It’s important to host elected officials at your company. A visit with a policymaker creates opportunities for discussions about what your business offers, how the company impacts the community and any challenges you face as a business owner. Building relationships with lawmakers is beneficial for your company and the propane industry.

Here are three simple steps to setting up a site visit:

• Contact the NPGA and let them know which member of Congress you would like to host. The NPGA will then contact that official on your behalf.
• A congressional staffer will reach out to you to confirm the date and logistics of the site visit.
• Host your legislator. Take them on a tour of your facility, introduce them to your employees and have a friendly conversation. NPGA will provide you with background information and talking points to make the process as easy as possible.

If your company is interested in hosting a member of Congress or other elected official at your propane company, you can contact Eric Sears, senior manager of state association relations for NPGA, at 513-368-4228 or esears@npga.org.

A toolkit is also available for NPGA members at npga.org/propane-days-365.