Citizen Outreach & Publications Services

Promotion and Outreach

The USA Services Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC) of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) offers the following services to federal agencies to help them educate the public on agency initiatives and programs.  These activities are designed to build consumer awareness of, and access to, information through publications, which will be available free of charge from FCIC’s distribution facility in Pueblo, Colorado.  FCIC can begin carrying out the outreach activities described below as soon as copies of the publication are available in Pueblo.

The costs of implementing the media/marketing plan are covered by the FCIC budget.  Agencies or their private sector partners are responsible for printing and covering the distribution costs through FCIC’s order fulfillment facility in Pueblo, Colorado.  At an agency’s request, FCIC will limit the number of promotions to match the number of publications available.  FCIC also has the authority to accept funding from private sector partners in support of federal information projects.  This way, private groups can partner with agencies to share printing and distribution costs in a joint project.

 

Marketing and promotional activities may include, but are not limited to the following:

 

1.  Listings in the Consumer Information Catalog

FCIC prints and distributes approximately 10 million copies of the Catalog each year through Member of Congress, schools, libraries, consumer groups, federal offices with large numbers of visitors, such as Social Security offices, and in response to individual requests.  We estimate that approximately 70,000 consumers would order a moderately to highly popular new publication as a result of four listings (one year) in the Catalog.

The FCIC Review Board makes decisions quarterly regarding publications to be listed in the Catalog

 

2.  Websites

FCIC will put the full text of the publications up on its awarding-winning website, www.pueblo.gsa.gov and will link to the Coalition.  The website also carries FCIC press releases and broadcast scripts, a calendar of upcoming consumer-related events and conferences, news from federal agencies, and the entire Consumer Information Catalog.  Consumers access pages on the FCIC website approximately 25 million times annually.  FCIC will also explore adding appropriate links from USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov, official Web portals of the federal government.

The ongoing “pop up” survey developed by the American Consumer Satisfaction Index indicates that pueblo.gsa.gov scores:

• An average of 8.5 out of 10 on “convenience of the publication ordering process,” and
• 8.4 on usefulness of search results

3.  FCIC Press Releases

FCIC prepares and sends press releases based on agency publications to its mailing list of 3,000 editors and reporters who have asked to receive FCIC information.  The press releases are cleared through the agencies.  In addition, FCIC’s media email list of over 9,000 subscribers notifies recipients about new information almost immediately – weeks before printed copies of “New for Consumers” press releases are received by those on the mailing list.  Whether in print or electronic format, the releases highlight the most important information from FCIC publications and explain how consumers can get copies by mail toll-free telephone, or on the Web.

When publications are available in Spanish, FCIC writes press releases in Spanish and distributes them to its Hispanic media mailing list of nearly 500 print and online editors.

When appropriate, FCIC also explores placing a letter with “Dear Abby,” “Heloise” or a similar columnist.  “Dear Abby” appears in 1,400 newspapers nationwide, and more than 500 newspapers carry “Heloise.”  In the past, letters in these columns have generated more than 100,000 requests for information.

 

4.  Mention in “Intelligence Report” section of Parade

FCIC encourages Parade magazine (readership of 82 million in 350 newspapers in all 50 states) to advertise federal booklets as a public service in the “Intelligence Report” section.  Past offers in this column have generated as many as 50,000 requests for a free publication.  Parade requires a lead-in/advance-time of 6 weeks.

 

5.  Broadcast Scripts

FCIC writes and sends broadcast scripts (:30, :15, :10 lengths) as requested to a mailing list of 3,000 radio and television contacts nationwide.  The purpose of these scripts is to provide consumer facts directly to those who rely on the broadcast media for news and information.  Radio and television coverage also reaches a wider socio-economic audience than relying on print messages alone

 

6.  Personal Promotional Visits

FCIC media staff encourages articles based on federal publications through quarterly visits to major consumer and women’s magazines in New York City, such as U.S. News and World Report (2 million circulation), Money (1.9 million), Good Housekeeping (4.7 million), Woman’s Day (3.9 million), and Ladies Home Journal (3.9 million).  These magazines generally have a 3-month or more lead-time.

Personal promotional pitches to major Washington, DC media include The Washington Post, the Washington Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, etc., and the major wire services, including Maturity News Service, AP, Gannett, Copley News Service, and Knight-Ridder.

 

7.  National Contact Center and 1 (800) FED INFO

The National Contact Center (NCC) of FCIC serves as a single point of contact for individuals with questions about federal agencies, programs and services.  The NCC, operated under contract by the private sector, also processes telephone requests for consumer publications, including publications available through the cooperative publishing program.  Specially selected and trained staff field calls in English and Spanish from 8 AM to 8 PM Monday through Friday Eastern Time.  Information agents at the NCC also refer callers with questions to the appropriate federal agencies, answer emails from citizens within two business days, and are available for direct online assistance from 12 PM to 8 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.  FCIC adds publication information to the extensive database used by its information agents and the public.

 

8.  Consumer Action Handbook

FCIC adds appropriate information from federal publications to the Consumer Action Handbook and provides a direct link to the agency website through the electronic edition at www.ConsumerAction.gov.  The Handbook is one of the most informative and popular consumer documents ever issued by the government.  Over 500,000 copies are distributed free of charge annually through Members of Congress, consumer organizations, schools, and libraries nationwide.  The first Spanish-language edition of the Handbook, the Guia, was released in June 2007.

 

9.  Special Targeted Promotions

FCIC can assist federal and corporate partners who have planned their own media and marketing campaigns, by providing special addresses and fulfillment services. For example, FCIC was the distribution arm of the “Powerful Bones/Powerful Girls” campaign supported jointly by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Osteoporosis Foundation. For many years FCIC has included special publication offers with tax refunds sent out by the IRS.

 

10.  Congressional Offices

FCIC news releases automatically go to congressional offices in Washington, D.C. In addition, FCIC designs special publication offers that are sent to congressional district offices throughout the country.  A recent special publications offer had a 21% response rate, resulting in the distribution of 10,231 publications in Spanish and 30,305 publications in English. FCIC has an excellent relationship with congressional offices. We serve as a trusted source of information in that they distribute publications ordered from us to their constituents (in their offices, booths at county and state fairs).

 

11.  Spanish Language Promotions

For publications available in Spanish, FCIC offers media and marketing services comparable to those in English.

In addition, every fiscal year FCIC coordinates a direct mail publication offer for Spanish-speaking individuals through community organizations and trusted leaders. CIC purchases a mailing list of consumer protection and counseling organizations, childcare and health care providers, mental health clinics and social services centers in Hispanic communities across the country and offers them bulk copies of appropriate publications in Spanish.

In 2007, 20 federal agencies and private organizations participated in this project. Over more than one million copies of 43 different publications in Spanish were requested. The cost of this project will be an estimated 12 cents per copy in 2008.

FCIC also posts information in 24 other languages on www.pueblo.gsa.gov and has conducted targeted mailings to communities and organizations in major Asian languages.

 

» Contact us, if you have any questions or need additional information about our services.