What Is Government Marketing?

Let’s quickly highlight what government marketing is as well as what is not.

Direct marketing to your local or federal government is not the same as marketing directly to private consumers (B2C) and other small businesses (B2B).

For instance, instead of using marketing strategies that reach women between the ages of 18-24; government marketing tactics are designed to bring consumers to local, state, and federal focus.

Therefore, when you’re looking for contracts, you’re operating within the government market, not the consumer market.

Does The Government require Your Services?

The next question to consider is what kind of goods and services your local, state and federal governments need most.

According to the United States of America, General Services Administration (GSA), U.S. government departments, annually grant contracts to small businesses who offer services:

• Consulting
• Energy
• Environmental
• Financial
• Information Technology (IT)
• Language and Interpretation
• Logistics

The GSA also maintains the GSA Schedules Program, the largest contract program for small businesses.

Let’s explain further and learn how to find even more opportunities for public contracts.

Discover Government Consumers with Market Research.

Note, there are a lot of small businesses like you vying for contracts, so it’s crucial to carry out comprehensive market research before bidding.

Accessing the GSA Schedules Program is a great resource, but it’s not the only one.

Keep in mind the amount you want; you can also identify opportunities in the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) database or the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) database.

To improve your study, we also recommend reading the Commercial Business Daily (CBD) to learn more about your previous contracts.

It is also worth mentioning: TendersPage is a public procurement search engine, and we index more than 50,000 openings per day from all over the world.

Ensure Constant Optimization of Your SAM Business Profile

Prior to bidding on a government contract, you need to make sure that you are registered with the SBA Award Management System or SAM. Here, you’re going to register your small business, add your company’s resume, and other vital information that buyers need.

When licensed with SAM, government agencies will select you according to criteria such as qualifications, location, company size, industry experience, and more.

This will be your first major government marketing test as your business profile needs to “sell” your company to these agencies.

Your Government Marketing Plan

State consumers adhere to a rather rigid buying plan year-to-year, as opposed to private stores, for example.

The first thing you want to do, then, is to formulate your marketing plan around this timetable.

When it comes to government ads, you can always rely on the majority of the procurement transaction that will take place in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year. This gives you a six-month to 12-month marketing window to work with.

Government contractors have a peculiar problem when it comes to selling themselves. Juxtaposed to traditional business-to-business or business-to-consumer marketing, government procurement officers and program managers are a much finer group on the market.

Contract wins require building awareness and relationships with all decision-makers. For small to medium-sized contractors, the proper allocation of time and resources is a prerequisite for successful government marketing. Moreover, if want to win government contracts, the following strategies are worth taking advantage of.

1. Focus on Innovation.

Government contractors are best served for market innovation by using internal tools to reach specific decision-makers with timely messages. Associations that hold award programs specifically designed to present leaders at the federal, state and local government levels use. Ivendor recognition competitions sponsored by government agencies are often an acceptable way for innovators to be rewarded by organizations; they are not a formal vendor endorsement and can also raise employee morale. Focused efforts to generate media coverage is important to establish your business as a leader.

2. Understanding Government Ethics.

Typical marketing strategies employ call-to-action — this may include something along the lines of, “Sign up for our newsletter and have a chance to win our product.” While call-to-action is still a must in government marketing, all government employees must abide by ethical rules prohibiting the acceptance of gratuities or gifts. There are some exceptions, including educational materials that comes as part of a marketing effort; but otherwise, be sure that your call for action is consistent with the ethical rules that government agencies follow.

Which makes a good call-to-action? Clear, concise language that’s not a waste of space. It should encourage your audience to engage with you in some way, whether by signing up for your newsletter, receiving a white paper or case study, following you on social media, or contacting you directly.

3. Utilizing Targeted Campaigns.

Contractors are already familiar with the fact that winning an agency contract is usually a long sales cycle compared to how many other firms work. To smaller vendors, your time is a valuable resource— meaning that sometimes you can only approach one government agency at a time. In such a competitive marketplace, it is essential that you build tailored strategies that can be key to winning contracts. Looking at the promotion and outreach efforts is a critical element in the proper marketing of government agencies.

4. Developing Digital Experiences.

These days, your online presence may be the first way for a decision-maker to get in contact with your firm. Getting all your business and product information online is a must, but beyond that, there are many innovative ways to give the customers exclusive interactive experiences. Creating virtual tours of your facilities could be a great way to show your company’s culture and brand with relative ease. Creating original content, like tutorial images, is also a great way to get yourself heard. Note that online experience has replaced a lot of traditional marketing approaches, which means that you need to worry about what modern alternatives are to the age-old means of reaching your clients. When you can’t show your stuff in person, find an eye-catching way to do so online.

5. Creating a Responsive Website.

Talking of online marketing, never forget how important the website really is. It is advisable to have a section of your website dedicated to government procurement. Nonetheless, it is also essential to create sensitive landing pages that work exactly how you need them: visitors on mobile devices should have the same experience as those who look at your web on computers.

Responsive landing pages don’t just make a better user experience. These websites rank higher in the search engine rankings so that your adequately optimized website is above your competitors. This is because having a responsive website makes it easier for Google to scan your original content, making it more searchable.

This blog was written by Linda Rawson, who is the founder of DynaGrace Enterprises (dynagrace.com) and the inventor of WeatherEgg (weatheregg.com). She, along with her daughter, Jennifer Remund make up the mother-daughter duo of 2BizChicks (2Bizchicks.com).  For further information, please connect with Linda on LinkedIn, or contact her at (800) 676-0058 ext 101.

Please reach out to us at GovCon-Biz should you have any questions.