The Basics of Government Contractor Marketing
Government contracting is a complicated world that can be difficult to navigate. The government has strict requirements for government contractors, and if you’re not careful, you could end up disqualified from bidding on government contracts. It’s important to understand the basics of government contractor marketing so that your company is able to secure the the contracts you have spent all this time bidding on. In this blog post, we will cover the basic components of government contractor marketing and how our team at Focused Image is able to help you with navigating this complicated process.
What You Should Know about Government Contractor Marketing
As we mentioned before, government contractor marketing can be a very intimidating space to dive into because of how complex it is and the level of competition involved. However, understanding the basics of government marketing will help you become more successful in selling your products and services to government agencies. Here are some of the most important things you should know about government contractor marketing!
Think About Your Value to Government Agencies
Similar to how you would market your business to your typical clientele, you have to actively market your business to a government audience too. However, the way you market to the government is much different than how you would market to your typical target audience. Because of this, you will want to begin by defining your marketing strategy for the government audience you are trying to reach.
The best place to start doing this is by examining the mission and key values of the government agencies that you are looking to target. You should determine how you products and services will help to meet your customers needs and how your company can help solve any problem the agency may face and support their mission. When trying to understand the value you bring to government agencies you should ask yourself the following questions,
- What part of your company’s products or services have been popular and appealing to your previous customers?
- Is there a specific niche that you can target your products and services towards?
- Who within the government is in need of your services?
- How can you help these government agencies meet their goals, objectives and overall mission?
After you are done assessing the value you can offer too these agencies it’s time for you to do some research. The more you know about the agency the more valuable of a contractor you become!
Create a Capability Statement
When it comes to government contractor marketing, it’s important to have a government-focused capability statement. Your capability statement should be short, very direct, and should be specific towards the individual agency’s needs. This document will be living, meaning that it will change as it is used depending on the agency that you are targeting. A well written capability statement includes.
- Contact information
- Corporate data
- Contract information
- Core competencies
- What makes you company different from others
- Your past success
Understanding Government Ethics
Another important aspect of government contractor marketing that you need to be aware of is that typical commercial call to actions won’t work in this marketplace. For example “sign up for this package today and win a free MacBook,” is not how you would market your products and services to government agencies because they are under strict and ethical rules that state they can not accept gratuities or giveaways valued at more than $20. However, you are able to give them education materials such as a flash drive or desktop trinket. Having an understanding of the ethics that go into marketing to a government agency is important to ensuring your success.
Heighten Your Online Presence
Once you have determined your company’s value, created your capability statement, and conduct your homework on the agency you are present a bid to, it is time for you to take a look at your online presence. The main reason for doing this is so you can optimize your company’s web presence. So it is important to be able to have a website that any potential customers can access directly. This site should have a section dedicated solely to your government-related products and services and should include items such as,
- Contact information
- Core competencies
- Your past performance
- Contract information
- Supported agency logos
- Differentiators
- Downloadable government capabilities statements
- Corporate Data
- Downloaded case studies/ or white papers
Make Your Message Focused Toward Government Agencies
We mentioned before that typical marketing methods aren’t effective when it comes to government contractor marketing. And this is mainly because they audience you are targeting is much much different. Many businesses make the huge mistake of using their commercial messaging hoping it will resonate with government agencies, and more often than not, it won’t.
This is because the government has entirely different pain points and objectives than your average customer does. So when it comes to government contractor marketing, you should take the time to understand the different agency mandates, goals, and challenges that they are facing and re-work your message to address these points. Some things that you should consider while you are writing your message to appeal to these agencies include:
- Using government jargon: Make sure you check for any marketing terminology such as “your company can,” or “increase your profits,” and replace them with terms such as “address your constituents needs more efficiently,” or “meet your agency’s mandates.”
- Addressing the agency’s particular needs and challenges
- Mention why your company is easy to work with and any expertise you have in the field
- Discuss what your services and products can help government agencies achieve
- Provide all of your certifications and other accolades that prove you are the best choice for the contract
Let Us Handle Government Contractor Marketing for You!
The honest truth is that government contractor marketing can be a complicated process and very intimidating. But that is why our team at Focused Image is here to help! We have years of experience in the field not only when it comes to helping clients win government contracts, but from winning contracts ourselves! We understand the best ways to market your products and services to government agencies. Contact our team today for help with government contractor marketing!
