3 marketing tips for selling to government in 2018

January 10, 2018 by 2 Comments

By Rita Walston, senior director, marketing programs

Marketing to the federal buyer is all about knowing the right timing, methods and rules. The key to this is knowing where each opportunity is in the procurement cycle, who the primary influencers are in each phase and what information is most useful to each group.

At this year’s Government IT Sales Summit, we gathered former top-level federal IT decision-makers to give us answers. During a session moderated by Lou Anne Brossman, founder and president of the Government Marketing University, panelists shed light on how to connect with government agency officials; how to plan and execute marketing campaigns when budgets are tight; how federal buyers consume marketing information before, during and after procurement; and how continuing resolutions, the “new norm” in Washington, impact the federal IT community.

Here are just a few of the tips gleaned from the discussion. To hear more from this session, listen to the on-demand recording:

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Here’s what you’ll get out of this year’s Summit sessions

November 14, 2017 by Leave a comment

government, sales, ITBy Rita Walston, senior director of marketing

This year’s Government IT Sales Summit will be a full day of rich, actionable content on Nov. 16. We’ll cover everything from how the public sector is spending IT dollars in FY18 to the latest trends in cloud, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. What makes this content come alive is our speakers, who hail from private industry and government.

We recently spoke to a few of them about their sessions. Here’s a teaser of what you’ll hear:

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The A-Z Guide to Government Marketing – Part Three

December 19, 2014 by Leave a comment

Brian Chidester_65x85by Brian Chidester, Manager, Strategic Accounts & Content Marketing

In The A-Z B2G MarketingGuide to Government Marketing – Part One and The A-Z Guide to Government Marketing – Part Two I provided marketing insights for letters A-S that explored multiple marketing niches including content production, automation strategy, digital best practices, and more.

Below is the third and final installment of The A-Z Guide to Government Marketing series — letters T-Z of the ABC’s of Government Marketing:

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The A-Z Guide to Government Marketing – Part Two

December 11, 2014 by Leave a comment

Brian Chidester_65x85by Brian Chidester, Manager, Strategic Accounts & Content Marketing

In The A-Z Marketing PuzzleGuide to Government Marketing – Part One, I covered letters A-M, and while most sequels tend to underwhelm, i.e. Ocean’s Twelve or Caddyshack II, I believe the sequel to my A-Z Marketing  – Part One will be equally as impactful.

So, here they are, letters N-S of the ABC’s of Government Marketing:

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The A-Z Guide to Government Marketing – Part One

December 2, 2014 by Leave a comment

Brian Chidester_65x85by Brian Chidester, Manager, Strategic Accounts & Content Marketing

Any marketing campaignB2G Marketing has several factors, from strategy to execution that can make or break the campaign; this is especially true in the realm of B2G. In an environment where interactions are regulated and touch points are at a premium, every detail must be considered for your campaign to be effective.

Therefore, what better way to focus on those details than to go back to the basics — the ABC’s of government marketing.

So, here they are, letters A-M of the ABC’s of government marketing:

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4 Steps to More Effective Content and Social Media Programs

November 17, 2014 by 1 Comment

photo_Allan-Rubin_65x85Many marketers fall Social Media Stepsvictim to common mistakes that ultimately doom their content marketing and social media efforts. The first step in overcoming these obstacles is to recognize them and plan accordingly. I’m covering these in greater depth on my upcoming panel discussion on November 20 at the Government IT Sales Summit. Until then, here are four best practices you must consider before you put your company’s resources (and your career prospects) on the line.

1) Meet Your Audience Where It Lives

Your Facebook page and Twitter feed are probably bursting with information about how great your company is. But unless you’re consistently giving your customers and prospects something of value, it’s unlikely your audience is paying attention to your messages there (even if they “like” or “follow” you).

To view the full post view the Federal Marketing Insights blog.

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Sales & Marketing: It’s Time to “Socialize” Together

October 17, 2014 by 1 Comment

Photo of Allan RubinI hear a lot of marketers express mixed feelings on their social media and content marketing programs. They’re excited by what they’ve produced but frustrated by the difficulty in measuring any meaningful impact from their efforts.

One area that is critical to success is closer collaboration between marketing and sales. In a previous blog post I wrote about how reliant marketers are on their colleagues in sales to distribute content and marketing materials. I explored this in greater depth in a new guest blog post I wrote for Federal Marketing Insights and I wanted to share it with you.

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Is Content King in B2G Marketing? (Part 2)

September 26, 2014 by Leave a comment

Photo of Allan RubinAs I discussed in my last blog post, new research from Starfleet Media summarizes the importance of content, social media, and sales/marketing collaboration in the business-to-business (B2B) marketing world. What conclusions can business-to-government (B2G) marketers draw from these stats? Do government audiences consume content in the same ways as B2B buyers? What types of content work well in the B2G world, and how can we measure their effectiveness?

I’ll dive much deeper on these topics on November 20 at the Government IT Sales Summit. Until then, consider the following facts.

Market Research firm Market Connections surveyed 3,700 government employees and found that federal employees are more likely to seek out information online, with government decision-makers accessing information in increasingly complex and fragmented ways. In reviewing a summary of their 2014 Federal Media and Marketing Study, these data points jumped out at me:

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Is Content King in B2G Marketing? (Part 1)

September 19, 2014 by 4 Comments

photo_Allan-Rubin_65x85

Content may be king in the world of business-to-business (B2B) marketing, but getting it produced, distributed, and consumed can be a royal pain for marketers. As I prepare to lead a panel discussion on business-to-government (B2G) content marketing and social media at the upcoming Government IT Sales Summit, I’ve started digging into how marketers are using these tools to reach their customers and influence sales. So I wanted to gather some data on content marketing to see if it’s really worth the effort.

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Are You Following the Government’s Gift Rules?

August 8, 2014 by Leave a comment

Photo of Allan RubinMaybe it’s the summer or the result of a stronger economy, but lately it seems I’m constantly reminded of a major difference between business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing: the gift rules and restrictions. It struck me yesterday when I received a Starbucks gift card in the mail from a B2B vendor with whom I’d never spoken or met. (Side note: I was amazed that this vendor neglected to include a business card or simple contact information so I could easily thank him/her, but that’s another story.)

My job title and (incorrect) assumption that I control a massive marketing budget have earned me unsolicited Amazon gift cards, invitations to fancy meals and sporting events, gadgets, and other blatant attempts to buy a meeting with me, all in the interest of pitching a new marketing software package or service offering.

Hey, I’m not knocking it. When I worked exclusively in B2B marketing, I did it too, and it often worked. But in B2G marketing, it’s not that simple.

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