Marketing is tough for government contractors. They face unique challenges in comparison to public markets. Investing the time and resources to reach procurement officers and program managers is difficult and expensive. It requires understanding how managers research companies. And the legal and ethical boundaries of a marketing approach have to be considered.
Differentiating a contractor’s product or service from competitors is important in marketing to them. This requires building brand reputation and visibility long before the RFP. It continues by building relationships with buyers and decision-makers throughout the long sales cycle.
The following are 5 strategies that many contractors have used to successfully win more government contracts.
- Respect Government Ethics
A brand’s call-to-action (CTA) in marketing materials must abide by a set of ethical rules. For example, offering a giveaway in exchange for an email address would be a violation for a contracting officer. Thus, any CTA’s on a company’s website or social media should be sensitive to the rules for government employees. Educational or other types of non-commercial resources are great alternatives.
- Make the Brand Visible
Contracting officers often rely on online research when making decisions regarding potential contractors. This means most potential customers look for a brand and its reputation through a simple Google search. This is usually what happens after receiving an RFP response.
For this reason, an effective outreach strategy for a company will include:
- Media coverage
- Effective google search strategies
- Brand-specific social media initiatives
- Government-approved vendor awards programs.
Media coverage and editorial submissions can help establish a business as a leader in its industry.
Google search strategies ensure that potential customers find information that communicates the brand’s capabilities, reliability, and positive reputation.
Brand-specific social media communicates the company’s mission aligned with the federal agency’s goals.
Government-approved vendor awards give companies recognition and confirm their qualifications.
- Utilize Targeted Campaigns for Government Contracting
It can often take a government agency months to award a contract. This can feel like an eternity when compared to public businesses.
When resources are limited, smaller contractors often have to focus on one government agency at a time. This forces them to be more deliberate in their outreach than larger contractors. Properly branding a company is as important as its product or service, so a focused strategy is key.
Government agencies have differing goals and interests. Understanding those differences are key to aiming for a brand’s strategy. If an agency caters to people with severe disabilities, for example, then the message of the company should align with the people that are being served. This will resonate with the procurement officer or program manager’s goals.
Keep in mind that this approach should be sincere. A company should target contracts that fit into its vision and mission.
- Develop Branded Digital Experiences
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. Online experiences have replaced traditional marketing methods. So it’s important to consider equivalents for potential customers.
Again, contracting officers will likely find a company online before they contact the business in person. To stay competitive, eye-catching digital video is a great way to display company culture and identity.
YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels are all accessible platforms to feature a company and its services. Tours of company facilities, service demonstrations, and employee interviews are a few useful examples.
- Build Informative and Responsive Websites
It’s important to speak to the interests of decision-makers on the company website. Responsive landing pages allow users to experience the same content when on their phones or computers.
Responsive landing pages create a better user experience and an SEO-friendly website. The site will rank higher in search engines. This is because it is easier for Google to scan the original content with a responsive website.
“We’ve seen clients put these strategies into action and benefit,” says Jeremy Ross of Prestige Public Relations and Marketing LLC. “And we’ve seen phenomenal companies continue to be practically unknown, even after years of successfully fulfilling contracts. It’s become too competitive in contracting to rely on word-of-mouth advertising.”
Ross recommends investing in a marketing firm with experience in the government contracting world to begin. “Creating and implementing the brand image and digital presence is the most important part of the job, and most companies don’t have employees that have done that. Even a 6-month investment with a pro can provide the framework for a company to build upon.”
Whatever path a company chooses, these foundational principles can provide a competitive edge in the government marketplace.