Knowing your audience is one of the most crucial elements of digital marketing. A given marketing strategy could look many different ways depending on whom it’s targeting.

You could be trying to reach consumers, businesses, or even government organizations. That last item on the list is the one you’ve probably heard the least about.

But if you have products or services you could offer the government, you’ll want to look into it. Of course, to sell to the government, you first need to optimize your business-to-government (B2G) marketing.

What is B2G marketing, though, and what goes into it? We’ll discuss government marketing in more detail below, so read on for more information. Then subscribe to Revenue Weekly — our email newsletter — to get more digital marketing info sent right to your inbox!

What is B2G marketing?

Business-to-government (B2G) marketing — also called public sector marketing — is marketing aimed at government organizations.

You’re probably familiar with business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing. B2G marketing isn’t as well-known, but it can be just as important if you sell something a government entity could use.

The most obvious example of B2G marketing is probably government contracting. For example, companies like Delta and Kratos have served as defense contractors for the military.

But not all B2G interaction involves partnerships on that scale. Government marketing is as viable for selling computers to a city government as it is for selling aircraft parts to the Department of Defense.

In fact, the government is required to work with a certain number of small businesses, meaning you don’t have to worry about your efforts getting crushed by larger corporations. That’s why B2G marketing can benefit your business.

How does B2G marketing work?

When you market to consumers or businesses, the process is fairly straightforward — you put out marketing materials to attract interest from your audience. Once you draw them in, you push them to convert.

But B2G marketing is much more complicated.

Government agencies tend to have strict policies dictating what types of businesses they can work with. They require a long string of authentications and approvals to start engagement with a new company.

However, the wait can be worth it since the government often buys products in bulk, generating significant revenue for you.

With B2C and B2B marketing, you make the first move. You seek out your audience and try to convince them that they need your products or services. But with public sector marketing, it works the other way around.

A government agency will kick things off by publicizing a request for proposal (RFP), which is where they outline a project they need help on and indicate what sort of business they want to work with. From there, you can bid against competitors online to attain the position.

After a lengthy approval process, the agency will hopefully pick your company and begin to work with you. If you’re looking for RFPs to bid on, GSAAdvantage.gov is the place to go.

 

4 tactics to improve your B2G marketing strategy

The RFP bidding process is the central component of B2G marketing, but that doesn’t mean it’s all you should do. In fact, if you don’t have any marketing outside of your bid, you won’t get far. Government agencies will look into your business online, and you can control what they see.

Here are four ways to boost your B2G marketing strategy online!

1. Prioritize content marketing

When government organizations search for a good business to partner with, they’ll want to find one that demonstrates a deep knowledge of their industry. One of the best ways to communicate that for your company is to create informative content on your website.

Whether your content marketing takes the form of blog posts or videos, it should provide readers with in-depth industry information. That will convey an image of your company as an expert in your field, making you a far more attractive candidate.

Of course, you’ll want to have content marketing for B2B and B2C as well. But for B2G marketing, it’s critical to keep your informational content at the forefront of your campaigns.

2. Brand yourself online

Branding is an essential component of any marketing campaign, and government marketing is no exception. Branding is how you communicate who you are and what makes your business special.

Without it, you’ll be another faceless entity in a crowd of flashier competitors.

Admittedly, catchy branding may not be quite as influential on a government agency as it would be on an individual consumer. Even so, you need to ensure your audience remembers you. If you stand out from the crowd, it significantly increases your chances of winning your bids.

For that reason, convey your unique brand in all your marketing materials. From color schemes to language style, use all your resources to communicate what makes your business what it is.

3. Be mobile-friendly

Different marketing situations call for different tactics.

Public sector marketing won’t always warrant the same approach as B2B or B2C. But one thing that’s universally true across all digital marketing is that you should work to keep everything mobile-friendly.

Your audience will do most of their research on you via the Internet, and while they may do it on a computer, some may do it on a mobile device. If your marketing materials aren’t mobile-friendly, they won’t look good on a phone, which could cost you the agency’s interest.

To ensure a good user experience, prioritize mobile-friendliness so your website and other marketing materials will work on any device.

4. Harness social media

A final tactic to consider is the use of social media.

Social media might not be the first thing that comes to mind for B2G marketing — sure, it works on individual consumers, but would it really help with government entities? Remember that even government agencies still consist of individual people, many of whom use social media.

Social media is excellent for projecting your online presence and spreading brand awareness. Even something as simple as putting yourself on a government official’s radar early on could end up being part of the reason they choose you later.

You can expand your social media presence by posting organic content and running paid social media ads. You can use both methods to help with your branding.

WebFX can help you master public sector marketing

Ready to use B2G marketing to rocket your revenue skyward? WebFX can help you fire up the thrusters! With over 20 years of digital marketing experience, we have the level of expertise you need to master public sector marketing.

With our digital marketing services, you can get help implementing all the tips listed above and more. You’ll also receive a dedicated account representative to keep you in the know about everything we do for your campaigns.

To get started with us, just give us a call at 888-601-5359 or contact us online today!