With so many organizations vying for the attention of government agencies and supporting organizations to market their B2G (business-to-government) products and services, finding a way to stand out from the crowd isn’t always easy.
Businesses need to be able to navigate more intricate procurement processes than in standard B2B markets – often needing to prove compliance with multiple industry regulations, go through longer selling cycles, and communicate with a multitude of internal stakeholders. Still, getting the attention of a key decision maker is a critical part of this process.
For organizations struggling to find effective ways to get their foot in the door, we’ve outlined three simple B2G strategies that can be applied to ensure they can maximize the amount of government leads being acquired.
Strategy 1: Build relationships with key decision-makers
Building a solid reputation in the B2G sector comes down to credibility and trust. By creating strong connections with various key decision-makers within the organizations you’re looking to target, you can significantly improve your chances of moving to the next stage of the RFP (request for proposal) process or scheduling a discovery call.
Below are some effective ways to start building these key connections:
Identify and understand the decision-making process
Before you can start creating new relationships in the B2G space, it’s important to gain a better understanding of how government agencies manage their procurement processes and which roles have more authority when making buying decisions.
Take the time to identify the specific departments or individuals who manage budgeting and spending and those who play a role in policy development and implementation. It’s important to make sure the individuals are relevant to your industry solutions since, most likely, government organizations will manage multiple procurement categories and teams.
Once you’ve identified relevant contacts, spend some time researching their roles and key responsibilities. Brainstorm the points they may be dealing with and let us know if you’re able to help provide value in any of those areas.
Will Whitham
Network at industry events and conferences
Industry-specific events or certain annual conferences can be great places to connect with various government contacts and begin networking. There are always new developments in governmental sectors, including the development of Next Generation 911 and other exciting public safety solutions.
The great thing is that many of these events provide a neutral setting for networking, meaning you won’t have the same barriers to entry as cold calling or reaching out through email and social media.
Make it a point to attend any relevant events hosted, and don’t be afraid to engage in meaningful dialogues with others. This is a great way to establish new relationships and learn from others in the industry about what they’re looking for in new products and services.
Leverage your existing contacts
Your existing network can be a valuable asset when looking to create new government connections. Explore your list of industry contacts and reach out to your colleagues or current partners to see if they are connected with any relevant parties you’re looking to start relationships with.
By creating a personalized introduction at the right time and place, you can express interest while quickly starting to give yourself and the business you represent more credibility. The more you’re able to build trust in the early stages of a new professional relationship, the more chances you’ll have to create new sales opportunities.
Focus on building long-term relationships
Approaching relationship building in B2G sectors should be viewed as a marathon – not a sprint. It’s not always easy to get the attention of busy stakeholders in government organizations, and it may take time to make headway. However, when you do establish new government contact, be sure to nurture those relationships.
You want to try to maintain regular contact with your strategic contacts, sharing any pertinent industry information you have while also making yourself accessible to help answer any questions about your products or services. Over time, this could potentially lead to long-term relationships that translate into repeat business and could also produce valuable referrals.
Farhan Manjiyani
Strategy 2: Execute content marketing initiatives that highlight your expertise
In all industries, content marketing is becoming a common strategy for helping brands establish leadership while also being a great source for lead funneling. Developing informative content in your industry can quickly position your brand as a trusted authority and a more capable vendor to work with.
Create high-quality informative content
Work on creating consistent, high-quality content that highlights your in-depth knowledge of your industry and how you can address certain challenges in the sector. Consider addressing topics relevant to their needs – typically surrounding industry compliance, reducing costs, or improving operational efficiency.
A great way to achieve this is by offering various formats in your content delivery. This could include blog posts, white papers, or even case studies with important statistics. Taking this approach helps improve the perceived professionalism of your brand and makes the content more interesting to digest.
Optimize for search engines
You’ll want to make sure that the content you create is easy to locate only, especially when procurement teams begin researching different brands and available solutions. An effective way to achieve this is by planning and executing a comprehensive SEO strategy designed to help you target more B2G buyers.
By implementing best SEO practices on your website and in the content you produce, you’ll help to improve the likelihood of your web pages ranking higher in search results, maximizing your exposure and improving the amount of leads you bring in.
James Shaw
Use gated content to capture more leads
While providing for your website or blog is a great starting point, you’ll also want to consider designing digital assets that can be leveraged to help you acquire additional information on potential clients. Content gating is an effective strategy for achieving this, especially when you create insightful whitepapers or eBooks that can provide real value to your website visitors.
Once you’ve created a high-quality and informative digital asset, make it available for download on your website in exchange for a customer’s contact information. This is a great way to build your email subscriber list and gives you a larger distribution network when releasing new company updates or building out specific email marketing campaigns.
Strategy 3: Establish strategic partnerships
Collaboration is an important factor in all B2G relationships. By building strategic partnerships in the industry with other businesses that offer complementary products and services to your own, you’ll have a better chance of attracting procurement teams. Below are some strategies for improving this element in your organization:
Identify businesses that serve the same target market
Try to identify businesses that are targeting the same market as yours but don’t directly compete with your offerings. This could be a completely different solution to your own or one that would improve the total appeal of your offering and add more value to a client.
Collaborate on joint marketing initiatives
Deciding to create a joint marketing initiative with another brand when marketing to government organizations can be a great way to combine marketing forces. This could involve hosting webinars together, allowing both organizations to show their unique expertise and amplify the reach of their messaging through social media platforms.
By combining your resources and collective knowledge, you can create more buzz and importance for your products and services while also establishing an increased number of leads. In many cases, this can also help your business reduce its total marketing budget since you’ll share costs with the partner organization.
Britta Agel
Offer bundled solutions
You could also explore the possibility of bundling your products or services with your partner's offerings. This can offer a much more comprehensive solution to potential buyers and allow them to consolidate their needs.
Showing that you’re able to successfully partner with other organizations in the industry can also boost confidence in your ability to collaborate professionally with buying teams and can be a good selling feature on its own.
Start increasing your B2G leads today
Finding new clients in the B2G space requires time and patience but can also be greatly improved by following a few basic steps. By applying the strategies discussed, you’ll be able to demonstrate your experience in the industry while building the confidence and trust that opens up the door for new sales opportunities.
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Stevie Langford
