10 Proven Strategies for Government Marketing Success

Government, or B2G marketing is a specialised skill that requires a sharp eye for opportunities and the ability to optimise strategies for each stage of the long tender lifecycle. To succeed, public sector marketing tactics must be data-driven, enabling marketers to make informed decisions in the face of sudden change. 

This post demonstrates the importance of data and flexibility in government marketing strategies through 10 tried-and-tested techniques. 

1) Leverage Data-Driven Audience Segmentation

Segmentation is dividing your audience into categories, like demographic data, role, and customer behaviour, using data from CRM systems, census reports, civic surveys, etc. You’re creating mini buyer personas to develop targeted ads for their customer journey.

Analytics tools help you make sense of the data analysis, allowing you to fully leverage the information to optimise your marketing strategies and spot opportunities you would otherwise miss.

Segmentation example:

A company uses data to segment its target audience by location, contract size, and green credentials, enabling its marketing team to send personalised messages based on relevant customer data.

2) Optimise for Local SEO and Government Marketing Channels

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) still plays a major role in digital marketing campaigns, boosting your website’s search rankings and providing an excellent customer experience. Even AI can’t diminish the importance of SEO for government websites. If anything, it heightens it. 

3 Quick optimisation tips

  1. Ensure web pages are indexed correctly. This means clean URLs, meta tags, and structured data markup.
  2. Claim and update listings on directories and tender portals.
  3. Use relevant keywords and relevant synonyms to rank highly in search engine results.

SEO example:

A county transportation agency revamped its site metadata (title tag, alt text, and XML sitemap) to rank higher for the search phrase, “bus schedules near me.” The result? A 35% uptick in page visits.

3) Embrace Content Marketing with Authority-Building Resources

The great thing about content marketing is that content can be anything, from a webinar to a whitepaper. Another great thing about content marketing is that you can use it to say anything. In the public sector, it’s a good idea to set yourself up as a thought leader in your industry by employing a data driven marketing approach . You want to be a valuable resource, the go-to when people have questions in the B2G arena.

The best way to go about this is to publish whitepapers and how-to guides that provide actionable insights, like “How to bid on framework agreements for repainting local council buildings.”

You can also provide valuable insights that inform marketing decisions by hosting webinars and publishing short video demos.

Content marketing example:

An SME specialising in green tech published an online resource called “Recycling Best Practices,” which resulted in thousands of downloads and positioned them as a trusted resource.

4) Use Social Media in the Public Sector

Social media can work for B2G marketers, but first, you must know where to find your target audience. LinkedIn is your best bet when targeting public sector buyers. It’s the perfect social media platform for publishing teasers for your whitepapers or snippets from a blog series on how to build a marketing strategy from the ground up.

Social media engagement is important. This means liking and commenting on LinkedIn articles and following businesses or government organisations. Following and engaging with other thought leaders will help establish your reputation as a force to be reckoned with.

Social media marketing example: 

A small business tracked social media mentions across different marketing channels and used data insights to repackage its services, making them more affordable for middle-income earners.

5) Implement Email Marketing Campaigns with Automated Workflows

Segmentation also plays a role in email marketing because you want to send targeted email messages to the right people for your campaign to be effective. This is important because it affects many email marketing metrics, like open rate, click-through rate, conversion rate, and bounce rate. 

Automation manages follow-up emails (drip campaigns) according to a preset schedule. The content is based on consumer behaviour (and segment). This highly personalised approach enables data-driven marketers to provide ongoing value while maintaining engagement and driving conversions. 

Email marketing example:

A supplier specialising in facilities management uses a data-driven approach to develop a seasonal drip campaign that highlights changing maintenance requirements.  

6) Partner with Community Leaders

There are two reasons this is a good idea.

  • Community leaders have a network that you can tap into and relationships you can leverage, like the head of the local housing council.
  • Community leaders are usually involved in community projects, with inside info on what local areas need, which is invaluable when developing social value initiatives. 

Also, community leaders often have a strong social media presence. They can, in effect, be your influencers in the area, enabling you to reach their audiences and turn them into your audiences.

Community partnership example:

A construction company gets the inside scoop on an upcoming project to retrofit the local school. They arrange a meeting with the school principal, who is trying to get after-school reading programmes off the ground. The company gets a head start preparing their bid and works with the principal and other stakeholders to implement a Shelter Buddy Reading Programme where children read to shelter dogs.

7) Paid Ads for Government Services

Paid advertising or PPC marketing campaigns enable you to use targeted keywords to rank highly in search engine results (SEO on steroids), but you can also advertise on social media platforms, like Facebook and Facebook Business pages and LinkedIn ads.

It helps to advertise in local newspapers, magazines, and community sites.

The wider your local reach, the better.

Paid advertising example:

A supplier of low-emission and no-emission construction equipment and machinery implemented a paid advertising campaign using keywords like “environmentally-friendly construction machines” and “low-emission equipment for building” and saw a 40% increase in website traffic. 

8) Conduct A/B Testing to Fine-Tune Your Data-Driven Marketing Campaigns

A/B testing for government campaigns enables marketers to test variations in content and collect data to determine which messaging is more successful. It’s particularly useful in email marketing to test the effectiveness of subject lines and images.

It’s not something used to test customer preferences wholesale, but rather for a sample audience. Whichever meets your goals, like clicking through to a landing page, allows you to analyze data and is the one you use for your official campaign.

A/B Testing example:

“50% Off Low-Emission Excavators” vs. “Environmental Win With 50% off Low-Emission Excavators.” The first subject line achieved a 20% higher conversion rate than the second, leading a local supplier to open with “50% Off …” and achieve a 25% conversion rate over the whole email campaign.

9) Measure and Report Impact with Transparent Dashboards

Dashboards help you keep track of data collection and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) such as website traffic, registrations, shares, and email open rates, etc. Many eProcurement or tender alerts platforms provide customisable dashboards and analytics tools to analyse data, measure metrics, and ensure marketing campaigns are achieving the desired results.

Data-driven government marketing uses real-time data to optimise opportunities and mitigate risks. Transparent dashboards show clients and other stakeholders the state of play, so they are always in the loop.

Dashboard example:

Some of the most important dashboards for data-driven marketers include: 

  • Social media and website analytics
  • Email marketing
  • Google Ads
  • Content effectiveness
  • SEO analytics
  • Digital marketing performance

10) Ensure Compliance, Accessibility, and Trust-Building

Website accessibility is a legal requirement in the UK. This means that people with permanent (vision impairment) or temporary (broken arm) disabilities can still navigate your site easily. There are other benefits, for example, the detail with which they are designed can help them rank higher in search engine results. Overall customer experience is also enhanced. You can check the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure you’re compliant with requirements. 

Compliance with the National Procurement Act 2023 and the Social Value Act 2015 is non-negotiable. Certifications demonstrating data security, quality management, and occupational health and safety are also essential in the public sector. 

Compliance and accessibility work together to help build trust with existing clients and new leads, which is exactly what you need to set yourself up for success.

Compliance example:

The minimum cybersecurity certification the government will accept is Cyber Essentials, which ensures that you protect your own data . You won’t even be considered for tenders without it.

Cadence Marketing Combines Data-Driven Marketing Strategies for Public Procurement Success

Cadence Marketing specialises in B2G marketing for diverse public sector clients. Our services, which include email marketing, webinars, and market research, have helped over 100K key decision-makers and 31K organisations optimise their marketing strategies, while also providing public procurement business intelligence platforms, eSourcing and supply chain management platforms, and public procurement consultancy and training. 

Contact us to book a free consultation and find out how we customise these 10 data-driven marketing strategies to extend your reach, generate qualified leads, build mutually beneficial partnerships, and establish your reputation as a thought leader in your industry. 

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