Did you know that 90% of decision-makers begin the process of buying goods and services with research? Governmental agency heads across the UK look at opinions from industry experts as well as peers before deciding who to buy from.
Social media is one of the core places where these decision-makers conduct their research and learn about available options to resolve their pain points. That’s why B2G marketing is critical for any business that wants to win government contracts and generate revenue. Read on to learn how you can get the best possible results from social media marketing campaigns as a B2G business.
Understand the Bidding Process
If you’re new to the B2G market, you may think that B2G marketing is similar to B2C or B2B marketing. This is false.
Businesses get government contracts because the government solicits them. They send requests for proposals (RFPs) to businesses throughout the public sector. When a B2G business that advertises on social media matches its needs, it can bid on the B2G agency’s services. B2G consumers do not need to be on social media to bid, but it can help them find services like yours to bid on.
As a B2G business, you want to create adverts that showcase your product to agencies in an appealing way. The goal is to make these agencies interested enough to bid on your services.
You’re not going to interact directly with your buyer until they already have won the bid. This means that you need to understand government agencies’ needs before creating your advert.
Know Your Ideal Customer
Knowing your ideal buyer is critical when trying to reach out to a government audience. Think about the services you offer and the pain points that you resolve. Consider which government agencies may be facing these pain points.
Ask yourself:
- What type of agency are you targeting? (education, trade, business, energy, etc.)
- What are the most common demographics for those running your target agencies?
- In what specific ways do you resolve core pain points?
- What differentiates your brand from others that target the same market?
- What are the motivations and objectives of your ideal buyer?
- Which social media platforms do your audience tend to use?
- What kind of media are your target government agencies interested in seeing?
All of these questions will help you make a buyer persona. You can then target your marketing efforts to this ideal buyer so that you engage the right people.
Optimize for Mobile Use
About half of the global population uses smartphones for the bulk of their daily internet use. By 2025, this percentage will be up to 72%. At this point, these users will also use mobile devices exclusively.
Part of your buyer persona research should be figuring out which platform your ideal buyer most often uses. Many government agencies will be on Facebook and Twitter. The Department of Education alone had 200,000 interactions on platforms like these, while the Ministry of Defence had 150,000.
Others may also be on apps like LinkedIn and Instagram. Each of these mobile applications has different advert specifications that you’ll need to work within the confines of.
You’ll need to learn about the constraints and limitations of adverts on your chosen platform, as well as create an advert that fits the site that you plan to use. Check out the mobile dimensions so that you can best optimise your social media marketing strategies for popular devices.
Use Image and Multimedia Content
Images and graphics are essential for any B2G social media marketing campaign. Every government decision-maker is a human being, and the human mind processes image content 600,000 times faster than text. Additionally, multimedia posts get 650% more engagement than text adverts. Videos get 1,200% more shares on social media.
It’s important that you use multiple different types of advertising when trying to engage governmental agency heads. This will set you apart from other brands that only market via text. Infographics conveying data and information are both professional and memorable, making them a good place to start.
Direct Traffic to Your Webpage
Social media adverts are an important way to redirect government agency decision-makers to your official website. This gives you a chance to make a greater impact. You can give them more reasons to bid on your goods and services when you have more space and time to do so.
Make sure that your advert redirects to an area of your website that drives conversions. You can figure out which page is ideal with Google Analytics. Make sure that you have different adverts redirect to different areas of your website as well for more diverse inbound traffic.
Inbound traffic also benefits your site by improving your SEO. Inbound clicks show that your website is reputable and that B2G consumers are interested in what you offer. This will push you up in search engine results and further boost your visibility.
Hire Professional Assistance
Marketing B2G businesses can be a challenge. It requires a lot of professional knowledge and tools, especially because it’s so distinct from B2B or B2C marketing. It’s more difficult to find information and resources on how to create an awesome B2G advert.
Professional social media marketing services can help with that. Experts also will help to incorporate your social media adverts into your overall marketing strategy. With the right knowledge, it can work hand-in-hand with email or content marketing.
Get Started with Top B2G Marketing Strategies
While marketing goods and services to government agencies may sound challenging, the process is much easier when you think about the top B2G marketing tips. Now that you know how to upgrade your social media presence and get agencies interested in the bidding process, it’s time to get started.
Cadence Marketing is committed to providing you with the top research and marketing services in the UK. Our experts are excited to discuss your individual needs and create a strategy that gets you traffic and drives sales. Contact us to schedule a chat about your needs and how we can help you boost your visibility.
