The UK currently employs about 5.72 million employees in the public sector. Government agencies are important public entities with major spending power.
Selling to this market can be a difficult prospect. Still, with a little know-how, it doesn’t have to be. Read on to learn some ways that you can get the most out of your next public sector marketing campaign!
Identify Opportunities
The first step toward marketing to government businesses is to identify the best opportunities within your market. This requires data-backed market research that helps you identify prospects and qualify which agencies best match your ideal client.
First, you will need to invest in quality prospecting software to help propel your research forward. Cadence’s research team is highly experienced and skilled at finding what you’re looking for. We do this with digital surveys, reporting technologies, and professional analytics. At this point, you will be able to figure out:
- What government sectors are most interested in your services (education, energy, trade, etc)
- What services they will be most interested in
- What sorts of decision-makers you need to gear your adverts towards (age, location, objectives, values, experience, pain points, etc)
- The types of platforms these decision-makers use when looking for services
- The type of content that they most like to see (blog posts, targeted emails, video content, graphics, etc)
It’s at this point that you can create a government buyer persona and find ways to reach these B2G consumers effectively.
Set Objectives
Once you know your ideal buyer and have an understanding of your target market, you can begin to set goals for your marketing campaign. Make sure to set short-term goals (within 6 months) as well as long-term ones (within 12-18 months).
All goals should be realistic and measurable. You need to be able to quantifiably determine whether or not goals are met in the future. You also need to be able to create and present data about where you feasibly think you can be within the target timeframe so that you can make data-backed marketing decisions.
Define success. Establish deadlines. Define the tools that you will need to track progress so that you can monitor the ways that your B2G marketing plan is succeeding.
Develop a Comprehensive Government Marketing Strategy
Keep your target audience and goals in mind when creating your marketing campaign. This is the #1 step towards success. However, the second essential step towards success is working with content marketing experts that know what they are doing.
Expert creators can help you to create a cohesive strategy that delivers all of your KPIs. Data-driven insights led to top-quality content that can connect with and engage decision-makers within the public sector.
Professionals can help you:
- Assess marketing options within your specific budget
- Provide timeframes for creating and launching your marketing campaign
- Create adverts that have been proven to convert public sector buyers
- Apply data to discover whether your content would perform better if gated or ungated
- Gate content to build an audience for future campaigns (if applicable)
- Use your brand to communicate messages to government agencies
- Deliver data-driven results via multiple channels
They also can help you create engaging content that B2G consumers are looking for.
Use the Top Marketing Channels
But what content marketing methods can experts help you with? What channels will your business be promoted on?
These questions have several different answers so that you can have a multi-faceted marketing campaign.
First, it’s critical to look into the applications that UK government agencies are using to find services to bid on. You want to place adverts in spaces where your target audience is browsing. Experts can help you determine where to best reach government agencies, including via:
- Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- Blog posts on an official website
- Video platforms such as YouTube
- Direct email marketing campaigns
- Google Ads and other search engine adverts
At this point, they can help you to develop content.
Create Engaging Content
Behind every government agency are human beings, and human beings love video content. Videos make up 60% of all internet traffic and increase conversions by 80%. Regardless of who you’re targeting your marketing campaign to, you need to use video.
Email messages also are a great choice, especially when you develop them with Cadence Marketing’s proprietary mailing service iServe. They have a 95% deliverability rate and are effective because they feel personalised. Including a link that takes B2G buyers to an online venue where they can bid on your service is also likely to generate faster results.
Regardless of what content you create with professionals, it’s important to keep everything on-brand. You want to be memorable, which means having a consistent brand voice, distinctive logo, and recognisable name and slogan. Include this in digital content wherever it is applicable.
Measure Your Results
Ultimately, data and insights are at the core of any marketing campaign. They drive your understanding of the market and help you identify appropriate marketing channels. They also let you know what you did correctly in your campaign (and how you could improve it).
Measure the success of your campaign with professional analytics. Look into which channels generated a high ROI and what trends you saw in those who showed interest in your advert. This will help you discover what to do next time and how you can maximise future success.
Find More Opportunities for Public Sector Marketing
While marketing to public sector government agencies can be a challenge, you’re sure to succeed if you know what you’re doing. Now that you do, it’s time to get started!
Cadence Marketing is committed to providing B2G businesses with the knowledge, tools, and resources necessary for success. We’re excited to discuss market research as well as content marketing with your team. Contact us to get started and reach the right audience today!
