NYC spends billions of dollars on good and services annually creating great opportunities for small businesses. Most recently, NYC has increased the discretionary purchasing threshold from $20,000 to $150,000 and they buy everything from office supplies, graphic design, consulting services, video, and so much more. If you are looking for ways to increase revenue, it’s now more important than ever to have an effective strategy for marketing to the government.
To market your business to the government, you don’t need a big budget — what you need a is well thought out strategy that enables you to effectively communicate with your target audience on a consistent basis. You also need to know and understand the rules of engagement for communicating with government agencies.
Here are 5 Tips for Marketing to the Government
Market Research: Before you start thinking about “marketing” your goods and services to the government — stop. Change your focus to determining whether there is a need for the products and services you are marketing to the government. If you determine there is a tangible need for what you are marketing, the next thing is to determine who is buying, how they are buying, and who they are buying from. The good news is everything the government does is fully transparent. With a little bit of effort, you can easily conduct market research that will be the foundation of your marketing strategy.
Positioning: Government agencies use bidders’ lists and databases to connect with potential suppliers. It’s critical you think of these databases as an integral part of your marketing strategy and you keep them up-to-date and current with accurate information. Little things matter. Pay attention to the details. Verify accuracy of references, check license expiration dates, and make certain you are using the appropriate acronyms and commodity codes.
Branding: Simply put — your brand is your promise. It’s what customers can expect when they work with you. Some things you may want to consider when creating your company brand are; your company’s mission, values, features, and benefits. You may want to consider surveying your current client base to see how they view your company.
Tools: The right tools are essential to an effective government marketing strategy.
- Logo: Take the time to create a logo that is in alignment with your brand promise. Invest in the logo. This will be how potential buyers identify your business. Once you have a good logo, it should be placed on everything — business cards, e-mail signature, website, social media, and promotional items.
- Capability Statement: This is the preferred method of communication for government buyers. It’s like a resume for your business – telling your story in what I call “government speak.” It’s a short synopsis of who you are, what you do, and provides an overview of your experience, past performance and differentiators. It should also include contact information and the appropriate commodity codes.
- Business Cards: Professionally designed and printed business cards should have your company logo, contact information, and include your tag line and commodity codes.
- Templates: Make things easy for yourself and have your graphic designer create standard templates for commonly used everyday communication (e-mail blasts, letterhead, capability statements, invoices) to ensure consistent branding.
Marketing Calendar: Once you have determined who is your target audience and you have your tools in place, create a marketing calendar. A marketing calendar will help you to schedule and prioritize marketing activities, so you don’t fall off track when things get busy. In many cases, once you know what you are doing, you can prepare materials in advance and automate some of the marketing functions. Having a calendar also gives you the ability to delegate.
New York City is offering a workshop on “Navigating NYC Government” on Wednesday, August 15, 2018, at 10:00 a.m., that will provide the framework for Navigating through the New York City Government to create an action plan to research and locate procurement opportunities.
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