The federal marketplace is a very competitive space to break into. The potential for government contractors is evident in the success of current sellers ranging in size and offerings. There is no magic formula for building a profitable government sales practice, but there are many ways to stand out. At Winvale, we’ve found one method of differentiation that truly works: building a curated blog that educates readers and converts to leads.
A Short History
We have consulted federal contractors for more than a decade, helping them learn new ways to do business with federal, state, local and tribal governments. Along the way we have learned a lot about government sales, acquiring GSA Schedules and RFPs, just to name a few of our main subjects. This is information that we could have kept to ourselves, or chosen to share only with paying clients. Instead, we decided to put our knowledge to the test and create a space where contractors could learn and grow with us. That is how the Winvale Blog was born.
We have discussed a little bit of everything on our government blog, including PSS migrations, how to find partners using GSAs eLibrary and recaps about topical industry conferences. We consistently receive great feedback from current and potential clients about our resources, and that’s simply because we take the time to create content our readers want to learn about.
How a Blog Can Help Your Organization
You may have heard the common saying among business professionals, “Content is king.” This statement is essential for contractors to embrace because it speaks to the way decision makers choose to buy from certain companies over others in today’s world. How do you convince a potential client to choose you? The answer:
Blogs help organizations become credible subject matter experts within their industry, thus allowing them to generate government business.
This is the same reason why we do not wait for a paying client to sign an agreement that allows them access to our research and knowledge. Instead, we give a lot of insight on our website, our blog and through our client e-mails. A helpful byproduct of this strategy is that you will be working to establish yourself as a subject matter expert, while also providing valuable insight to potential government Buyers about the way your organization approaches solving issues.
Creating a Successful Blog
Content marketing, in this case blog posts and articles, should be educational to the reader. Providing your audience with information that is helpful to them will allow potential buyers to understand the broader use of your solution(s). Government Buyers are more likely to buy a product or service from an organization they trust and view as an expert.
There are three rules of thumb you should follow when creating your blog:
- You don’t need to post daily, but you should post often enough to keep the content fresh. Not only will this drive traffic to your website, but it will also help with your organizations ranking in search engines.
- Answer the questions your ideal Government Buyer is asking. The key to a successful blog is one that provides relevant content to its readers. Talk to your sales and marketing team to find information gaps that need to be filled.
- Keep it government focused. Many organizations already have a blog on their website, but rarely do the posts put enough, if any, attention onto government related topics. Make sure that a portion of your blog content is directed at government buyers.
- Keep it simple. Blog posts are not meant to be ten page papers with an academic tone and days’ worth of research. They should be simple in nature, discuss an interesting topic in a conversational tone, and express opinions that align with your organization’s brand.
- Don’t forget to share. Make sure you are exposing your blogs to as large of an audience as possible by sharing your blog articles on sites that aren’t your website. A great place to start is LinkedIn, particularly with relevant groups such as The Federal Contractors Network (TFCN). Sharing what you’re creating will cast a wide net, allowing all of your connections to share with their network own and so on.
For more expert advice about government marketing best practices, contact one of Winvale’s Business Development experts today.
