Answer These Questions When Developing Your B2G Content Marketing Strategy

I originally published this blog post as a LinkedIn article on July 11, 2018.

Many content marketing projects begin when a well-meaning executive or sales rep has an idea. It usually sounds like this: "Hey, it would be great if we had a white paper focused on XYZ." Or this: "Did you see what our competitor just produced? We should do that too!" My personal favorite opens with "Wouldn't it be cool if we could <insert description of costly, complicated content initiative here>."

I don't mean to be dismissive. Great ideas come from many places. I'm rarely the smartest guy in the room, and I'm always willing to listen to feedback and suggestions. The point is this: effective content marketing requires careful, proactive planning. One-off initiatives may sound sexy and they can be useful to make a splash or spur creativity. But the decision to invest in B2G content marketing should be followed by the development of a clear content marketing strategy that considers a number of important factors.

As I explained in my last post, sales and marketing teams should collaborate before anyone sits down to develop a formal plan (see B2G Content Marketing: 5 Questions for Improved Sales Alignment). Those discussions are likely to generate specific, creative ideas, and you may be tempted to pick them up and run. This is the point at which many marketers prematurely shift into execution mode.

Don't fall for it. Before you focus on specific tactics or deliverables, you have a responsibility to develop a strategy first. No plan is perfect, and there's not necessarily one right way to approach the process. What's important is that you HAVE a strategy that is realistic, comprehensive, and tailored to your specific business needs. B2G marketing veteran Steven Vito recently wrote about this topic; his article is worth a read.

Does Your B2G Content Strategy Answer These Questions?

What objectives are you trying to achieve, and how will you measure success?

Yes, every article on strategic best practices starts with this question, but I'm amazed at how frequently it is overlooked or left undefined. It's particularly challenging for public sector marketers who often must satisfy corporate marketing objectives in addition to meeting specific sales goals from the federal team — a set of outcomes that are not always aligned.

What audience segments and personas are you targeting, and what do you know about them?

Asked another way: who are you creating content for, and how can you tailor it to their needs? This discussion must address both people and organizations. Remember that federal decision makers likely have different titles and motivations than their private sector counterparts (think mission vs. profit), and they operate in different ecosystems. One positive consideration: no matter which vertical market sectors your company targets in the commercial world (healthcare, transportation, construction, legal, etc.), there's likely a similar audience in the public sector. As a result, your B2B content, data, and best practices may provide a good starting point.

What types of content do THEY want to consume, and when in the buyer's journey do they prefer to see it?

Consider format, depth, source, timing, and subject matter of your content. And don't forget the B2G buying cycle looks very different than in B2B markets due to the unique nature of the federal acquisition process. In their 2017 B2G content marketing study, Merritt Group and Market Connections found a large gap between the content that government contractors want to produce and the content government decision-makers prefer to consume. They also ranked the best points in the journey to introduce different types of content offerings. Ignoring these important factors can doom your program from the start.

How will you align B2G content with your corporate messaging strategy at HQ to avoid message conflict and internal political friction?

B2G marketers often must rely on campaigns and assets that were developed with the commercial sector in mind. Unfortunately, the corporate brand police can cause problems when public sector marketing ignores their direction and decides to do its own thing. So use what you can from corporate communications while making a business case for why your customer base requires an alternative approach, and demonstrate how you can still advance the corporate objectives in the process.

What resources are at your disposal to produce and maintain content in an efficient, consistent manner?

It's the "re" question. Consider the list of resources that are already available in terms of people, budget, current B2G materials, corporate content from other vertical markets, etc. Then think about how you'll reuse, repurpose, recreate, redirect, and recycle existing capabilities and assets to get more mileage from them so you can reserve what you need for new (or public sector-specific) content investments.

Who will be on your content marketing team, and what role will each individual play?

You'll need sustained involvement and buy-in from people who know the public sector market, have built relationships and trust among government agencies, and are in close contact with customers. Do they exist internally, or do you need to bring them in from the outside? Think about who you can attract from your organization and how you'll keep them engaged over time since they usually have other day jobs to perform.

How will you ensure your content is both compelling and relevant to customer needs?

Relevance starts with an understanding of public sector realities which are often (but not always) quite different than what's happening in the private sector. Market research can help here, as can talking to your existing customers, sales, and customer success teams.

To what extent are your B2G prospects impacted by government-specific content access barriers, and how do mobile devices factor in?

Our government content efforts can be slowed by bandwidth limitations, social media access restrictions, security concerns, outdated technology and more. Federal telecommuting policies, public transportation considerations in major metropolitan areas, and government BYOD rules will impact how your public sector prospects consume content on their devices. Make sure you understand what these are and how you will you work around conflicts. The research from Merritt Group and Market Connections covers these topics in considerable depth.

Is your website ready to support your B2G content marketing strategy?

From federally-focused landing pages to search engine optimization geared toward public sector language, many B2G marketers lack the support they need from corporate webmasters to ensure their content is found online and presented in a context that makes it appealing to government audiences. Be prepared to make your own recommendations and consider alternatives you can manage on your own if corporate support is less than forthcoming.

What delivery mechanisms will you utilize to distribute your content?

The B2G market has its own content and communications channels, which Market Connections covers in its annual Federal Media & Marketing Study. It's a good place to start for your planning.

Get the Help You Need

Doing this correctly takes time, attention, resources, and commitment. If you’d like help starting or accelerating your B2G content marketing journey, contact me today to talk about the best place to start.

Allan Rubin is Owner and Principal Consultant at Market B2G, LLC, which provides Business-to-Government (B2G) marketing services for the government contracting community.