B2G Marketing Advice: "Forget the Fluff"

When it comes to winning government business, companies often fail to capture the attention of government buyers. Proposals and govcon marketing materials often lack substance and focus, making it difficult for buyers to see the value in what they are being offered. Too often, they are just slightly edited versions of commercial materials or cut-and-paste jobs from previous submissions. These usually fail to hit the mark with customers.

Washington Technology Editor-in-Chief Nick Wakeman recently offered a great example of this. He recounted a Washington Technology Power Breakfast held on March 10, 2023, which focused on doing business with the U.S. Air Force. The speaker was Mike McWilliams, director of staff with the Air Force's small business program office.

The director’s message for government contractors was clear: “Forget the fluff.”

It's Not About You: Focus on the Agency

According to Wakeman, McWilliams stressed a point that far too many sales and marketing people forget. Companies should focus on the customer, demonstrate their understanding of the mission, and show how they can help agencies achieve their goals.

Put another way: They don’t care about your company history, qualifications, and previous successes. They care about solving their problems and want to know that you understand those.

McWilliams gave the example of a government contractor whose proposal spent the first ten pages talking about how great they were without explaining how they could help the customer. To him, it was all fluff.

Do Your Homework Before You Start

McWilliams recommends that while writing proposals and marketing materials, companies should have relevant documents open in front of them. Examples include the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Defense Department Small Business Strategy.

Doing this type of market intelligence is critical to Business-to-Government (B2G) marketing success. To learn more, check out my separate blog post on where to start with market intelligence in government contracting.

By keeping these key strategies in mind when they are creating messaging and marketing materials, companies can better understand the customer’s goals and tell compelling stories about how their proposals can support customer missions.

So, if you’re looking to win government business, remember to forget the fluff and focus on the customer. Show them that you understand their mission and how you can help them achieve their goals.

To read Nick Wakeman’s original article, click here.