Public sector marketing is unlike methods used for private sector marketing, whether it’s B2C or B2B. The processes are stricter, for a start. The buyer persona for public sector organisations is also very different because the needs are different, buyer behaviour is different, and there are a bunch of regulations that marketers must understand so they can tailor their strategies to suit.
However, being different is not a bad thing. Public sector suppliers enjoy many benefits unavailable in the private sector, especially when it comes to the size of public sector spend and market stability.
In this 3-part series, we’ll look more closely at what public sector marketing entails and provide some tips on how to adjust your marketing strategies to take advantage of the unique benefits.
Understanding the Public Sector Procurement Process
It’s handy to know a bit about public sector procurement, so you can adjust your marketing strategy to suit frameworks and different types of contracts; for example, light touch regime, low-value, and high-value contracts.
Low-value contracts (up to £12,000) don’t have to be published on the government’s procurement platforms. You’re more likely to find those on local authority websites or perhaps some independent procurement platforms.
This requires a distinct marketing strategy aimed at local authorities that differs from contract opportunities published by public sector bodies in the broader procurement market.
Address Risks Upfront
Public sector organisations are understandably risk-averse. They have to consider budgets, local community well-being, and general public health and safety. They are accountable to the public and can’t play fast and loose with taxpayers’ money or do anything that could threaten the government’s integrity.
Marketers can punt client’s services, products, or works in a way that assures contracting authorities they are obsessed with risk management and mitigation and compliance with essential regulations.
B2G vs. B2B
B2B is when private businesses sell to other private companies. There is no delineation between buyers and suppliers because they can fill both roles. Business A (supplier) sells goods to Business C (buyer). Business C (supplier) sells to Business D (buyer). Business A (buyer) purchases goods from Business D (supplier).
In B2G, private sector businesses sell to the government. The government is always the buyer and the companies are always the suppliers. That’s it.
B2G transactions include goods, services, and works. They’re ‘tangible.’
B2B transactions are ‘tangible’ and ‘intangible,’ (for example, intellectual property and software licences). B2G procurement must follow rigid rules, like regulatory compliance and structured and formatted tender response documents.
B2B transactions are far more flexible. As long as the transaction is legal, it can take any form.
B2G Marketing Challenges
Successful marketing strategies are based on information. As much information about the buyer, industry, and sector as possible, including each contracting authority’s challenges. Marketing efforts that specifically target their challenges demonstrate that suppliers understand them well enough to provide highly tailored – personalised – marketing messages.
This establishes your expertise and demonstrates your knowledge of public sector procurement and the regulations that govern it.
Marketing strategies must address common challenges:
While government agencies have unique challenges, some extend across the entire sector, regardless of their public sector services.
- Limited budgets: The solution lies in enhanced value for money.
- Skills gap: A national problem suppliers can address with apprenticeship and education programmes.
- Legacy systems: Provide solutions that contribute to the digitalisation of public sector departments, government agencies, and local councils.
- Healthcare: There’s a consistent need for advanced healthcare services, like telehealth, and outreach programmes.
However, there are some challenges that you can’t resolve.
Public sector procurement is notorious for a long sales cycle, partly due to the complex formal purchasing processes. The new Procurement Act streamlines the procurement process, so you might not have to wait 18 – 24 months for buyers to announce the tender winner.
Still, it’s best to resign yourself to the wait and ensure you have other marketing clients lined up.
Key Strategies for Selling to the Public Sector Organisations
One of the key strategies in public sector marketing is early engagement. There are many benefits to engaging public sector clients early in the purchasing process, not least of which is laying the foundation for long-term relationships. You won’t curry unfair favour, so don’t think the contract is yours just because you took the head of procurement and his family out for dinner a few times.
Instead, you can develop a collaborative relationship based on mutual respect and mutual value. It helps to cultivate relationships with the entire team – if there is one – otherwise the relationship could feel unbalanced and uncomfortable for those on the outside looking in.
With that in mind, relationship building is not your sole responsibility. Get your team involved too. The more creative minds on a task, the more likely you’ll find innovative solutions to public bodies’ pain points. Diverse perspectives and fresh ideas can deliver results that speak for themselves.
Data-driven Marketing Strategies
Data plays an increasingly important role in marketing, especially as personalised (highly targeted) strategies are fast becoming the norm.
There is an awful lot of data out there, but do you know where to find the data that’s relevant to your business? What about identifying the most applicable data? And data analysis, what about that?
Public sector marketing specialists often include research in their range of services. Cadence Marketing, for instance, carries out bespoke research that looks into your specific target audience, including its challenges. The preciseness of the data is critical to understanding your audience and identifying qualified prospects.
The data enables us to enhance your marketing in other ways, like webinars that address pain points and email marketing campaigns delivered through our Ingenium Email Packages.
Digital Marketing Increases Visibility in the Public Sector
Google is usually the first stop for people looking for services and products online. You want to be as close to the top as you can because those are the golden tickets – the spots most likely to attract attention and get the most clicks from the key stakeholders in your target audience.
You have to earn top spots and that requires a digital marketing strategy. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is one of the oldest methods but it evolves constantly, so it always stays relevant. SEO optimises all your online resources based on popular search terms or keywords.
For example: You have a carpet cleaning business and want to break into the public sector. You can optimise your website using keywords related to all aspects of your service.
- Commercial carpet cleaning services near me in Kent
- Commercial and home carpet cleaning near me.
- Professional commercial carpet and furniture cleaner in Kent
- Eco-friendly commercial carpet cleaning in Kent
You get the idea.
PPC (Pay-per-click) is very closely related to SEO, but these are the paid or sponsored ads on Google pages. The more competitive the keyword, the more expensive they are. “Commercial carpet cleaning” will probably cost a pretty penny, so PPC marketing has to be very strategic to maximise value for money.
Social media marketing is huge and even though you might not think so, it’s not a job that just anyone can do. It can be pretty intricate and many moments require you to think on your feet. That’s why social media marketing is best managed by specialists in the field.
Case Studies and Testimonials Can Swing Awards
We’ve said the public sector is risk averse, so even if you have the top spot in Google and a strong social media presence, contracting authorities want to know if you can walk the walk. Basically, can your public sector PR agency deliver results as promised?
The best way to prove that you can deliver on your campaigns is through case studies. Case studies demonstrate the effectiveness of your public sector market and digital advertising. Real-life examples that testify to the quality of your solutions can be pretty persuasive, so use them if you’ve got them.
End of Part 1
This brings us to the end of Part 1 in our series of B2G marketing procurement.
As you can see, there’s a lot to take in, so we’ll leave you to digest the post and see you in Part 2 soon.
If you have any questions in the meantime or want to see exactly how Cadence Marketing can increase the effectiveness of your public sector procurement campaigns, book a free consultation and one of our marketing specialists will get back to you.
