Typically, marketing to an audience involves using different channels to present your products or services that serve a specific audience.
Marketing makes it easy for your audience to know and understand how it can improve their lives.
In (B2C), the primary audience is individuals, while B2B is about catering to other businesses.
To attract government agencies as potential clients, you need to take a different approach than B2C or B2B.
Why? Because they have a tight-knit process of getting agencies or vendors on board by key decision-makers.
The first step to get through this process is to position your business as the authority in that subject. To do this, you can use different digital mediums that help you get the desired attention.
However, spreading yourself thin can strain your resources. Instead, you can launch a blog to establish credibility and authority.
Focus on a few elements to make a compelling case for your business blog, and pick a few pointers from a few B2G examples we share later in this article.
What is B2G and How Does B2G Marketing Function?
B2G businesses deal primarily with government agencies. Government agencies seek their services through channels that are often not publicly well-known.
While some contracts are made public and open to the public, others are handed out based on business relations or to those with domain authority and an understanding of how that particular agency works with businesses. In such cases, a project quote is sought, and a decision is made based on the application.
You can use social media, your website blog, or third-party sites to establish domain authority.
However, key decision-makers often prefer long-form articles to get a sense of your authority on the subject. Hosting these articles on your blog has its benefits as compared to other channels.
Let’s take a look.
Why is Blogging an Attractive Marketing Channel?
There are quite a few benefits of having your content on your channel, i,e. Blog:
- Customers regardless of industry, research online to gather information. A blog helps establish authority and also possibly leads.
- With SEO-focused content, it’s easy for new leads to find you via search.
- Useful content gets backlinks that help you rank on top for your targeted landing pages.
- It helps showcase your past work that begets new clients.
Myths About B2G Selling
Before you create a compelling marketing strategy for your B2G business, be aware of these myths, so your marketing remains on track to meet your goals.
1. B2G is a lot of direct selling
Yes, and No.
Yes, there is a lot of selling, but it isn’t to a broader audience. Instead, it is about narrowing your focus to a select audience that is an excellent fit for your services.
No, because selling to a B2G audience isn’t straightforward. Government agencies are typically more challenging to secure as clients since there is a lot of bureaucratic paperwork.
2. No Scrutiny in Sales Decision-Making
There is less hype about government contracts than about private companies.
But the scrutiny is intense since quite a few SOPs must be followed at each step of the sales decision-making process.
Some of these are ensuring all the groups involved in the purchasing decision are kept in the loop, the government interests are given priority, and understanding the roles of all the groups involved.
3. Difficult to build a brand online as B2G
Building your brand as an established B2G player makes it easy for government agencies to hire you since it’s easier to explain who the money was spent on.
With a public-facing blog, building this brand becomes easier for government bodies to know you and improve your brand’s likability.
Must-Have Elements of a B2G Blog
1. Content that Caters to Your Audience Intent
B2G buyers face all the same problems that regular clients face.
For example, if you offer website design for B2G companies, a buyer at a government agency will look up information on things like ‘Is WordPress secure for a government website’, ‘How much does it cost to update a police website’ and so forth.
Answering these questions on your blog helps them gain insights into the process.
2. CTAs (Call-To-Action)
Use actionable CTAs that don’t just draw attention but also help the reader take action on your blog. To maximize your copywriting investment, have prominent CTAs directing visitors to your landing page, email newsletter, or RFP page.
Some commonly used CTAs are: Book an Appointment, Learn More, Register Your Interest or Become a VIP Member.
3. Strategically Highlight Your Business
Government agencies must also comply with specific regulations (like a certain percentage of business given to minority-owned or women-owned businesses, agencies located in the county, etc.).
So prominently advertise the business features that can help you get shortlisted.
Best Blogging Platforms for B2G Companies
There are a few no-code platforms that can help your business get noticed online. While each supports blogging, they have their pros and cons.
WordPress
WordPress is popularly known for its standard CMS functionality, making it easy to use.
It has basic features along with add-on features that can let you create a brand positioned for your audience.
It also comes with solid customer support because of its extensive reach.
However, it also means you will have access to similar themes and features easily accessible by others in your business, making it hard to stand out.
LinkedIn has a broader but niche audience ready to consume your content. You need to align your blog content strategy so that it aligns with the right audience on the platform.
Medium
Government bodies are looking for educational content to keep them updated on how to keep their business relevant and thriving online.
For this, Medium is an excellent place to start if you are a small team and not looking to invest in all the bells and whistles of a blogging platform.
HubSpot
HubSpot is an all-in-one CMS tool that works well when looking for a customized and cohesive tool to start immediately. It combines the best of marketing automation, sales, and customer support. Its automation tools help improve employee productivity and let you scale your marketing and outreach.
Examples of B2G Blogs Done Right
Public Sector Marketing Institute
This blog highlights the pain point of their audience (digital professionals) while promoting their solution (courses and workshops) for their audience.
Civic Plus
Civic Plus captures the audience’s attention by writing about trends that will help the government bodies create their website (target audience).
Source: Civic Plus
Granicus
Granicus’s blog is about leadership, digital communications, and how leaders can navigate their way in this setting.
Source: Granicus
LightBox
Lightbox educates the reader about the different verticals it runs, industry news, and how the audience can improve their products, services, and customer experiences.
Source: LightBox
To Summarize
The B2G audience is different from B2B and B2C users. Their primary focus is the government and its interests and SOPs that align with that interest.
To keep your business at the forefront, share your content on your blog that allows your audience to know and trust your services.
Build a brand that revolves around your audience, their preferences, and how they function.
Remember to highlight your services and how they can be of help.
Identify ways to make CTAs conversion-focused, so your leads become recurring customers in a competitive B2G scenario.
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