GOVERNMENT

When it comes to marketing and communications, government contractors and public sector IT providers face a set of unique challenges.

Compounding this predicament is the fact that government contractors must not only market their brand, products and services, but also time these marketing efforts strategically. This means building awareness far enough in advance of a contract award, and then sustaining marketing and PR efforts throughout what can be a multi-month or multi-year process from pre-RFP to the contract award – and even beyond due to potential contract protests, delays and budgetary obstacles.

Government contractors face a unique problem when it comes to marketing themselves. Compared to traditional business-to-business or business-to-consumer marketing, government procurement officers and program managers are a much more finite group to whom to market. Winning contracts requires building awareness among and relationships with all decision makers. For small to mid-sized contractors, proper allocation of time and resources is a necessity for successful government marketing.