The Federal government’s funding of cloud computing continues to soar, aiming for an impressive $8.3 billion in FY 2025. Great news, but what does that mean for GovTech marketers and sales leaders? Simply, we should continue to drive cloud marketing campaigns and sales plays forward, but we need to be smarter than ever about how we position our solutions.
You’ve probably done your share of cloud campaigns by now, but it’s always a good idea to run a check every now and then to ensure you’ve got your bases covered.
Here are 6 tips to help you optimize your cloud marketing strategy … and win more deals.
1. Develop a deep understanding of target agencies’ specific needs, challenges and priorities
A broad approach to your marketing and sales efforts won’t help you in today’s government cloud market. Agencies aren’t just looking for cutting-edge cloud technology, they need real solutions that solve their specific problems and align with their agency mandates, budgetary constraints and regulatory frameworks. By showing you understand their pain along with their ecosystem – and can deliver the right solution for their individual agency’s needs – you’ll position yourself as a trusted partner.
We recommend an account-based marketing (ABM) approach that narrows your focus. Start by understanding which subsegment of the market you’re targeting. Is it state, local, DoD, FedCiv, IC? They each have a different set of drivers, personas, needs and value centers. Generally, you should focus on the subsegment level whenever you’re building campaigns, otherwise you’ll risk mis-aligning your message to the buyer.
Next, learn which agencies within your target subsegments are increasing their cloud technology spend – and which programs they’re using to do that. Deep dive into their specific use cases and compliance requirements. Research the agency’s current IT infrastructure, pain points and future goals. Then, tailor your messaging and value propositions to directly address these needs, demonstrating your expertise and ability to deliver tangible results.
We like the site USAspending.gov, which allows you to slice the data easily. Another great resource are companies like Deltek and their GovWin IQ reports on government cloud markets. Finally, look to the agencies themselves. All agencies have their annual strategies available on their agency website. These are invaluable for understanding their operating strategies, mission imperatives and current programs they’re funding.
2. Showcase your compliance, security and proven success
OK, so you know the agencies you want to target, and the specific use cases you want to target – how do you position your solution? You have to go beyond the statement that your product is FedRAMP-authorized or has received authority-to-operate (ATO) at a certain DoD Impact Level. It’s important to clearly state this in your marketing and sales efforts, but as we all know, that only makes you an eligible player. To stand out in the crowded GovTech cloud vendor arena, you need to focus on messaging to the security needs of the mission or specific workflows that you’re targeting.
In this process, it’s also important to know what security and privacy compliance requirements are needed for these workflows, and make sure your product has the required level. For example, marketing a FedRAMP-Moderate product to a DoD Inspector General audience probably won’t get you very far. Similarly, marketing a StateRAMP product to a state that has its own cloud certification, like Texas, won’t get you very far either.
Additionally, it remains important to leverage case studies and success stories to showcase your track record delivering results to your subsegment. These real-world examples provide powerful proof points that help build trust and credibility with potential customers. And if you don’t have exact matches for your case studies, that’s OK. Try to align the best you can with what you have, remembering that each segment would prefer to hear from a peer agency in their same segment.
3. Engage through educational content and thought leadership
Once you have your message and positioning down, consider your content mix. Today’s government buyer is a savvy consumer of digital content, so consider a broad mix of content assets such as whitepapers, e-books, webinars and blog posts that cover topics relevant to your target agency and positions you as a go-to resource. This is where a GovBuyer’s JourneyTM comes in handy. You want to align your content to the stages your target prospect will go through in their cloud buying journey.
Along the way, you want to create content that will break down complex cloud concepts, explain best practices for government-specific use cases and provide actionable insights that help them make informed decisions.
Remember, the goal is not just to promote your products. By consistently delivering relevant and informative content, you’ll establish your company as a trusted authority in the GovTech space, stay top-of-mind with them and be well-positioned to capture opportunities when they arise.
4. Collaborate with your partner ecosystem
It’s rare today that a single product on its own can meet an agency’s full needs. You also need integrations and partnerships to market and sell the cloud solutions that agencies need. So, it’s important for your company to keep evolving your ecosystem of partnerships and alliances.
As a marketer, identify and shortlist GovTech cloud players, system integrators and consulting firms that have a strong presence and reputation in the government sector. Start by including them in your target audience to create awareness for your product. As you or your company develops strategic relationships with these partners, begin to collaborate with them to develop joint value propositions, co-branded or “better together” marketing campaigns and integrated solutions that showcase the power of your combined capabilities.
5. Navigate cloud buying cycles and procurement processes
As we know, government sales cycles vary from the private sector in length and timing. We also know that to succeed, it’s important to have a firm understanding of how these cycles can impact your marketing efforts. But, as you develop or improve on your cloud campaigns, it’s also important to consider the following:
- Knowledge of how buying cloud technology is different from traditional IT – the sales cycle length, and GovBuyer’s JourneyTM for your specific solution.
- Understanding of how cloud funding is structured and released. It can impact contract solicitations and acquisition strategies. Beyond the regular Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) processes in place, cloud solutions may also be eligible for Other Transaction Authority transactions (OTAs), which come with different rules and shorter timelines. Understanding the acquisition landscape will help you to create more effective sales and marketing campaigns.
- Get insights into your specific prospect’s GovBuyer’s JourneyTM. It’s important to meet your buyers where they are in their journey with the information they need to move forward. Research budgetary calendars and appropriations cycles of your target agencies and identify key decision points. Once you know where your potential buyers are on their journey, you can align your marketing and business development efforts to meet them where they are with the information they need.
- Architect continual engagement with your prospects and customers through nurture campaigns that span at least 12 months. Government sales cycles are long, often spanning 12 – 18 months or more. If you don’t keep top-of-mind with them, your competitors will.
6. Foster authentic relationships and engage with the GovTech community
As we know, success in the GovTech market comes down to the strength and authenticity of your relationships. Government buyers want trusted partners who understand their mission and are committed to their success. So now is a good time to ask, is your messaging authentic? Are you promising too much? Are you appropriately recognizing the size, complex IT and cloud hybrid nature of the world your prospects exist in? Are you describing your solutions proper fit and function in that world? All of this underscores the credibility of your brand, and your value promise.
An important aspect of authenticity is engaging with the GovTech community both online and in person. Make sure you are attending or exhibiting at key government-focused conferences, trade shows and networking events with cloud tracks. Also, look for smaller scale “gem” events outside of the larger obvious ones. It may not be as big of an audience, but investing in a sponsorship, especially a speaking or roundtable opportunity, allows you to stand out and get your message across more than you would at a larger event – be a bigger fish in a smaller pond. Attend the conference sessions if you can. Listen and learn about the challenges and priorities of your target audience and adapt your messaging and offerings accordingly.
Building authentic relationships takes time and effort and those relationships can be set back with administration changes. By providing value and establishing trust across the agency with multiple stakeholders you’ll forge lasting connections that will carry over in change and serve you well throughout your GovTech journey.
The government cloud market presents a massive opportunity for GovTech marketers and sales leaders, but success doesn’t just happen overnight. It requires a strategic, disciplined approach. By considering the six tips above, you’ll be headed down the right path to winning your share of the cloud funding and making a meaningful impact in the public sector.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help you with your government marketing strategy at hello@govbizresults.com.