June isn’t just the start of summer, it’s a key fiscal checkpoint for SLG and a strategic inflection point for government marketing teams. With June 30th marking the end of the SLG buying calendar and the federal fiscal year racing toward September 30th, Q3 efforts play a critical role in shaping this year’s outcomes and setting up next year for success.
So, now is the time to revisit GTM strategies, validate messaging, and ensure your teams are equipped with the tools needed to convert interest into action. It’s not about resetting, it’s a recalibration.
Here are five strategic areas we think are worth using to evaluate your progress mid-year:
- Are value propositions aligned with current agency priorities?
This year has been a lesson in extreme market dynamics and agility. In most cases, the campaigns you led with in Q1 no longer reflect current realities, or have had messaging, content or activity band-aids to get you through the waves of H1 turbulence.
The market twists and turns have largely settled out, and we’re all getting a handle on the rhythms. This is a good time to conduct a messaging audit to firm up your messaging for the back-half of the year. By putting the energy and focus on well-crafted messages and value-pain matchups during the summer months you’ll get a sense of which messages are resonating and which need overhauling, putting you ahead of the fall planning cycle. Recent agency updates, public budget documentation, or newly launched programs can all help shape a refreshed value proposition that speaks directly to the current moment.
- Are personas and journeys grounded in today’s buying landscape?
In the federal civilian market especially, the turnover among government program leads and decision-makers has resulted in shifts in mandates and buying priorities. Have your personas kept up? The GovBuyer’s Journey has also shifted and in many cases dramatically condensed. Have your journey layouts been updated?
Ensuring campaign content aligns with current GovBuyers at every stage of the journey improves resonance and conversion. We like August for this kind of activity. It’s naturally a bit slower and there is more time for the deep thinking that revalidating target personas and buying journeys requires. Tools like updated org charts, funding announcements, RFPs, and government leadership updates can provide critical insights – but your sales teams will also be very helpful here as well.
- Are campaigns generating real pipeline growth, or just adding to the database?
Mid-year is also an ideal time to evaluate what’s creating meaningful engagement. Opens and clicks provide some signals, but they don’t always indicate momentum. It’s helpful to understand which efforts aren’t driving movement so they can be scaled back to free up additional resources for what’s working.
Take a look at the long-tail metrics that reveal H1 pipeline impact: discovery meetings scheduled, sales conversations influenced, and new contacts generated within priority accounts. AI can lend a hand here and make this less cumbersome.
But don’t just let the spreadsheets and technology do all the talking. Have discussions with your SDR leads and trusted sales teammates. Their anecdotal evidence will often give you early insight into agency and market trends that will help you place a few well-timed bets and pilots in H2 that can be measured in time for FY26 full-scale deployment.
- Are content and tools aligned with today’s buying environment?
As buying cycles shift and agency priorities evolve, marketing content and sales enablement tools must also keep pace. Outdated assets – including pitch decks, thought leadership pieces, nurture flows, or campaign messaging – can slow momentum and stall conversations.
Q3 presents an opportunity to audit and begin refresh on your content ecosystem. It will most likely take you into Q4, but you’ll exit with content aligned with specific agency missions, current funding realities, and evolving procurement behaviors. It’s a powerhouse setup that will deliver better support for awareness-stage engagement and late-stage deal acceleration.
- Is the funnel truly advancing, or are leads stalled in early stages?
A mid-year review of funnel progression can reveal where leads are slowing and identify opportunities for creative end-of-year public sector marketing campaigns and program activity. This is where ABM can really shine. It’s also where you’ll understand whether the journey assumptions you made are holding true. Knowing if CTAs are misaligned with buying stages, or nurture content isn’t reflecting procurement timing, resolving friction points is critical to maintaining your KPIs.
Tracking funnel velocity, not just volume, provides visibility into which efforts need refinement. Refining journeys based on where buyers truly are can accelerate movement and improve outcomes heading into Q4. It also gives you a set of gears to work into your H1FY26 planning.
Q3 is the proving ground. Q4 is the performance.
Strong fiscal year closeouts don’t begin September or October. They’re built on the thoughtful adjustments and refinements made earlier – especially during Q3. By focusing on message alignment, buyer insight validation, content optimization, and sales readiness, government marketing teams can position themselves and their sales counterparts for real results in Q4.
With market volatility beginning to stabilize and priorities becoming clearer, this mid-year moment is an opportunity to sharpen strategies and elevate execution. A well-prepared Q3 makes it easier to enter the final stretch with confidence, clarity, and momentum.