12 Local Government Experts on Marketing During the Covid-19 Crisis
The Covid-19 pandemic is not just a health crisis but a severe economic one. It has wreaked havoc on the financial plans of countless businesses and governments worldwide.
Local governments are at or near the front lines in the battle against the virus, and under significant financial pressure. Effective marketing to local governments during this crisis will require sometimes radical adjustments in both strategies and tactics for many companies. Juliana Slye, founder of Government Business Results, calls Covid-19 the biggest local government market disrupter of all time.
To help marketers navigate this constantly shifting new environment, we consulted with 12 leading local government marketing experts, and synthesized their recommendations into pandemic marketing “best practices”.
The list of participating experts is provided in a “clickable” Table of Contents just below, along with a summary of one of their key insights. The experts’ complete recommendations follow, in the same order they appear in the table.
Directory of Experts & Sample Recommendations
| Local Government Marketing Expert | Sample Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Juliana Slye, Government Business Results | Re-qualify every single deal in your pipeline |
| Ryder Todd Smith, Tripepi Smith | The webinar is king right now… and execution really matters. |
| Allan Rubin, O’Rock Technologies | Delay non-relevant product/service launches. |
| Greg Berry, Municibid | Now is the time to double-down on your marketing efforts. |
| Timothy Brett, Deltek | Understand how local governments’ Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) will impact the way your product/service is purchased. |
| Mark Amtower, Amtower & Company | Build a strong LinkedIn profile and personalize your LinkedIn outreach. |
| Ali Rexrode, NextRequest | Completely rethink your messaging. Whatever worked before may not now. |
| David Heineman, CJIS Group | Keep in mind that Covid’s impact on local government varies by region and broaden or change your geographic focus accordingly. |
| Jessica Bertinoia, Qscend Technologies | Create content that is valuable, to the point, and clear of “fluff”. |
| Steve Machesney, Civic Plus | Adapt your value proposition (make your product/service a “must have”) |
| Nathan Lee, CivicPulse | Understand the impact of federal and state stimulus packages on each local government you approach |
| Ron Mester, Power Almanac | Eliminate scarcity- and urgency-based appeals that tap into officials’ anxiety |
Juliana Slye,
CEO & Founder
Juliana delivers over 20 years of strategy and marketing experience in the global government technology industry, with expertise ranging from field marketing and sales to product management, and industry business unit management. GBR is a go-to-market agency that helps technology companies accelerate their public sector business growth with the right strategy, marketing and enablement.
The GBR team has been thriving at the intersection of technology, market enablement and the Public Sector since 1993. We deliver results: Meaningful revenue growth, improved customer engagement, stronger team performance, measurable market penetration and differentiated thought leadership – and an agile strategy that accelerates it all.
1. The time to drive promotional campaigns is NOW.
Don’t assume the traditional ‘end-of-year’ timeframes are in play. Government agencies are spending budget and stimulus funds now to update aging systems and support telework, over half a billion dollars in the first 3 weeks of April alone. The spending isn’t showing any signs of slowing just yet. But beware – all of this spend could rob June and July of their traditional spikes.
2. Re-qualify every single deal in your pipeline.
COVID-19 turned agency priorities on their heads. You need to re-confirm that everything is place, for your sake and your customer’s. Start with a wholesale, bottoms-up re-qualification of every single deal. Look into your buyer sign-off chain, authority-to-purchase, funding availability, key stakeholder agreement, procurement path identification and contract use. Leave no stone unturned.
3. Your marketing efforts must stand out from the crowd.
There are 8,000 tech vendors selling to local governments, and they’re all going after modernization. To be successful you must be crystal clear about your target (persona-based) and how your message and value will stand out to them. Now is the time to get creative with multi-platform, syndicated approaches and go beyond traditional government publications to LinkedIn, Facebook and more traditional news sites. If you’re going live, meet their whole need – give them information + interaction with live chat, surveys, polls or quizzes. Make it personal and memorable on-camera.
4. Format matters more than ever.
Agency workers are just like us: tired, distracted and anxious (and worse if working from home). Snack-size your content. Get to the point faster. You can’t compete with a starving kid, a dog that needs walking, or Andrew Cuomo. Mobile and podcasts are hot, as are owned media. Develop specific, targeted resource hubs on properties you or your channel partners own (for late night reading). Consider live-chat options to increase engagement. And balance the content: COVID is a draw, but more important to them is high value, mission-oriented content.
Ryder Todd Smith,
Founder & President
Ryder has over 20 years of experience in government relations, technology and marketing. He leads Tripepi Smith as the ultimate project owner of its clients, which span over 90 public, private and non-profit agencies. Ryder is also the creator of the City Internet Strategies Study, publisher of the Civic Business Journal and a frequent speaker on the local government circuit.
Tripepi Smith was quick to recognize that if there was ever a chance to demonstrate that we are a partner – not a vendor – now was that time. That is why we created our Coronavirus Portal (tripepismith.com/coronavirus) and unleashed hundreds of hours of staff time to produce free content and information for cities.
1. Focus on direct Covid-19 related solutions in the very-near term.
If you have solutions that can help local governments manage the crisis, especially remote workforce related, get the word out far and wide immediately, on all available channels – website, webinars, conference calls, email, online communities, partners, etc. There is an almost insatiable demand for useful information and immediate help.
2. As the crisis subsides, pivot to solutions that save money and increase efficiency.
As threats to public health start to diminish, officials will shift their focus to the looming fiscal crisis. Federal and state relief programs will not be enough to compensate for lost tax revenue and increased spending on public safety and health. Vendors that can deliver cost saving and operational efficiency will find increasingly receptive audiences this summer and fall. Vendors that cannot will struggle – until and unless they adjust both their solutions and messaging to the new fiscal realities.
3. The webinar is king right now.
In today’s social distancing, remote working world, there simply is no more effective and efficient sales and marketing vehicle than a webinar. Managed properly, webinars provide useful information to the audience and increased customer understanding for the vendors. They can enhance the feelings of connection among participants while building trust. Webinars were highly-effectively lead generation tools pre-virus, and are invaluable now.
4. Webinar execution REALLY matters.
An effective webinar program needs to take all of the following (and more) into account: platform and technology selection; knowing your audience; getting the word out; clear and concise scripting and messaging; use of relevant, professional and explanatory visuals; finding skillful presenters; maintaining audience engagement; encouraging questions and participation; designing a persuasive call to action; surveying participants for feedback; effective and consistent follow up; results tracking; continual development of new and enticing webinars. Honestly assess your internal capabilities and outsource development if needed.
Allan Rubin,
Chief Marketing Officer
Allan’s career spans 25+ years in B2B and B2G marketing, with more than a decade of senior leadership experience in the public sector and commercial IT channels. His expertise includes field marketing, product marketing, market intelligence, channel marketing, demand generation, marketing communications, digital marketing, and marketing operations.
ORock Technologies provides IT infrastructure and cloud solutions built for secure data operations in government and highly regulated industries, where enterprise customers must satisfy the most stringent requirements for security, compliance, predictability, and control.
1. Help or get out of the way.
Local government personnel are on the front lines of this crisis. They will be far more receptive to offers of help then a sales pitch. They are likely to remember – and reward – vendors that stepped up during this critical time.
2. Delay non-relevant product/service launches.
Unless you’re offering something that is TRULY relevant to crisis response – which can include ways to get more done with fewer resources – don’t waste your time or your prospects’. Funds that are not being diverted to COVID-19 response will be needed for basic priorities, like keeping the lights on and public safety. Don’t expect growth in discretionary spending.
3. Reach officials outside of normal working hours.
2019 research from Market Connections shows that 86% of state and local government officials consume work-related content on weeknights, and nearly as many do on weekends. Use digital content to connect with them on their terms.
4. Participate in government-focused online communities.
In the same survey, 8 in 10 state and local officials ranked government-focused online communities as either somewhat or very effective in reaching them online, a higher percentage than every other online marketing tactic.
Greg Berry,
CEO & Founder
In 2006, as a councilman for the Borough of Pottstown, Greg saw a problem affecting almost every one of the 89,000 local governments in the US: poorly advertised, uncompetitive bid processes for surplus supplies. So he founded Municibid, an online auction platform to help government clients get more revenue from their assets.
Municibid is a convenient and easy-to-use online auction website for government agencies to sell their surplus and forfeitures directly to the public. All auctions take place online and are available to bid 24 hours a day The company serves agencies of all types, including small towns and large cities, police and fire departments, utilities and other special districts.
1. Carefully consider the tone of all your marketing.
You’ve probably seen marketing mailers, email messages, and television ads completely tone deaf to the pandemic we’re facing. Worse yet are others that are over the top or exploitive. These companies could be doing permanent damage to their brands. Understand your prospect and be sensitive to the challenges they face.
2. Come from a place of service.
Ask yourself: How can you add value NOW to your local government customers? Is there something unique you can offer, perhaps above and beyond your traditional products and services? Is there something you can offer for free? Especially valuable are offerings that directly contribute to agencies ability to respond to the pandemic. At Municibid, for example, we launched a free service that facilitates acquisition of coronavirus-related supplies with vetted suppliers who have inventory available now and zero to low minimum order quantities.
3. Now is NOT the time to pull back on your marketing efforts.
Now is NOT the time to pull back on your marketing efforts.
If anything, consider doubling down, to grow your mind share while competitors retreat. Take advantage of rates on advertising, printing, mail services, etc. to get more mileage on your marketing dollars.
Timothy Brett,
Sr Research Director
Tim ensures that Deltek GovWin members are successful and efficient in their business development and strategic sales efforts. He manages a team of more than 70 analysts who work on GovWin’s state, local and education (SLED) market intelligence solutions, developing and driving content to provide up-to-date, tactical and strategic information on state and local public sector procurements.
Better software means better projects. Deltek is the leading global provider of enterprise software and information solutions for project-based businesses. More than 30,000 organizations and millions of users in over 80 countries around the world rely on Deltek for superior levels of project intelligence, management and collaboration. Our industry-focused expertise powers project success by helping firms achieve performance that maximizes productivity and revenue.
1. Deliver cost savings.
Your offerings, pricing, terms and contract options (such as cooperative purchasing solutions) need to reflect the severe financial pressures local governments are facing.
2. Help local governments become more efficient.
State and local governments are being asked to do more things faster and with a lighter, and remote, staff. Emphasize your products and services, and particular features that will make this possible.
3. Understand local governments’ Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs).
Most EOCs have already been activated, and include policies and procedures designed to allow procurement staff to quickly source solutions to meet government and constituent needs. These changes could significantly impact the way your product/service is purchased. Following the guidelines will increase your chance of winning a successful bid.
Mark Amtower,
Managing Partner
Mark offers advisory services on all aspects of government marketing and training for both companies and individuals. Topics include: Social Selling via LinkedIn, Building a Subject Matter Expert (SME) Platform (company or individual), Content Marketing for GovCon and more. He is the host of Amtower Off Center on the Federal News Network.
Established in 1985, Amtower & Company/ Government Market Master is one of the oldest and most trusted independent companies providing expertise on marketing to the world’s largest market – the U.S. Federal government. The firm has advised more than 2,500 companies, helping many become category leaders in government sales.
1. Build a strong LinkedIn profile and keep it up to date
Government contractors’ “social presence” must be both accurate and complete, especially on LinkedIn. LinkedIn has become pervasive in government contracting at all levels: Federal and SLED. It is usually the first-place professionals are vetted by buyers and influencers. If your profile is outdated, incomplete or inaccurate, you will most likely lose that business.
2. Find information worth sharing with your connections, customers and partners.
Add value to your network by contributing and sharing information that will help them with their work, or the agencies/ companies they represent.
3. Personalize your outreach.
Pay attention to your Notification page announcements, which are ignored by many, the birthdays or job changes, and send personalized notes of congratulations. When you ask for a connection, take the time to understand who you’re writing to and what’s important to them, and personalize your message to reflect that understanding.
4. Engage in conversations.
Scroll through your Home Page (feed) and see what your people in your network are posting or talking about. Jump into the conversation when you have something to contribute and acknowledge and thank others who are offering their insights.
Ali Rexrode,
Director of Marketing
Ali has ten years of digital marketing experience specializing in enterprise SaaS growth. Ali oversees NextRequest’s product marketing, content, communications, analyst relations, sales enablement, and customer marketing. Prior to joining NextRequest Ali held leading marketing roles in several startups including HelloSign, Weebly, and Weather Underground. Ali received a B.S. in Marketing from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago.
NextRequest is the country’s leading records request software platform enabling local and state governments to better serve their constituents with public information. Our FOIA software will transform how your government manages records requests, enabling you to rapidly respond to audits, examinations, and legal inquiries with our suite of compliance features.
1. Completely rethink your messaging. Whatever worked before may not now.
Carefully think through all the pain points a local government is going through now, and precisely all the ways your solutions might help them. Rearticulate your value proposition, benefits, features and even SEO keywords with the crisis in mind. Translate that new messaging into all your key channels – website, social media, email, Google Ads, webinars, sales calls, etc. For us, a critical shift was to our unique ability to enable effective remote work.
2. Respond to the new budget realities.
While all marketers want to grow revenue, you may need to let that go in the short term. Your local government customers will be under severe financial pressure for at least the next 6-12 months yet may be in desperate need of what you are offering. Consider offering basic services for free, with discounted upgrades and/or easier terms. We are offering our basic service for free in Q2 and aggressively promoting this offering through both inbound and outbound channels.
3. Expand your customer success stories.
All customers look for “social proof” before buying, but that may be especially true in local government, and even more so during this crisis. Reach out to your current customers and ask them to share testimonials illustrating clearly how your solutions have helped them. Take the time to write up detailed case studies with customers that are willing. While inquiring about their experiences, keep in mind your revised messaging (above). Verify that it rings true with your customers’ experience and craft stories reflecting those results.
David Heinemann,
CEO
David leads the CJIS GROUP, a business dedicated to providing market intelligence to IT vendor clients to help them win state and local government contracts. He is a trusted advisor and insightful partner, proficient at analyzing all elements of a business or market, devising strategies, authoring plans, and delivering tactics that dovetail seamlessly with overall corporate objectives.
CJIS GROUP engages in one-on-one conversations with technology decision makers in state and local governments. We know the decision makers, how they think, what they need and what their budgets allow them to buy. Our market intelligence tool and expert, personalized insight, enables our clients to build a relationship at an agency before project specifications are set in an RFP.
1. Closely monitor federal and state grant and Covid-19 related funding programs.
New and complex programs are being announced almost daily. Just keeping track of them, let alone responding, is a full-time job. Determine how your products/services can be purchased under these funded relief and grant programs, and submit timely, high quality proposals.
2. Keep in mind that Covid’s impact on local government varies by region, and consider broadening or changing your geographic focus accordingly.
The impact of the virus on public health and local economies varies greatly from state to state and within many states. Some regions will have a far greater need for your products and services than others, depending on both the impact of the pandemic and the natures and scale of stimulus programs. Consider expanding beyond your usual geographic focus to find more urgent needs and opportunities.
Jessica Bertinoia,
VP Sales & Marketing
Jessica brings nearly 15 years’ experience in sales and marketing leadership in the government software industry, having worked with hundreds of local governments on their software initiatives. She’s particularly adept at helping customers balance the requirements for functionality, quality, economy, and timeliness for software vendors and local governments alike.
QScend Technologies, Inc., is an industry leader in web-based software for local and county governments. Hundreds of government entities and call centers across the country use our citizen request management software to improve services, increase efficiency and effectiveness, re-engineer processes, and measure performance, making us the preferred provider of CRM/311 software in the U.S.
1. Create content that is valuable, to the point, and clear of “fluff.”
Share positive experiences of your customers. Avoid generic “we are here for you” messages. Provide content that is insightful, useful and actionable today.
2. Find and communicate urgent and (ideally) crisis related use-cases for your solutions.
If your offerings and messaging are addressing non-urgent issues, buying decisions will be put off, and your outbound efforts are likely to fail. Brainstorm with your team and customers: how can your products and services help local governments better manage their pandemic response? Clearly communicate these use-cases to your prospects.
3. Target analytically, message empathetically.
Review all your sales and marketing efforts for both their likely effectiveness and appropriateness for the current environment. Focus your efforts on those geographies or segments that are most likely to be more receptive now. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think before hitting the go button on any campaign. A half-thought-out promotional email blast could cause lasting damage to your brand.
Steve Machesney,
Marketing Director, CivicService
Steve helps public service staff do more, faster with the resources they have. As a marketer, he’s good at shifting the focus from features and benefits to problems solved. A big believer in “they ask – you answer,” Steve never shies a way from asking hard questions.
CivicPlus connects municipal employees and elected officials with the citizens they represent and serve with the simplicity, versatility, and power of an integrated portfolio of solutions.
1. Be as relevant as possible.
Relevancy is now more important than ever. You’ll need to climb into your prospects shoes and understand what their greatest challenges are in the next 6 to 12 months. What does their “next normal” look like? As you segment your audience, think through their new fiscal realities, and likely priorities considering the current crisis. Adjust your messaging, bundling, and pricing accordingly.
2. Adapt your value proposition.
Your product or service better be a “must-have” in the face of the coming economic meltdown. Now isn’t the time for high-level, vague, and tone-deaf marketing. Not sure what your ROI is? Now’s the time to find out. Start setting up calls with your best customers to find out why they can’t live without you. And be sure to press for hard, data-driven figures.
Nathan Lee,
Managing Director
Nathan has a PhD in Political Science from Stanford and is a professor in the Public Policy School at Rochester Institute of Technology. He is the co-founder and CEO of CivicPulse, a pioneering researcher on local governments, and the lead research and analyst on multiple local government research projects.
CivicPulse’s mission is to empower local governments and their stakeholders by generating shared insights that are nationally contextualized but locally informed. We seek to bring greater attention to local government within our nation’s civil discourse. We generate insights about local government through national surveys of local officials, often partnering with researchers and other experts.
1. Understand the impact of federal and state stimulus packages on each local government you approach.
The stimulus measures enacted over the last few months are complex, far reaching and enormous in scope. A great deal of uncertainty remains about how exactly these monies will be spent. Marketers need to study and follow the state-by-state politics of these situations closely to understand their profound implications for local budgets. Dig deep to find out precisely how each agency you approach is being affected, and what it might mean for how they can pay to purchase your product/service.
2. Help local governments comply with COVID-19 regulations.
Agencies are in urgent need of solutions that can help their citizens and staff comply with new public health guidelines. Highlight how your products and services can help. Create special offerings, perhaps through partnering with other vendors, to deliver solutions that can help them address new challenges they are facing, such as in public safety, citizen communication, and remote service provision.
Ron Mester,
Founder & CEO
The common theme in Ron’s career as a CEO of research, software, and AI companies, consulting firm partner, and experienced Board Director is giving clients a competitive edge through a combination of hard-to-get data, insights, and tools. As the founder/CEO of Power Almanac, Ron has combined that theme with a lifelong passion for good government that included many years as a member of the San Francisco Mayor’s Fiscal Advisory Committee.
Power Almanac is the premier list of local government officials, with 250,000 records for senior officials from 21,000 local governments, covering essentially every city, county, and township in the USA with a population of 1,000 or more. Records are 100% phone-verified, with every local government called every 6 months. Includes contact details for 13 vital decision-maker roles.
1. Eliminate scarcity- and urgency-based appeals that tap into officials’ anxiety.
While declining revenue may tempt you into aggressive promotions or sales pitches, don’t fall into that trap. Now is the time to prioritize making a difference over making the sale, and whatever you do, don’t appear to be capitalizing on the crisis. Eliminate scarcity- and urgency-based appeals, which tap into recipients’ anxiety. Your customers will remember those who had their backs when it mattered.
2. Be careful and empathetic with your tone.
Strive for a positive inspiration and helpful tone, rather than humorous or casual. Be careful not to appear trite or formulaic. Personalize messages when possible. Check the language used in all communications for words with mixed meanings (e.g., “viral videos”, “infectious energy”) and images that violate social distancing guidelines.
3. Hold steady or increase your marketing efforts.
Advertising pioneer Bruce Barton wrote nearly 100 years ago: “When times are good, you should advertise. When times are bad, you must advertise.” Numerous studies have documented market share gains by firms that maintained marketing efforts during recessions. Cutting back while the market is shrinking is a recipe for having a greatly reduced market presence when the economy and purchasing recovers.
4. Expand and refine your email marketing efforts.
Campaign Monitor calls email marketing the “holy grail” for improving customer interaction. The Data & Marketing Association has consistently found email ROI to be well above other digital strategies in its periodic surveys. Continually build and nurture your own lists by capturing prospect emails on your site, by offering enticing “lead magnets”, and by distributing valuable content to your lists at least weekly. To expand your reach, consider purchasing a high quality, verified email list of local government decision makers. Power Almanac, the sponsor of this post, just so happens to offer the most comprehensive and accurate list in the industry.
