GAIN Conference is a One-Stop Shop for Marketing

This year has been one of consolidation in the government marketing arena and contractors who are working in support of federal, state and local government. GAIN will be taking place virtually and by on-demand access Nov. 4, 11 and 18.

Capitol Communicator spoke with GovExec Executive Vice President Stephanie Geiger,  co-founder and managing the day-to-day operations of Government Marketing University and host of the GAIN Conference.

Geiger was asked how the government marketing space is evolving and why marketers, now more than ever, need to rethink their strategic communications plans. It’s not business as usual and marketers must be prepared to pivot. As Washington lawmakers consider the new federal budget and the infrastructure package, the evolving landscape in federal as well as SLED will require a more nimble marketing approach than ever.

Here are some trends and predictions Government Marketing University had to offer:

• • Customer Journey: The way brands go to market and win business has changed. According to data from GovExec – the number of registered contractors has increased, while the number of contracting awards has decreased. This results in an incredibly competitive environment. Marketers need to be involved in the entire customer journey to ensure the strategic communications plan aligns with each stage of connecting with government prospects and customers. GAIN will help our attendees focus on that journey.
  • Virtual Workforce and Hybrid or F2F Meetings: 79% of companies expect to host hybrid events even after in-person events resume. Where SLED and civilian agencies are continuing to maintain more of a virtual event engagement model, the defense market has shown that in-person is vital to engaging with key decision makers.  This means we still need to continue getting creative with how we connect with our government audience both virtually and in-person. We need to ensure that we are creating educational and ‘snackable’ content and experiences to stay top-of-mind in a very crowded market. Understanding the different government personas will be a key component of GAIN.
  • Convergence: There will be a much stronger convergence of consumer-based marketing into the government marketing space. During the pandemic, marketers were forced to think outside of the realm of traditional digital strategies; like streaming served ads and messaging to other OTT devices. With only one-third of government workers expecting NOT to telework in the future (Source FMMS 2021), government marketers will be able to reach government influencers in decision makers’ through digital channels that might not have historically been available to them. With personal phones historically not engaged during the workday resulting in lower social media usage, this now mostly remote workforce is much more accessible. Similar to how we might have employed drive-time radio in Washington during past commuter days. The audience is more diffuse but still reachable.
  • Aging Workforce: Half of experienced public servants plan to retire within five years.  This means not only a potential skills gap; but also, the next generation of government leaders must now be working to position themselves for advancement. Marketers can play a role in supporting the growth through educational training (CPE credits), and providing forums for idea exchange among future leaders. Networking is still vital.
  • Tighten your Value Proposition: Long-form content is on its way out. Today, a tighter value prop message using video and other visual representation will convey your value in a more efficient and effective way. This is the media that will continue to be more frequently consumed. 

With these insights, and many more to come over the first three weeks of November, the Government Marketing University team looks forward to seeing you at GAIN.