We’re live at day one of GAIN 2016! With very few events available to the government marketing community, attendees are abuzz with excitement about the opportunity to network and share insight with peers.
The event is hosted by Government Marketing University, a learning platform dedicated to knowledge sharing and skills development in the field of public sector marketing.
Keynote, Katell Thielemann, Research Director at Gartner, took the GAIN stage to share cutting-edge research on government marketing effectiveness.
“A new battleground calls for new tactics,” Thielemann declared. “The techniques of the past will not work in the future.”
Thielemann showed the audience three screenshots of leading federal IT sites. “What do you see here?” she asked. “They all look the same! And they are all about US and OUR solutions. We need to approach things differently.”
“There are profound shifts underway,” Thielemann continued. “We now live in a world with quick, intuitive, readily-available software. The small business can play with the big dogs. Former customers are becoming competition. It’s the start of war.”
How can marketers ride out the storm? Here are tips from Thielemann:
It’s really NOT about you.
No one cares about your business but you. What solutions are you offering your prospects? How can you make their lives easier? That’s what your targets care about.
YOU need to drive the process and own the outcome.
No one is going to push the envelope for you. You have to take calculated risks and own the results.
It’s YOUR job to understand the market dynamics
Things are changing so quickly. No one is going to stay on top of market changes for you. And if you’re not paying attention, you’ll be lapped by others.
The buying life cycle is increasingly fluid – OWN it all!
Know who your decisions markers are. Also, understand the different buyer personas. You have to tailor your message accordingly.
“Your time has come,” Thielemann stressed. “You need to evolve or fail.”
“Oh, and finally, no more pop-up ads!” concluded Thielemann.
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