3 Keys to Marketing to Government

By Denise Rodriguez Lopez, American Express OPEN Advisor on Teaming

Last month, NYC Business Solutions and American Express OPEN hosted a Marketing Skills workshop, from NYC Teaming, a Compete to Win service, for NYC’s small businesses interested in marketing to the government.

For those of you that missed the workshop, I’m providing a summary of the three key marketing elements:

• Elevator Pitch
• Business Card
• Capabilities Statement

Your elevator pitch should be no longer than a minute and should contain a trigger – something to make your audience remember you and why you’re right for the job.

Your business card is a mini capabilities statement – use both sides to ensure optimum information is shared, including NAICS codes, certifications and a clear description of what your product or service is.

Speaking of capabilities statements, this is one of your strongest marketing assets, serving as both an introduction to your firm and the “leave behind” that helps agencies remember you. A capabilities statement is in simplest terms a detailed paragraph or two that describes your firm’s capabilities.  More commonly, the term capabilities statement is used to describe not only your capabilities, but also your experience and qualifications. An effective capabilities statement will capture the essence of your firm in one to two pages. 

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to help you develop a winning capabilities statement:

• DO tailor your statement to each targeted agency/sector – make your firm memorable
• DON’T make the reader search for important information
• DO prominently include your name, the name of the firm, and your contact information
• DO include a clear description of the services/products you offer
• DON’T be repetitive and say the same thing 5 different ways – say it once and say it well
• DON’T exceed one page – but DO use both sides if you have use for the real estate
• DO highlight your certifications
• DO highlight your past performance – include the names of your clients and the projects’ names (if applicable)
• DON’T be redundant describing your past performance. If you are a construction firm, it is safe to assume that your work for a client was in fact in construction.
• DON’T clutter with unnecessary photos – pictures of happy employees does nothing to reinforce your experience or capabilities.
• DO use color
• DO use text boxes to highlight a particularly memorable or important project you worked on, special certifications or licenses, or to include a brief quote from a satisfied customer about the great job you did for them
• DO include your website address – and remember that if someone is interested in your firm they will go to your website to check you out. You can include more information on the site and expand on what appears on your collateral – so DO keep your website updated at all times

Lastly, remember that your capabilities statement is not static.  Update the document promptly as needed so your audience always has the most recent and relevant information available. 

If you’re interested in learning more about how Teaming can work for your business, visit us on the web or drop us a note in the comment section below.