By Stacey Piper
With the inauguration of the 47th President this year, the landscape of government contracting is poised for change as federal priorities evolve and new agendas are introduced by President Trump’s administration. George Washington’s adage, “The best defense is often an offense,” is more relevant than ever.
It’s always a good idea to review your communications strategy annually to ensure you’re on the right course, and this year is certainly no exception. For small government contractors, proactive planning is critical to mitigate risk and thrive in the coming years. Govcon leaders can prepare for the changing political climate by strengthening and broadening messaging strategies and positioning their organizations for more competitive contract bids and the possibility of new procurement methods.
Staying the Course Through Change
Govcons must be ready to support federal clients in achieving their missions in this dynamic environment. While some policy changes may represent a significant shift in the long term, it’s crucial for govcon leaders to remain calm and confident as a consistent backbone for your agency clients in the near term. Continuing to leverage existing domain expertise and audience understanding will be key to strengthening your client support through any transitions.
The new administration promises a focus on modernizing infrastructure, reducing bureaucratic waste, and enabling efficiencies. Govcon businesses will want to highlight their ability to inject innovation, strengthen cybersecurity measures, deliver technical solutions and agile solutions, streamline operational processes, and reduce costs.
Communicating Unique Strengths
Since new federal government personnel may not be familiar with your company, targeted outreach to new stakeholders should be top of mind. A key focus should be effectively reinforcing your organization’s unique strengths to federal agencies and showcasing your track record in both the public and commercial sectors.
Several proactive steps can be taken now to prepare for potential changes:
- Monitor Changes and Trends: Frequently review the Federal Register for new or changing regulations that might impact your capture strategy. Organizations like OrangeSlices AI, G2X, and GovExec also keep an eye on B2G marketing trends and are sharing intel and analyses of changes.
- Refine Website Content and Messaging: Modify website content, focusing on the terminology used by the new administration and removing outdated buzzwords. Refresh past performance case studies with updated language and a focus on efficiencies gained and outcomes achieved, using facts, figures, and infographics. Download our Messaging Pivot Examples list here.
- Build Private-Sector Past Performance: For long-term initiatives, consider building past performance with private-sector clients and drafting use cases to highlight successful private-sector implementations. This experience will be increasingly valuable as federal agencies prioritize commercial best practices and innovation.
- Prepare for Increased Competition: Recognize that long-standing relationships within agencies may change. Focus on networking, attending events (in person, if it’s an option) and actively participating in industry associations to introduce capabilities to new decision-makers. Currently some agencies have been asked to pause communications, but you can host executive briefings, educational webinars, and other events to demonstrate thought leadership and niche expertise. Create corresponding content for websites, social media, and thought leadership platforms to appeal to incoming appointees.
- Highlight Efficiencies and Transparency: Examine current and past performance for efficiencies, transparency, enhanced reporting, and the use of emerging technologies to automate repetitive tasks. Demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of work through robust reporting and dashboards.
Addressing Internal and External Communication
Changes in messaging will impact all communication channels:
- Internal Communications: Retrain staff to use new messaging and incorporate the new administration’s priorities.
- Talent Brand: Highlight what sets the company apart as an employer to attract and retain top talent in a potentially volatile workforce environment.
- Marketing and Thought Leadership: Update marketing materials, including conference booth backdrops and social media hashtags, and create editorial calendars for articles and blogs that address emerging topics.
- Offer Training and Continuity Solutions: Provide webinars, blogs, and white papers that address continuity and turnover challenges. Highlight solutions that ensure knowledge retention during staff changes.
- Shift Service Offerings: Govcons providing business process improvement, workforce transformation, and human capital management services may consider shifting to change management, interoperability, continuity planning, technology adoption, and cross-training, including artificial intelligence (AI) utilization.
Maintaining a Steady Course
Policy change monitoring, proactive planning, clear communication, in-person tactics, and repositioned marketing strategies will be crucial to succeed in the evolving government contracting landscape. By focusing on innovation, efficiency, and alignment with the new administration’s priorities, you can position your organization for continued success.
Have you taken a fresh look at your communications strategy for the new year and beyond? Contact me to review and align your plan to new priorities.
