I had the pleasure of recently attending our friends over at Market Connections’ Federal Media & Marketing Study 2016 Breakfast. Not only was it a great event to network at, but also a great place to gain insight on how to market to the federal government.

Marketing to the government is an arguably challenging task, as the U.S. government is one of the most complex organizations in the world.

The eighth annual study aims to help federal marketers reach senior decision-makers in the federal and defense space. According to Market Connections, the survey received more than 3,000 responses from mid- to senior-level federal decision-makers, which highlighted media usage including print, broadcast, social, mobile and online. Below, I’ve compiled key takeaways from the study, in case you missed it.

  • Most Trusted Content. At 47 percent, recommendations from peers and colleagues are trusted most, followed by professional association websites at 31 percent. White papers and case studies by professional associations are trusted at 29 percent.
  • Most Visited Social Media Sites. Facebook and YouTube stand as the most visited social media sites among federal employees at 62 percent. LinkedIn is next behind at 45 percent, Google+ at 30 percent, Pinterest at 28 percent and Twitter at 26 percent. YouTube saw an increase from 55 percent in the previous year, while Google+ dropped 12 percent this year. Pinterest, surprisingly, is up 10 percent. Twitter had a small gain of 5 percent.

  • Media Time. Federal employees spend at least 15 minutes consuming media on an average workday. Half the employees surveyed spend time watching news/news programs on TV, accessing online news content and listening to AM/FM radio. A third of the employees access social media sites, while one-fifth listen to satellite radio.

 

What does this mean for you?

It’s crucial to not only know what type of content your target audience is consuming but also where and how much. Whether you utilize social media marketing, digital marketing or traditional advertising, you can create a mixture of any or all to broaden your reach. Instead of solely targeting traditional advertising, you can invest in a strong Facebook and YouTube strategy to promote your business and content.

Marketing to the government is arduous, but not impossible. If we can help with your social media or digital marketing strategy, give us a call at (301) 588-2900 or email us at info@boscobel.com.