008: Marketing IT to Government and Public Sector in the Digital Age with Lou Anne Brossman

October 10, 2018
Podcast

 

New to government marketing? We talk about the specifics of government marketing, blending traditional with digital, and how to message and distribute that message to government buyers. Our guest, Lou Anne Brossman, has over 30 years of public sector government marketing leadership experience gained while working for some of the leading companies in the market (Juniper Networks, immixGroup, EMC).

She is a sought-out speaker on Government Marketing Best Practices and is well recognized for her ability to drive campaigns on relevant federal, state and local government policies and mandates.

Lou Anne started Virtual Marketing in 2008 after realizing there was a need to help companies have winning government marketing programs. She most recently launched Government Marketing University, an innovative learning platform that applies a collaborative, community-based approach toward knowledge sharing and skills development in the field of public sector marketing.

 

Want to meet Lou Anne and engage with other government marketers? Register here for the GAIN 2018 Government Marketing Conference in Reston, VA on Thursday November 1st, 2018!

 

Show highlights:

  • 00:15 – Intro IT Marketing for Government and Public Sector
  • 04:15 – Back to college, George Mason University. Marketing in 80s and 90s, changes with rise of software and internet back before email then moving forward, work at Boeing reselling IBM computers, then selling a presentation graphics software
  • 08:20 – Young government marketers “sole survivors” doing it all
  • 10:20 – DC area and exposure to government marketing, newer marketers don’t realize the opportunity with Federal IT
  • 13:50 – Marketing in the IT Channel more critical for government than commercial, contracting stages, messaging to the Fed as IT manufacturers, Leveraging Market Development Funds (MDF) for government co-branding, lead generation, and impressions via solid marketing plan that passes audited requirements
  • 17:10 – Gaps in MDF spending, but issues with timing because funding expires every quarter and ends up last minute not doing strategic marketing work with good execution process driven
  • 20:30 – Blending traditional marketing with digital for targeted government agencies on pre-event, during event, and post event follow up, example from August 2018
  • 29:20 – Government Marketing University: agency based marketing, navigating needed knowledge, and purpose of the conference of building community. GAIN Conference.
  • 33:20 – Guests at the GAIN Conference November 1st 2018. Why have senior level government leaders as well as IT manufacturer and distributor senior leader guest speakers
  • 39:20 – Government catching up on digital transformation initiatives
  • 41:20 – Lazy marketing versus follow up and picking up the phone to talk to government decision makers, lead qualification…Federal government 101, 201, and 301 at Government Marketing University
  • 44:00 – Managing long buying cycles of IT for government, higher cost per lead challenges
  • 47:20 – Closing remarks, final thoughts from Lou Anne on Government Marketing University with resources, cheat sheets, and reports. Working with Public Affairs officials in government to get Federal Case Study

Find Lou Anne and Government Marketing University online:

Personal:

Government Marketing: