Borenstein Group

Washington DC’s Expert Top B2B|B2G Digital Branding Agency

federal marketing

How to Choose a Marketing Communications Agency Partner

by Leave a Comment

There are some great marketing agencies out there. Depending on where you live, you probably have a decent selection of highly-regarded firms. But just because you pick a great one doesn’t mean you’ll have a stellar experience. Before you forge ahead with an agency, here are four essential ingredients you’ll need on your end:

1. Commitment to the value of marketing. Your corporate leadership must be dedicated to the potential ROI of strategically-sharp, masterfully-implemented programs. If the commitment is not there at the highest levels, even the best agencies can’t reach their full potential.
2. Availability of senior management and key team. This ties in closely with #1. Cooperation and input, starting with the top, is essential. Willingness to share details like the sales process, close ratios and programs that have worked may be required. If the vast majority of marketing efforts and mindshare is relegated to a junior level staffer, the agency won’t have the visibility they need to win.
3. Trust. This doesn’t mean free reign, but you’ll need a degree of hands-off management to let the agency succeed. The best agencies provide a mix of solid project management and exceptionally creative. If you’ve selected one that fits the bill, give them room to achieve results.
4. A strong internal liaison. This person needs to be a hustler, understand the value of their role and yours, and have a direct line to your decision makers. They also need to be secure enough to admit when they don’t know the answer and straight shoot with both the agency and senior management.

How to Produce Effective White Papers for Public Sector Marketing (B2G)

by Leave a Comment

In Business to Government marketing, the virtues of white papers are well known. Government buyers don’t buy from direct marketing campaigns. They buy based on educational materials and logical case studies that can be used as foundational concepts to build out their procurements and programs. But alas while it sounds easy, the deployment strategy too often goes off course. Many white papers become semi-sell sheets posing as white papers. When this falls short, lack measurable results are sure to follow.
A successful B2G white paper distribution strategy really only requires five steps:
1. A marketable topic that provides important content to potential buyers.
Just because your engineers are excited about a technology doesn’t mean this topic will generate enthusiastic readers. Research your topic and make sure you’re really filling a market niche and supplying needed content. If this step is not dead on, how can the program be successful?
2. Structure and content that delivers on the promise of valuable information.
This step can do one of two things. It can build on the credibility of the company that develops the white paper. Or it can damage your company’s credibility if the reader goes to the trouble to download your data, only to find the information is poorly organized, badly written, and/or hopefully week on good content. There’s a middle ground in there too, but that falls short of motivating the prospect to do business with you.
3. Visual appeal that contributes to the positive perception the reader has of the company.
White papers are marketing pieces and should fit with the overall corporate brand. Charts, graphs, screen captures and other visual depictions should be handled by an experienced graphic designer, as should all parts of the white paper. Not everyone who can design a white paper should design a white paper. After all, you want this document to be read by your audience. Visuals are important.
4. A distribution strategy of reaching potential buyers, customers, etc.
Writing the white paper is the easy part. Really. As difficult as it can be to extract important information out of your subject matter experts and convince your C-suite and peers that you’re not giving away trade secrets at every turn, the most difficult part of any white paper strategy is distribution. Take the time and allocate the budget to do this step properly. Before you embark on developing the white papers, research white paper search and syndication services, as well as more niche-focused services.
Also, determine how you will continue to nurture those leads once they are in your pipeline.
5. Benchmarking and measurement methods to determine and define success.
Before you begin, determine what success looks like. Realistically. Is it the number of qualified downloads, qualified additions to your social media, marketing database, inbound leads, search engine optimization, synergy with a PR program, etc.?
Want to learn more? Contact The Borenstein team to learn how to make your white papers a strategic marketing asset.

How Unique is Your Federal Contracting Brand?

by Leave a Comment

We’ll be the first to tell you that revenue generating initiatives are of greater value in a down economy than branding efforts. But federal contractors are different. Generally speaking, they tend to lack the strong brand identity and recognition of their commercial sector counterparts. Only, unlike their commercial counterparts, successful government contractors, with a greater immunity to the recession, can afford to make the investment in the brand building now.

But why should contractors turn their attention to branding now? Because the industry—which is already awash in tech firms, professional services firms and goods and service providers—is getting more and more competitive every day. New players are entering the fray by the minute. The contractors that have been there and done that need to raise their profile and build their brand if their long term goals include growing their business.
Let’s revisit our first of four principles: For a brand to be effective, it has to be unique.
This means the brand must be distinctive from the others in your playing field, which, unless you’ve carved out a very distinct niche, is probably pretty crowded. Occasionally we have clients approach us to say they want to create in impression on the market that “we aren’t like all the other beltway bandits.” Bravo. We love those people because they get it and because it’s job security for us. And because it’s sound marketing strategy.
If, by contrast, your branding strategy is to find out what the best-known and most successful competitors say and look like, and emulate them, expect muted results. Yes, federal buyers are notoriously risk averse and make the safe choice. But you can communicate to your audience that you’re safe while making a distinct and lasting impression.
So ask yourself, what’s unique and superior about my company? Hint: the answer is not your disadvantaged status. Trust me, you’re not the only 8a or woman-owned small business in town.
When you determine what those differentiators are, you are on your way to a value proposition. Now ask yourself how you’re communicating that to the marketplace at every step along the way in the sales cycle.

Borenstein Group Named a 2017 Top Digital Agency in Washington DC By Clutch, Independent Research Firm

by Leave a Comment

Borenstein Group, Washington DC’s leading B2B, and B2G marketing communications agency has been named one of the top 15 digital agencies in the United States with an exemplary record of service by Clutch, a Washington, DC-based B2B research firm that identifies nationwide top service providers and solutions firms that deliver results for their clients. Clutch is an independent research and analysis firm. Borenstein’s outstanding full services digital agency has been recognized as exemplary, as seen through the overall ranking of 4.8 out of 5.0 as demonstrated by its client reviews.

Clutch is an independent third-party validation research firm also based in Washington DC. Their methodology takes into account a company’s core service lines, ability to deliver, and past experience proven through client interviews. This ranking resulted from Borenstein’s track record in proven success and technical ability.

According to Clutch’s independent analysis, here is what some Borenstein Group clients have stated:

  • “Borenstein Group’s enthusiasm for their work is outstanding and communicating with them is easy and pleasant.”
  • “Borenstein Group acted as a true partner throughout the project by remaining available and actively engaged.”

Clutch’s business analyst Michael Block stated about the top digital agencies: “What makes these digital agencies truly special is their dedication to transforming a company’s online identity by offering the full suite of digital services. Their versatility in the digital world is evident by the quality of their work, as well as the endless praise from their satisfied clients.”

According to Clutch, the leading digital agencies are Column Five, Blue Fountain Media, EDUCO, Fruition, Momentum Design Lab, SoMe Connect, Borenstein Group, Inc., Viget, WDG, Pyxl, Lift Interactive Inc., R2integrated, Moburst, Sweans Technologies Inc., and Bluetext.

Gal Borenstein, agency’s CEO, and founder, commented “Borenstein Group is honored to receive this ranking from Clutch and is committed to ensuring the same high-quality work and creativity in all future projects. We always live by the mantra that no matter  how great is the ‘big idea’, clients value partnership over vendorship.”

About Clutch

Clutch is a Washington, DC-based B2B research firm that identifies top service providers and solutions firms that deliver results for their clients. The Clutch methodology is an innovative research process melding the best of traditional B2B research and newer consumer review services. See original release: https://clutch.co/press-releases/recognizes-top-digital-agencies-2017. The full research can be found at https://clutch.co/agencies/digital/leaders-matrix

 

“Butts-in-Seats” or “Brains-in-Seats”? That’s How Your Federal Small Business Might Be Valued.

by Leave a Comment

Remember that feeling of accomplishment you had receiving your college diploma? “I’ve made it,” you probably thought. “I’m finally ready.” Then came the sobering discovery—the realization that post-graduation life from the status of making it in the ‘real world’, has its own challenges and impediments.

It’s the same story for Small Business. Once they’ve graduated from the SBA program in an IT NAIC code, they find themselves competing in a different world. It’s called ‘No Man’s Land’ where titans and gnomes are equally competing for the same RFP capture. So, often we see the smaller companies’ revenues drop; key employees get poached; worst of all, buyers use “comparables” to consistently undervalue their company’s true worth.

According to a study from the Merrill Advisory Group, the four critical components of Government Contractor Valuation are:

1. Business Focus
2. Financial Operations
3. Unique Characteristics
4. Company Brand

But what are Unique Characteristics? That’s the question most Small Business government contractors aren’t prepared to answer. Assuming all things are equal (including past performance, business focus, and financial operations), what makes your company worth more than your competitors?

Often, the answer is rooted in a company’s Strategic Brand Proposition (SBP), or lack thereof.
SBP, like marketing in general, may sound superfluous to most government contractors. But you’ll find it’s intimately and inextricably linked to your company’s growth post-graduation. Buyers and investors have many names for it, “Good Will,” “Intellectual Property,” and “Reputation with Customers, Suppliers, and Partners,” to name a few.

When stakeholders visit your Web site—your digital brand identity—what will they find? User experiences, thought leadership pieces, and collaborative technologies that demonstrate your unique value proposition? Or a hollow, unconvincing mission statement bootlegged from a competitor: “We’re the only company that’s truly customer-focused,” or “We deliver solutions!”

Few Small Business entities have invested the proper time to position themselves for optimal value. The same IT systems integrator can be perceived as an “Architect” (highly skilled strategic partner), or as “Mr. Fix It” (low-cost vendor). Savvy entrepreneurs know that brand equity and the art of strategic communications can make or break perceived value to both Federal customers and potential buyers.

Often, we hear Small Business graduates lament that they can’t afford marketing, advertising, or public relations. It’s the equivalent of bemoaning the need to buy a suit for your first real job interview. Image matters, particularly when you’re building your company for higher valuation. And that, Small Business graduates, is the bottom line.

Ready to chart a different course? Contact us at The Borenstein Group and we can help evaluate what you need to do to make the neccesary changes.