5 secrets of better branding for government contractors
- By Eileen Cassidy Rivera
- Dec 01, 2011
There’s a good reason Vangent was named government contractor of
the year at the 9th Annual Greater Washington Government Contractor
Award gala.
Vangent delivered great results and had a strong brand. Over its
fifty plus year history, the Vangent brand grew from a small business
unit of NCS, to a $90 million operating division of Pearson PLC, to a
$700+ million stand-alone company owned by Veritas Capital that was
ultimately acquired by General Dynamics for $960 million on Sept. 30,
2011.
My paramount focus for Vangent’s brand over the past four and a half
years was to grow awareness and recognition as a powerful, effective and
reliable partner for federal government agencies seeking a services
provider to support and answer questions about broad-reaching government
programs. These programs included Medicare, military health care,
disease control and prevention, student loans and Cash for Clunkers, to
name a few.
In today’s government services market, where lowest price and
technically acceptable often trumps best value and best solution, and
where companies big and small, old and new, are jockeying for a slice of
dwindling federal dollars amid an austere budget environment, an
effective branding strategy is critical to a company’s success.
Vangent’s growth and market strength were the result of great
customer service but also a strong focus on brand value, both internally
and externally. Without a strong brand, many government services
providers look exactly alike. With a solid and recognizable brand, a
government services provider can come to stand for something valuable
and important for its employees, customers, investors and the citizenry
it serves.
Here are five rules of branding I practiced at Vangent which are
essential for any company looking to enter the government services
market, expand their market share or to re-position for new growth
opportunities:
1) Focus on outcomes, not offerings. You can put a
marketing brochure or a website of Company A next to Company B and cover
up the names and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Many
companies feel compelled to list every capability or skill they offer in
a ‘laundry list’ fashion without any context as to what problem or
challenge they help their customers overcome. A much more compelling way
to communicate what a company does differently is to promote the
outcomes or results it accomplishes for its customers – in plain
English. Vangent built a successful branding campaign on the fact that
“four out of ten Americans connect with Vangent, but never know it.” We
combined this powerful and memorable factoid with a unique result it
helped its customers accomplish. One example was how Vangent helped a
customer enable better information sharing among multiple agencies which
saved time and money – reducing processing time from eight months to
just one day and shaving 30 percent in operating costs. Using that kind
of differentiator will make your company stick out from the rest of the
pack and allow you to stake claim to a result which you can build your
brand around.
2) Equip your employees with the tools they need to be effective brand communicators.
In the government contracting world, employees are your most valuable
brand ambassadors. But the reality is that most employees who work for
government services providers can barely recite their company’s mission
or vision statements, let alone their menu of service offerings. The
reason is simple: Mission statements too often are too long and full of
over-used industry jargon. Make it easy for your employees by giving
them the tools they need to not only memorize the meaning or essence of
your company’s brand, but to internalize the brand so that they can
effectively explain what your company’s brand represents. When Pearson
Government Solutions was rebranded as Vangent in 2007, it created a
"brand playbook" given to every employee and helped them understand the
importance of branding, the words to describe Vangent’s brand and
examples or "proof points" that helped them explain what Vangent’s brand
represents. The brand playbook was an essential part of Vangent’s
on-boarding program for new employees and was reinforced with a short
and impactful video shown to all employees.
3) Create an emotional feeling about your brand.
It’s OK, really! Companies marketing products we buy and use every day
are masters at creating an emotional connection with consumers. They
want you to feel good about buying and using their product. That’s why
today’s consumer marketing focuses on how you feel versus how much the
product costs or whether you need it. Why can’t we apply that same rule
to the government services market? Vangent showcased its experts and
thought leaders on video in a series of conversations about some of the
most pressing challenges facing its customers. What’s the point in
keeping their faces and thoughts hiding behind nondescript bios or
ho-hum descriptions of your company’s services? Bring your company to
life and create an emotional connection with your target audiences by
storytelling. Showcase your company’s talent in rich content, quality
photos and compelling videos. You’ll offer your customers, teaming
partners and new recruits a glimpse into your company before they‘ve had
the chance to meet you in person.
4) Your brand is your culture and culture trumps strategy any day.
The first question asked by any new employee is about the company’s
culture, not about the company’s strategy. They’ll want to know what
it’s like to work at your company, what the environment is like and the
opportunities to advance their careers. Many companies in the government
services industry struggle in communicating their company culture and
instead give employees lists of customers, names of contract vehicles
and a list of company locations. Does that really answer an employee’s
need to understand the company culture? Hardly. Vangent focused on its
six core values and one in particular: We do meaningful work. Employees
understood the impact they had on the lives of millions of people every
day. This powerful value permeated throughout the company in employee
communications, external communications in the forms of media relations,
investor relations and marketing and recruiting campaigns.
5) Invest in your company’s brand – no matter how much – and don’t be ashamed about it.
The old saying "don’t be penny wise and pound foolish" certainly rings
true today in the government services industry where pressure on top and
bottom line growth has squeezed out marketing, communications,
advertising and branding budgets. During an era of dwindling resources
in the federal government where blatant promotion is frowned upon, how
do you distinguish your company and justify precious resources? In a
down economy like the one we’re experiencing today, it’s more important
than ever to up your game and take advantage of new and inexpensive ways
to showcase your company. At Vangent, I implemented an integrated
marketing program which focused on valuable content and compelling
videos. I also used social media tools including Twitter, YouTube and
LinkedIn to drive Vangent’s brand directly to the audiences it aimed to
reach. Vangent’s powerful messaging platform was on display at industry
events, conferences and trade shows.
Yes, employees, customers and investors do notice which companies
have got it going on and which companies are stuck in the past.
About the Author
Eileen Cassidy Rivera is former vice president of communications and investor relations at Vangent, a General Dynamics company. She is now vice president of marketing and communications with Cognosante. She can be reached at eileen.rivera@cognosante.com.