Is Social Media a Viable Way to Reach Federal Workers?

November 22, 2019

While federal workers are not necessarily learning new dance moves on TikTok during the workday, they are seeing work-related ads on Facebook, connecting on LinkedIn and following current events on Twitter. Personal devices are present in the workplace and provide access to social media throughout the day. But as with any digital media, preferences can change, usage varies by age and the level of influence can differ by platform. To understand federal decision-makers’ media usage habits and trends, for over a decade, Market Connections conducts an annual Federal Media & Marketing Study (FMMS). In response to the uptick in the use ... Read more

Stadiums, Arenas and Venues: Winning Strategy for Brand Awareness Among Feds?

October 16, 2019

Congratulations to the Washington Nationals who recently won the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and are headed to the World Series! Both local and national audiences will be tuning in to see if the Nats can continue their streak and whether their good luck charm (the baby shark) can take them all the way! During the post-season, not only are players like Scherzer, Turner or Rendon front and center on people’s TV screens and in-person at games to thousands, but so is the venue they are playing in. Which begs the question, should government contractors be sponsoring or advertising at these highly ... Read more

Cisco Tops Great Place to Work’s List for 2019 World’s Best Workplaces

October 10, 2019

Congratulations to our friends at Cisco for topping the list of Great Place to Work’s annual study: 25 of the World’s Best Workplaces. According to Great Place to Work, how employees view their workspace is the key to understanding what the workplace is like. “Employees around the world all want the same thing in a workplace: Trust. They define a great workplace as one where leaders demonstrate credibility, respect and fairness.” Those companies who make this a priority reap the benefits of employees having a great experience. These include increased loyalty and retention, higher productivity and a greater cooperative spirit. What do ... Read more

Will Your Ad Weather Well with Feds?

October 3, 2019

Every year, Market Connections’ Federal Media and Marketing Study helps companies meet their federal customer “where they are.” Whether it’s raining, snowing, sunny, hot or cold where they are, one thing we can forecast for sure, Weather.com and AccuWeather.com are among the most frequently visited digital sites by federal workers year after year. New this year, we also found that weather apps are the most downloaded mobile applications with an average of one out of five federal workers having these apps on their mobile device. These results cause us to joke internally that, “Weather is King!” Does this mean you should advertise ... Read more

Winning Contractor: Lockheed Martin Wins Recent Multi-Year Contracts with US Army and Missile Defense Agency

September 5, 2019

Congratulations to our friends at Lockheed Martin for their recent contract wins with the Missile Defense Agency and the U.S. Army. The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin an estimated $347 million contract as part of a multi-year hypersonic weapons development in support of the Army’s focus in long-range precision strike missiles. Lockheed is the prime contractor for the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) systems integration project. The team which includes Dynetics Technical Solutions (DTS), Integration Innovation Inc. (i3), Verity Integrated Systems, Martinez & Turek, and Penta Research will develop and integrate a land-based hypersonic strike prototype in partnership with the Army Hypersonic ... Read more

Lead Marketers Share Insights at Women in Technology Connect Event Part 2: Broken Internal Systems & Processes

August 20, 2019

Earlier this summer Market Connections attended Women in Technology’s (WIT) “Decoding B2B & B2G PR & Marketing Trends” in partnership with Merritt Group. This informative discussion brought together a panel of leading marketing and PR professionals from small to large companies including Bitdefender, Hybrent, KPMG US and Microsoft to discuss challenges they face and successes they’ve had in marketing to other businesses and the public sector. In part two (read part one) of this blog post series we’ll focus on a second challenge discussed by panelists: broken internal systems and processes. How Can We Better Work Together: Broken Internal Systems & Processes Market ... Read more

Lead Marketers Share Insights at Women in Technology Connect Event Part 1: Content Generation

August 15, 2019

Earlier this summer Market Connections attended Women in Technology’s (WIT) “Decoding B2B & B2G PR & Marketing Trends” in partnership with Merritt Group. This informative discussion brought together a panel of leading marketing and PR professionals from small to large companies including Bitdefender, Hybrent, KPMG US and Microsoft to discuss challenges they face and successes they’ve had in marketing to other businesses and the public sector. According to the panelists, some of the biggest challenges include: keeping content relevant, internal broken systems (processes), speed of the industry and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and email marketing. With so many great panelist insights ... Read more

Qualitative Research: In-Depth Interviews or Focus Groups? Which Method Is Best for Your Needs?

August 1, 2019

Qualitative research is ideally suited to gain a deeper understanding of the opinions, motivations, frustrations, and priorities of your target audience. There are numerous ways to achieve this level of understanding, chiefly through focus groups and in-depth interviews (IDIs). Both methods can be highly effective at uncovering and unlocking valuable insights. Focus Groups Following a pre-determined set of questions, but with ample room to dive into previously uncharted yet relevant issues, a professional moderator encourages and manages an open discussion and the cross-pollination of ideas among the participants. While the size of the group can vary, a recommended amount typically involves 6-10 ... Read more

Educate Your Government Buyer with Research-Based Thought Leadership Content

July 18, 2019

Government technology influencers and buyers need content that will help them make informed decisions and often seek information from third-party experts such as professional associations and industry vendors to help educate them. Market Connections’ recent Content Marketing Review Study highlights the value of thought leadership content for government audiences in establishing your company as an expert and leader in the field. According to the study, public sector buyers of products, services and other emerging technologies prefer research reports, white papers and case studies to help them make informed decisions. To help them, this content should include detailed information such as data ... Read more

Helping Your Federal Buyer Go Against Convention

July 11, 2019

Have you ever changed your mind? Not necessarily about something trivial like what you want for dinner, but truly changed your mind about a long-standing opinion of a person, company or issue due to a new experience, discussion or interaction? If you have, you are one of the few. However; as marketers, we ask our target audience to change deep-seated opinions with our marketing and PR efforts. Why is it so hard to change an entrenched opinion or perception? It isn’t so much about influencing that one person, but more about how much you can influence everyone around them. The Difficulty of ... Read more