Many small and mid-sized government contractors – especially services firms – have coasted with an old website for too long. (You can usually tell when the copyright date on their home page is 2017 or 2018). After all, in the govcon business where you win contracts only by submitting a winning proposal, the website never sells anything. Right? And especially if you’re a small firm with deep relationships (and maybe an active badge) in a particular agency, you’re more likely to influence the procurement by visiting program managers or contracting officers in their office, or at the agency’s industry day or small business conference. Right? Not so fast. Not any more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, government offices are closed to visitors. Industry days have gone virtual. Most other industry conferences and networking events are not happening at all – and probably won’t until at least Q2 of 2021. (Did you hear that Google has already announced 100% work from home until July 2021? Others will follow.)
As we near the end of FY2020 and you start looking at how you’re going to make your numbers in 2021, your govcon website is more important than ever. Government prospects, primes, subs, and future employees are all going to your website to learn about what you do and what makes you different, better, or unique. When you can’t meet in person, your website is the destination for every other sales and marketing initiative. If your capture plan includes call or email introductions, they’ll come back to your website to find out more about you. If an agency procurement specialist finds you in SAM and is looking for qualified offerors, their first stop will be your website. If you connect with someone on LinkedIn, someone will visit your site to find out what you do. If your job ad catches the eye of a candidate on Indeed.com, you can bet they’ll come to your site to find out whether they want to work at your company.
• Tell the story of your services or products, and explain your differentiation
• Look modern and inviting, especially if you are in the IT services business
• Provide insights into your management team and why your leaders’ experiences are important to customers and partners
• Offer clear, relevant information and points of contact for government leaders, potential partners, and future employees
• Demonstrate your positive momentum through news releases about contract wins, new hires, and other corporate announcements
• Portray your thought leadership through blog posts, white papers, and cases studies
• Leverage modern techniques for search engine optimization across all pages
If you can say your site already does all of this, then good for you! If not, consider what an investment in a new site could mean for your growth prospects in 2021 and beyond. Think of how hard it will be to compete if your site is stuck in the last decade while your competitors are building shiny new websites.
Check out our website packages at GovConSites.com or send an email to results@govconsites.com if you want to talk about how easily and quickly we can collaborate to overhaul your current website.