B2G Sales Cycles and Relationship Building With Alex Love

Alex Love is the VP of Marketing Communications at RIVA Solutions, an IT government contractor on the Inc. 5000 list. With over 15 years of experience in marketing and communications, she specializes in public-sector marketing, branding, and employee engagement. Alex is known for her ability to construct lean, impactful MarCom teams using her in-depth knowledge of the B2G environment. She is also a powerlifter and the co-host of the Mastering the Art of Failing podcast, where she dismantles the stigma of failure, empowering listeners to turn challenges into opportunities.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [01:17] Alex Love highlights the dynamics of B2G marketing versus typical B2B strategies
• [06:08] The significance of account-based marketing (ABM) and its impact on B2G sales cycles
• [07:47] Strategies for handling team retention and its influence on long-term government contracts
• [08:44] The importance of authenticity on LinkedIn to drive organic growth 
• [11:46] How to measure success in a marketing department that’s not focused on lead generation
• [14:38] What are the benefits of employee-generated content on social media? 
• [25:50] Building, managing, and measuring an effective marketing team in a lean environment
• [32:02] Leveraging AI tools for content creation and outsourcing to freelancers for specialized skills

In this episode…

In this episode of the Tailwind Marketing Podcast, our host, Carlos Corredor, talks with Alex Love, VP of Marketing Communications at RIVA Solutions. Alex shares her extensive experience in B2G marketing, highlighting the key differences from B2B, the challenges of long sales cycles, and the importance of building strong relationships. She also dives into effective LinkedIn strategies and team-building tips. Alex offers insights into using AI in marketing and discusses her approach to creating a cohesive and effective marketing team. Tune in for a deep dive into the unique aspects of B2G marketing and learn how to navigate this complex field.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Carlos Corredor on LinkedIn
• Condor Agency
• Alex Love on LinkedIn 
• RIVA Solutions
• Mastering the Art of Failing podcast
• Work Life with Adam Grant podcast
• Cal Newport’s Books 

Quotable Moments:

• “Effective public sector marketing requires a deep understanding of the target audience, a compelling narrative that connects with their mission and aspirations, and a variety of channels and tactics to reach them.”
• “We rely on our business development or our solutions team to say, ‘Hey, this met the mark.’”
• “LinkedIn is our primary target audience, and that hits all of our different audiences that we’re trying to speak to.”
• “Marketing is one of those things that people are like, ‘Yeah, whatever,’ but you can’t make this stuff up in a lot of spaces.”
• “I think most things can be taught, but you really can’t teach people to have a collaborative, good attitude.”

Action Steps:

1. Focus on relationship building rather than immediate lead generation when marketing in sectors with long sales cycles: This creates a foundation of trust that is essential for eventual sales in environments like government contracting.
2. Utilize LinkedIn organically to represent brand authenticity and engage with your community: Organic growth on LinkedIn can lead to stronger connections, showing the human side of the brand.
3. Encourage employees across departments to contribute to marketing efforts through generated content: Involving employees in content generation helps personalize the brand and provides a broader range of perspectives.
4. Invest in training and selecting team members who thrive in collaborative, high-paced environments: A team with the right attitude and complementary skills can adapt quickly and maintain brand consistency.
5. Leverage AI tools like ChatGPT for initial drafts and outlines to increase productivity in content creation: AI can assist in overcoming writer’s block and provide a fresh perspective, streamlining the content creation process.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Condor Marketing & Staffing. 

Condor is an ROI-driven digital marketing agency built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. 

Our expert team helps clients identify and execute initiatives focused on business growth. We aim to democratize digital marketing with proven strategies and measurements that guarantee a return on investment by leveraging innovative technologies and the support of our Latin American office.

We provide strategic digital marketing advice, website development, content generation, SEO, performance marketing, social media marketing, CRM and email automation, web analytics and BI reporting, video production, and staffing services.

To learn more about our execution of ROI-focused marketing, reach out to us at CondorAgency.com or email us at support@condoragency.com.