Reaching Government Stakeholders with Digital Assets

While most companies seeking to target the government market have established specific federal sector websites, more companies are enhancing their social media presence and developing additional digital assets such as interactive widgets, quizzes, and videos to effectively reach government decision makers. Firewalls and IT policies, however, may not allow the government audience to see your latest tools to promote your services, products or events. It's a frustrating scenario for companies looking to engage with federal audiences.

Fortunately for federal sector marketers, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has made it simpler to understand what federal agencies can utilize to reach constituents online and therefore what government agencies should be able to see when it comes to online content.

Apps.gov is an online resource for government employees that provides guidance and access to available solutions under the government's new cloud computing initiative. Listed are business, productivity, and social media applications that government agencies can use to carry out their own communication activities. What this means to companies looking to market to the government is that the social media services listed are most likely (but not always) the types of platforms that government decision makers will be able to view behind government firewalls. Companies looking to reach government audiences online should check apps.gov to get an idea of what the government is using to reach constituents to effectively develop digital assets and tools for government stakeholders.

Not all government agencies may utilize or have need for all the resources listed on apps.gov. Each individual government agency must use these tools in accordance with its own policies, procedures and other federal mandates. Nonetheless, apps.gov is a valuable information resource for federal sector marketers and communicators.

Interested in getting your company's services on Apps.gov? Check out the Vendor FAQ to learn more.

UPDATE: On May 25, 2010, the GSA launched info.apps.gov to provide federal agencies and the American public valuable information about the federal transition to cloud computing including available cloud services, examples of best practices, and updates from the Federal Cloud Computing Initiative. You can learn more about the info.apps.gov site here.