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For marketers trying to break into the public sector, it can be quite complicated to navigate the procurement process.
In their marketing materials, marketers must research and offer solutions that address the needs, expectations, and financial constraints of specific segments of the sector. There are a lot of opportunities for suppliers who are able to provide solutions to the housing associations sector.
Across the UK there is a severe housing shortage, and many people are in need of affordable housing. In the UK, there are 4.4 million tenants in social housing, and 1.1 million tenants still seeking council housing.
There has long been a shortage of social housing, causing housing list applicant numbers to grow year on year. The UK’s housing needs can’t be met by private housing provider companies alone, and rents have risen so high that most private renters are unable to save for a deposit.
As rental revenue falls, many housing associations struggle to maintain and improve their social housing properties, and families are priced out of many areas, straining local economies.
The good news
The UK has 1,500 housing associations at present but, in the Spring Budget 2020, the government announced £12 billion for the next round of Affordable Homes, which will help the sector grow.
The government has removed the debt cap on the Housing Revenue Account, which allows local authorities to borrow funds for development unrestricted.
Within the next five years, local authorities plan to build 70,000 new homes, most of which will be social housing.
In order to ensure that quality housing options are available at an affordable price, housing associations must select suppliers carefully.
Suppliers can provide a variety of solutions to appeal to the local authority, including streamlining the housing register application process or providing income-generating initiatives.
Focus on these solutions if you want to win contracts from any housing association.
More Than Words Marketing has extensive experience marketing to the public sector and providing highly targeted data for public sector organisations.
Tips to make your database list of housing associations more effective
Determine your goals
Establish realistic, practical goals for the next year or two. Direct marketing messages should be able to clearly outline these goals and milestones, as well as provide evidence of past success.
Your messages and any resources you send out should include information and analytics – setting targets and tracking your progress.
A data-driven approach is the way to go
Engagement with the public sector requires precise targeting. Determine which decision-makers or influencers you should be targeting, and ensure you’re sending them the right messages.
Our experience suggests that having access to a comprehensive database of Housing association professionals is just the beginning.
Using personalisation to make your marketing campaign appear unique to your audience can make it one of your most powerful tools.
Detailed data will allow you to personalise your campaigns in creative ways that make an impression and keep prospects interested.
Contextualise
You should understand the environment your client works in, including the effects of the covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis, energy price at record level, property price hikes, changes in the housing benefit system, and other financial pressures.
Make sure your marketing messages demonstrate what you can do for your clients. Make sure your priorities & objectives align.
Put value first
Public sector outsourcing is not just driven by the desire to save money.
A business-driven approach can help increase productivity and help your prospects to achieve their goals.
Consider if your business is able to help a city council, social landlord or registered provider of housing association property to:
- provide housing advice, implement choice based letting systems or update their housing allocations policy,
- optimise time-consuming administrative processes (like the housing application or housing options service),
- plan effective risk mitigation for supported housing,
- find and give employees training, and
- stay up to date with new technology.
Direct marketing is the quickest and most effective way to get new enquiries and sales from housing associations.
With More Than Words Marketing, you can get access to up-to-date public sector data – and help with carrying out campaigns thanks to our managed marketing services.
Let us know what your company is all about and we’ll search our database for the prospects who most need your products and services.
