Initiatives about SLED
The U.S. state, local and education (SLED) IT market is huge — almost $100B.This sizable market, while attractive for the sheer size, may seem overwhelming to newcomers when they realize it encompasses more than 90,000 different government organizations:
- 50 states
- 3,000+ counties, boroughs and parishes
- 36,000+ cities, towns and municipalities
- 12,000+ public school systems
- 2,000+ higher education institutions
- 38,000+ special districts
It’s impossible to reach out and touch each and every organization, but if you understand how the market is segmented, you can craft an effective go-to-market strategy that will allow you to target the market and reach your audience more efficiently and intelligently.
Developing a plan
Delivering customized messages and creating go-to-market approaches for each of the individual organizations is not necessary. But developing a plan with a reusable segment-specific message will allow you to be more productive and reach more prospects with similar needs.
Naming conventions and nomenclature will vary from state to state; but, in general, the functions of state and local government fall into one of these nine market segments:
- Education
- Health and human services
- Transportation
- General government
- Law enforcement and public safety
- Community services
- Environment
- Legislative
- Courts
While each organization within these market segments is certainly unique, there are some common needs that spread across organizations. If we look at the Education market segment for example, Prince William County Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools are two separate entities but can both benefit from technology that helps them visualize the data in their learning management systems or protect their systems from ransomware attacks.
For vendors, this means that you can differentiate yourself from the competition by developing tailored messaging and go-to-market approaches that focus on the common priorities, needs and requirements within each segment — whether health and human services, transportation, or any of the other market segments.
To conclude
The SLED market will be more accessible (and less overwhelming) if you select the market segments that best align with your technology solutions. Develop go-to-market plans and tailored messages for only the ones you determine are the best fit. This will provide a much better chance for you to achieve success.
Learn more
- If you would like help developing tailored market segment messaging, reach out to immixGroup’s Market Intelligence team.
- Keep up on the latest IT trends in SLED. Subscribe to immixGroup’s Government Sales Insider now!
This article is adapted from a recent blog published in immixGroup’s Government Sales Insider.
