Fed vs. SLED: The Marketing Mistake Costing Contractors Millions

You can’t market to SLED the way you market to the Fed. And assuming you can is draining budgets fast.In this new episode of GovCon Unscripted, Chelsea Roberts sits down with Lisa Sherwin Wulf, Founder of LSW Marketing, to break down the strategic marketing gaps hindering GovCon growth, especially as companies expand from federal to state and local markets.From unrealistic ROI timelines…to performance marketing myths…to why SLED can quietly outspend Fed…this episode challenges long-held assumptions about public sector marketing.If you're frustrated with a slow pipeline, weak conversion, or event-heavy strategies that aren’t delivering, this conversation will recalibrate your approach.What You’ll Learn:Why Fed and SLED require fundamentally different marketing strategiesThe KPI indicators most GovCon teams ignoreWhy “just go to more events” is a dangerous mindsetThe real role of AI in marketing productivity (and risk)Why evergreen content still wins if you use it correctlyTimestamps:00:02:00 – Marketing expectations vs. GovCon reality00:05:00 – Why the public sector doesn’t convert like the commercial00:20:00 – The SolarWinds experiment: Contact Us vs. Free Trial00:22:00 – Fed vs. SLED strategy differences00:31:00 – Will AI replace marketers?00:36:00 – Wulf Cocktail Den & creative brandingResources:Chelsea's LinkedIn profileLisa's LinkedIn profileLSW Marketing website🎧 Listen now on:🔹 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/govcon-unscripted/id1766384482🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1NL0kFAvmgECLTJpUZYNHyLike and follow us:🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GovConUnscriptedUS🔹 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/govconunscriptedpodcast/🔹 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/govcon-unscripted/posts/Join our #govcon #community:https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14618490/New to GovCon? Here's a guide:https://share.hsforms.com/288nO18bsRCCmdJZL66pClwbzmvx21 AI Prompts to Supercharge Your GovCon BD Engine:https://collaborativecompositions.com/21-ai-prompts-to-supercharge-your-govcon-bd-engine/AI Prompt Guide for Federal Contractor Marketing:https://collaborativecompositions.com/ai-prompt-guide-for-federal-contractor-marketing/18 AI Prompts to Build Your GovCon Growth Strategy:https://collaborativecompositions.com/18-ai-prompts-for-govcon-growth-strategy/