7 Common B2B Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
In B2B marketing, getting it right can be the difference between sustainable growth and stagnation. But even the most experienced marketers can make mistakes that derail their efforts. And let’s face it, the role of a marketer has grown in both complexity and responsibility recently. With new tech, new platforms and AI in the mix, marketing can quickly become a minefield!
We’ve noticed a few common marketing mistakes, so let’s have a look at them and see how you could avoid them to make your marketing strategy more effective at reaching your target audience and growth-driven.
The 7 Common B2B Marketing Mistakes
- Not Leveraging Data Effectively:
- Many marketing experts seem to forget the power of the data that’s available to them. They seem to make decisions based on assumptions rather than insights. Although data doesn’t always tell a complete story (hello email tracking), it’s also your best friend for recognising trends and tracking overall progress.
Many B2B marketers fail to use data to guide their strategies, which often leads to missed opportunities. By analysing your performance data, you can identify what’s working, what isn’t, and adjust your approach in real-time. Just be sure not to focus on the wrong metrics!
At Generate UK, we believe in a continual learning process backed by data to maximise ROI.
- Many marketing experts seem to forget the power of the data that’s available to them. They seem to make decisions based on assumptions rather than insights. Although data doesn’t always tell a complete story (hello email tracking), it’s also your best friend for recognising trends and tracking overall progress.
- Forgetting the Buyer’s Journey:
- Are you speaking to your audience at every stage of their journey?
Too often, marketers focus solely on lead generation, neglecting other critical stages of the buying process. Remember, B2B buyers need time to research and compare and buying cycles can span years, so if you’re only focussing on the upfront lead generation stage, you’re leaving plenty of future money and business growth on the table.
You can keep leads engaged and interested by providing helpful content that educates and nurtures them at each stage, builds trust and moves them closer to conversion. You want to take them from from awareness to decision and although this can happen quickly, sometimes it can takes years to achieve.
Map out your lead journey on your marketing plan and create content marketing strategies that resonate at every touchpoint. Blog posts, social media marketing, email marketing, podcasts, and YouTube tutorials are all touchpoints that you can use to keep leads engaged in your sales funnel and not in a competitors.
- Are you speaking to your audience at every stage of their journey?
- Neglecting the Power of Branding:
- Is your brand standing out in a crowded marketplace?
We’re not just talking about your logo here. Your brand is much more. It’s your promise to your customers, what you stand for, your business personality, if you will. Yet many B2B businesses overlook branding and focus only on product promotion.
However, a strong, consistent brand message helps differentiate you from competitors and builds long-term relationships. Another common mistake with branding is that most businesses think it only applies to marketing, but in reality, your brand has to be consistent across all touchpoints. Companies that really take branding seriously even have customised 404 pages on their website and quirky email signatures that ooze their brand.
- Is your brand standing out in a crowded marketplace?
- Using Generic Messaging:
- We all get those generic, non-personalised sales pitches via email and DM that land in our inbox. If you’re like us, they all go straight into the trash without even a second glance. Well, in this day and age, there is no excuse for not personalising your messaging.
This is a far wider problem than just generic sales emails and DM’s. It stretches to social media posts, email marketing, social media ads, company blogs, website content and more. Using one size fits all messaging interests nobody. Which is why you should create personalised content and campaigns that speak directly to segments of your audience. Doing this will significantly increase engagement, improve conversion rates and help you keep prospects engaged.
- We all get those generic, non-personalised sales pitches via email and DM that land in our inbox. If you’re like us, they all go straight into the trash without even a second glance. Well, in this day and age, there is no excuse for not personalising your messaging.
- Underestimating the Power of SEO and Content:
- Many businesses waste time creating content that nobody sees. Content marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO) go hand in hand, yet many B2B companies fail to integrate them effectively. High-quality content is key to attracting and engaging your audience, but it must also be optimised for search engines to ensure it reaches your potential customers.
We won’t spend too much time talking about this, but if you want to get ahead on SEO, be sure to download our SEO checklist to see what your website and content is missing.
- Many businesses waste time creating content that nobody sees. Content marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO) go hand in hand, yet many B2B companies fail to integrate them effectively. High-quality content is key to attracting and engaging your audience, but it must also be optimised for search engines to ensure it reaches your potential customers.
- Misalignment Between Sales and Marketing:
- Why, why why do so many marketing and sales teams work in complete isolation?
In B2B, sales and marketing alignment is crucial. When these teams don’t collaborate, you risk delivering inconsistent messaging and missing out on valuable leads. But by aligning your marketing efforts with sales objectives and regular communication, you can create a seamless customer experience for potential buyers.
The best-performing businesses have Marketing and Sales working together. They produce campaigns together, agree on messaging together, and are fully aware of each other’s work. This creates a seamless buying journey that makes hitting sales objectives easier
So try to get everyone collaborating and working towards the same goals, you’ll thank us and so will your leads!
- Why, why why do so many marketing and sales teams work in complete isolation?
- Failing to Adapt to Change:
- Nobody likes to admit they are stuck in their ways. The marketing landscape is always evolving, and what worked yesterday might not work today. Successful B2B marketing teams stay current with industry trends and are ready to mix up their strategies when necessary.
It would be easy to think that this only happens with marketers who have been around the block a few times. But we’ve noticed that newer marketers are also guilty of not recognising that there is more to marketing than a TikTok post and an Instagram reel. Just because marketing techniques like direct mail were around before digital marketing doesn’t mean they can’t form part of an overall marketing strategy.
So our message is to be more open to changing your ways, listen to your peers, accept other ways of marketing and test what works and what doesn’t for your business.
- Nobody likes to admit they are stuck in their ways. The marketing landscape is always evolving, and what worked yesterday might not work today. Successful B2B marketing teams stay current with industry trends and are ready to mix up their strategies when necessary.
Round Up
Marketing isn’t easy, especially in the ever-changing world of B2B. But by recognising and avoiding these common B2B marketing mistakes, you can create a strategy that not only reaches but truly resonates with your target audience.
Focus on leveraging data, understanding the full buyer’s journey, building a strong brand, and aligning your sales and marketing teams. Remember, it’s all about being open to change and staying ahead of the curve.