May 19th, 2021
Blurb: If you want to reach your prospects and customers in an efficient way, you need to get familiar with the most common mistakes, avoid them, and get the rest of the fundamentals right.
In an ever-evolving landscape as B2B marketing, following a growth mindset is essential. And more often than not, individuals in this field can grow through experiences and even mistakes. If you've ever become frustrated with your marketing strategies before, maybe it's partly due to some of these marketing mistakes. Don't worry too much about it, though. Here are some common B2B tech marketing mistakes that you need to know about so you can learn from them, continue to improve your craft as a marketer or head of the team, and reach your target goals that convert to real results.
Not refining your market or developing your message effectively
An effective and efficient marketing strategy always starts with being able to identify the market and developing a messaging that works. You can’t simply rely on "gut feeling"--you need to have data to back up whatever messaging you develop. That means doing market research and applying all the results to talk to your target market. Also, a niche market is such a big deal for marketers for a reason. While it may seem like it's good to tap into several markets, the truth is, it’s better to stick with one specific group at a time as it makes winning business easier. However, you have to be careful about whittling your audience so far down that there won't be anything left to serve.
Saying everything all at once
How many times have you ever encountered marketing material where it seems like everything has been unthoughtfully dumped on it all at once? It's a common marketing mistake, and we bet you've encountered this far too many times. The audience wants to only see the relevant answers to the questions and needs they're looking for. If they see what they want at first glance, they will in turn be willing to peel through the other information you would want them to also learn about. Remember that their process of purchasing is a journey with many stops.
Being too company-centric in the communication
While it's important to position your company as an expert in its field, banking on that angle for far too long can also fail to attract interest from your target audience. Think about it like how uninteresting (maybe even exasperating) it can possibly get to hear someone talk about nothing but himself or herself. Instead, start addressing your market's needs and how your solutions can change their lives for the better. The hero of the story is the customer, not your brand.
Overlooking the importance of content distribution
It's common knowledge for marketers to invest a lot of time and effort in developing quality content. You can develop the best content out there, but if you fail to distribute it effectively in front of the right audience, the effort can go to waste. You need to have a clear distribution strategy in place. In fact, you must first strategize your channels before you start creating specific content that's a good fit for the channels you pick.
Have you ever encountered any of the listed mistakes? What did you do to address them?