Common Mistakes in B2B Marketing

If you are involved in the world of B2B marketing, this involves a highly specific approach that is entirely different to B2C marketing. There are many players involved in this field, but there are also a lot of bad actors as well. Many of the issues that arise are as a direct result of some common mistakes that are made time and time again. With this in mind, here are just a few of the issues that arise so that you can put yourself in the very best possible position to avoid them, and fall into traps that have been clearly laid in the past.

Not using data properly

As every B2B digital marketing agency will tell you, you cannot have a modern take on B2B marketing unless you are focused on using data the right way. Essentially, this means that you need to look at your data strategy, which involves checking out what pieces of info you are gathering in the first place, how long you are holding onto it, and how you are actually using it as well. Ultimately, this is the best way that you are going to be able to tweak any campaigns that you put together based on the responses that you are getting. As almost every business is operating in the digital sphere in the modern world, it certainly makes sense that you are doing everything that you can to stay ahead of the curve in terms of data.

Failing to look closely at branding

While branding is often looked at in B2C marketing, it is also often sadly rejected in B2B marketing. However, this is a mistake that you certainly need to avoid as much as possible. After all, we live in a world in which people are still very much responding to what they see before them in terms of a coherent brand image. So, if you have been tasked with looking at the brand image, you need to think carefully about what it is that you are trying to communicate. A big part of this comes down to what sphere the business is operating within. Often, there is more of a ‘professional’ approach to looking at B2B marketing as you are trying to bring on board other businesses rather than general members of the public, which is obviously something different than you would normally look at.

Not looking closely at metrics

This is a point that is very much linked to the initial one about gathering data, but there is absolutely no point in looking at this unless you are tracking it carefully. Otherwise, it is all too likely that you are going to end up in a situation where you are gathering the data but you are not wielding it at all effectively. You then need to start thinking about the tweaks that you are making and whether they are having the improvements that you had initially hoped for. Ultimately, we live in a world where so much behaviour can be tracked and monitored and you would certainly be missing out on a trick not to do so.

Being too generalized in your approach

In the world of B2B marketing, you are often trying to sell a highly specific service, which is quite different to B2C marketing when you could just be looking at the general public. With this in mind, it is certainly going to be worth drilling down into the specifics of the offering and how it stands out from the competitors. If you are too generalized in your approach, you can easily end up in a situation where you are simply not offering the very best that you could. Ultimately, if you take on a general approach, you may end up getting nobody at all, but still spending a great deal of money trying to do so.

Not testing any improvements

Again, this is another point that comes back to the world of data, but when you are making any improvements in a B2B approach, you certainly need to test them to ensure that they have been properly effective. Otherwise, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you are making things better but you are actually moving in the opposite direction to the one that you were initially intending. Ultimately, improvements should be brought in a phased and gradual way. Otherwise, you could risk trying to bring in too much all at once. This could then lead to a situation where you aren’t really sure what is working and what isn’t.

Simply following the crowd

The whole point of marketing is that it is supposed to help a business stand out from the crowd. However, if you are simply doing what everyone else is, this is bound to lead to a situation where you are struggling to achieve what you would like as nobody is really noticing what you are trying to achieve. With this in mind, you should keep a close eye on competitors at all times as they are going to help you position the business in a unique way that naturally catches the eye rather than risks moving in the wrong direction.

Throwing money at the problem

When you are coming up with a marketing strategy, you could easily spend a fortune trying to fix a particular issue. However, if you don’t have a targeted approach, this is simply not going to work out. Therefore, you need to do all that you can to be strategic in what you are doing rather than simply thinking you can buy your way out of the issue. Ultimately, it all comes down to the initial goals that you had set out and the best ways that you are going to move in the right direction.

All of these are amongst the mistakes that are most commonly made in B2B marketing and how you can sidestep the issues that you are up against. You don’t want to find yourself simply falling in line and not making progress as needed.