There’s no denying it: B2B content marketing is hard. You’ve got to figure out how to create content that will be useful and interesting for your audience. You must also constantly test and optimize that content to improve performance.
And finally, you have to create enough of it so you show up in search results, provide value through your social media channels, build trust with leads as they go down the funnel, and enable sales reps when they attempt to contact your prospects.
It’s not easy you’re always trying to balance creating something valuable against the sheer volume of content you have to create day after day.
However, we’ve seen content marketers get caught in some common traps while they try their best at generating and publishing this information. Here are 14 common “sins” that B2B content marketers commit in their work (we’ve all been there).
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Avoid neglecting audience segmentation. |
| 2. Don’t overlook the buyer’s journey alignment. |
| 3. Beware of inconsistent messaging across channels. |
| 4. Ensure content addresses specific industry needs. |
| 5. Embrace data-driven decision-making for success. |
| 6. Stay mindful of the competitive landscape. |
| 7. Don’t rely solely on product-centric content. |
| 8. Avoid excessive jargon that alienates readers. |
| 9. Focus on building an emotional connection. |
| 10. Don’t underestimate the power of storytelling. |
1. Don’t Follow A Content Strategy
Have you ever heard that it’s not just what you say, but how you say it? That’s true in marketing, too. While the content you publish is important, how (and when) it gets published is also critical to your success.
A content strategy is a plan for what types of content will be produced and when they will get published.
If a business has no plan for its publications or if the people creating and managing those publications don’t understand their roles within this larger framework then there’s a good chance that confusion will lead to poor results from their efforts.
Building a successful B2B marketing strategy requires knowing the best and worst practices in the industry. Our article on The 16 Best and Worst Practices in B2B Marketing dives deep into these practices, helping you steer your strategy in the right direction.
2. Talk Too Much About Company And Not A Products
When you’re trying to explain your product or service, it can be difficult to resist the urge to talk about yourself. After all, you’re the one who’s been working on this project for months or years of course it’s interesting!
But while this is true, it isn’t always helpful. When it comes to B2B content marketing, there are a few things that should be talked about less often:
The history of your company. This includes its founding story and any other information that doesn’t directly relate to what makes your business unique in today’s market (in other words, anything but “our mission” and “our values”).
Why did you start the company? It’s great that people started companies because they wanted jobs where they could make cool stuff for other people (and themselves).
But unless this relates specifically to how their products help customers solve problems/better achieve their goals/increase revenue/etc.,
Then no one cares and if they do care enough about learning more about why someone started his company instead of just focusing on how those products work for them today…
Then maybe he should write an autobiography instead? I think James Altucher has already done that though…
Crafting a content marketing strategy that truly stands out requires careful planning and execution. Learn how to create a strategy that commands attention with insights from our guide on How to Construct a Content Marketing Strategy That Deserves Attention.
3. Don’t Track Anything
Tracking should be integral to your content marketing strategy, but you must keep this in mind when building out tracking.
The goal of tracking is to understand what types of content are being used by your audience and where those people are coming from. This can help you figure out what works for them and what doesn’t, which will allow you to optimize future content for better performance.
By knowing who’s reading your content (and how they’re finding it), you can see what keywords people are using to find your content, which will help guide future keyword research efforts.
4. Don’t Create Visual Content
You may be thinking that visual content is only for social media, or that it’s only for marketing. But visual content should be considered as important a part of your overall content marketing strategy as written content.
Visual content can be used to educate prospects and customers on the features and benefits of your products, services, and solutions.
Visuals are especially useful when you’re introducing new topics they help create a sense of familiarity with the topic at hand while also increasing engagement with readers.
It’s also much easier to engage in conversation around visuals than it is with text alone (and people love talking about pictures).
5. Write The Way You Talk In Real Life
Speak to your audience the way you speak to people in real life. Don’t use jargon, buzzwords, clichés, or overused phrases that sound like every other piece of content out there.
Avoid long sentences and passive voice. (The passive voice is when the person or thing doing the action is not identified.)
6. Blog Posts Are Too Short
Blog posts should be long enough to tell a good story, but short enough to read on the go. A good blog post is about 600-800 words or 2-3 minutes of reading time.
That’s about the same length as a tweet or Facebook post which means that you can read it during your lunch break without stressing out over whether your boss will notice.
If your blog posts are too short, readers might have trouble understanding what you’re trying to say in less than two minutes. If they’re too long, though, readers may not stick around for more than five minutes before clicking away from their screen in frustration (or boredom).
Effectively managing B2B marketing on a tight budget is a challenge many businesses face. Discover 9 actionable tips to make the most of your resources in our article about 9 Effective B2B Marketing Tips for Tight Budgets.
7. Blog Posts Are Too Long
If you’re writing a blog post, make sure that it’s no longer than 1,000 words. Long-form content can be hard to read and skim through on mobile devices.
Make sure that your blog posts are short and to the point, written in a conversational tone, and easy to understand by those who don’t have time to read long pieces of text or those who may not be native English speakers.
8. Images Aren’t Part Of Marketing Strategy
Images Help Tell Your Story
Images can be used to illustrate a point, show off your products and services, or even just make people smile. Regardless of the situation, images are an integral part of communication in the business world.
As such, they should be a fundamental element of any B2B content marketing strategy especially since many marketers today are finding that this one aspect of their approach has been sorely lacking.
According to one study from Harvard Business Review (HBR), companies that use imagery across various channels see as much as 56% greater engagement than those who do not use images at all!
9. Infographics Aren’t Part Of Marketing Strategy
Infographics are a visual representation of information, facts, or ideas. They’re a great way to communicate complex information in a way that’s easy to understand. Infographics will help you engage your audience and persuade them with data-driven content.
However, infographics aren’t part of an overarching strategy. You need to ask yourselves: why are we creating this infographic? What’s our objective? Is it driving traffic back to our website? Getting people on social media talking about our brand (and hopefully sharing the infographic)?
Are we just trying to build up our SEO profile by adding more relevant keywords?
These questions have different answers depending on what you hope will happen once someone sees your graphic which means that each infographic should be treated as its unique marketing opportunity.
10. Videos Aren’t Part Of Marketing Strategy
“Video isn’t part of my marketing strategy.”
This is the most common answer we receive when asking B2B marketing managers about video’s role in their strategy.
And it’s understandable: Video may feel like new technology, but it’s been around since the first camera was invented in 1878 by Thomas Edison. So what gives? Why is there still so much confusion surrounding this medium?
Grabbing your audience’s attention and encouraging click-throughs are essential in marketing content. Learn valuable techniques to achieve this goal in our comprehensive guide on How to Write Marketing Content That Gets More Click-Throughs.
11. Podcasts Aren’t Part Of Marketing Strategy
Podcasts are a great way to engage with your audience and build trust and brand awareness. With the podcasting industry on the rise, it’s no wonder that content marketers have been flocking to podcasts as a new means of connecting with their audience.
This makes sense – after all, podcasts are a natural extension of what you do in blog posts and email newsletters you tell stories that educate, inform and entertain an audience.
And when done right (and recorded well), they can be highly engaging for listeners too! But just because it makes sense doesn’t mean you should go down this path unless you’re ready for all that comes along with it:
12. All Of The Topics Are The Same
If you’re like most B2B businesses, you are used to talking about your products, your company, and your industry. But the reality is that everyone else has done this too.
A good content marketing strategy will look beyond the standard topics and instead focus on stories that can help you stand out from the crowd.
Don’t just talk about yourself! Instead, write about your customers and how they use your product or service in their business (for example: “How we helped a company save $1 million”).
Or write about an interesting trend affecting your industry (for example: “The Future of Software Development) or how it affects customer needs (example: “Why IT Teams Are Using Agile Methodologies?”).
13. Don’t Conduct Research Or Use Data In Content
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in content marketing is to not conduct research or use data.
Research and data are important for content marketing because they help you understand your audience, which will help you create content that will resonate with them.
Without this understanding, it’s hard to write about topics that are relevant to your readers and also avoid writing about topics that don’t interest them at all.
This means that when you’re trying to determine what type of content to create if there’s no research or data available for a topic, chances are good that it won’t be very successful because it won’t reach the right people.
But how do you conduct research? There are plenty of ways: surveys, focus groups (either in person or online), interviews (phone or face-to-face), usability testing sessions the list goes on!
You can even do some quick Google searches on keywords related to your topic before diving into more intensive methods such as surveys to see what others have found out about those subjects. And if all else fails?
Ask someone who knows more than me! I’m always happy to help out with any questions related specifically
14. Don’t Go Back And Edit Or Improve Old Posts Or Pages
Old Content
Don’t go back and edit or improve old posts or pages. Instead, delete them. If you leave them around, they’re likely to be ignored by readers who will be confused about why the content is different from what it originally was in their minds.
Plus, many old posts may have been written before you discovered your voice and are no longer relevant.
If you insist on keeping your collection of “best of” articles online forever, then at least make sure they’re updated with current information and include a disclaimer that says something like “this post was published more than two years ago.”
Crafting compelling copy is a cornerstone of successful B2B marketing campaigns. Discover the 19 most utilized copy techniques that can take your marketing efforts to the next level in our article about The 19 Most Used Copy Techniques in B2B Marketing.
Conclusion
We’re not saying it’s easy to do content marketing well. It takes a lot of work and dedication, but we can all take the first step today.
By identifying these common mistakes and finding ways to avoid them, hopefully, you’ll be able to avoid falling into any of these 29 deadly sins in the future.
Further Reading
Explore these additional resources to deepen your understanding of B2B content marketing:
Harnessing Marketing Automation for B2B Content Marketing Short Description: Discover how marketing automation can revolutionize your B2B content marketing efforts by streamlining processes and enhancing engagement.
Deadly Sins of Demand Generation for B2B Marketing Short Description: Uncover the pitfalls to avoid in demand generation for B2B marketing through this insightful presentation.
B2B Content Marketing: What’s Working Now Short Description: Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and strategies in B2B content marketing and learn what’s effective in the current landscape.
FAQs
Here are answers to common questions related to B2B content marketing:
How can marketing automation enhance B2B content strategies?
Marketing automation can enhance B2B content strategies by automating repetitive tasks, segmenting audiences for targeted content delivery, and nurturing leads through personalized communication.
What are some common mistakes in demand generation for B2B marketing?
Common mistakes in demand generation for B2B marketing include overlooking audience segmentation, neglecting to align content with the buyer’s journey, and failing to measure and optimize campaign performance.
What role does storytelling play in B2B content marketing?
Storytelling in B2B content marketing helps create an emotional connection with the audience, making complex concepts relatable and engaging. It can differentiate your brand and resonate with decision-makers.
How important is data-driven decision-making in B2B content marketing?
Data-driven decision-making in B2B content marketing is crucial as it allows marketers to analyze the effectiveness of their strategies, identify areas for improvement, and tailor content to the preferences and behaviors of their target audience.
How can B2B marketers ensure their content is relevant and valuable to their audience?
B2B marketers can ensure content relevance and value by conducting thorough audience research, understanding pain points and challenges, addressing specific industry needs, and providing actionable insights that solve problems.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.
