In the B2B world, mistakes can be fatal, as clients can often easily just seek out a new partnership and move on. While everyone stumbles at one time or another, companies need to take care that those missteps do not become face dives. Some slip-ups in B2B alliances can prove incredibly costly in multiple ways. The following five B2B marketing gaffes are among the most serious — and common — ones that companies can make, so do your best to avoid them.
Social Media Neglect
When you venture to a company’s Facebook page, you expect to see a generous amount of recent content and information. Often times, however, what’s there are posts that are old and outdated. Social media is always on the move, and it’s a fatal mistake to not take advantage of it effectively. Business is competitive, and you need to treat social media like your most-valued player, using them to contribute to your branding identity at every turn. Stay on top of your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media platforms by posting relevant, timely content every day.
Branding Inconsistency
No matter what your industry or field, there’s an underlying urgency to compete and excel by constantly pumping out news about your brand in the effort to maintain prominence. While this approach can lead to immense benefits and profits, it can lead to inconsistencies that confuse your identity. The desire to constantly push can lead to a focus on specific elements of branding that you think will lure the right partners, while ignoring other aspects that could be bringing in a different client. If you aren’t providing the information potential clients need to see, they are going to move on.
Retention Marketing Oversight
It’s easy to become complacent when you think that consistency will lead to individuals or companies staying loyal because nobody wants to mess with the status quo. In the B2B world, depending on that loyalty can be dangerous, because, while you may have a steady stable of clients, those alliances could bail at the drop of the hat if they think another company can market their services or products better. So, while being consistent has advantages, maintaining that consistency without varying your offerings could mean you risk losing your current clients and have difficulty quickly replacing them.
Limited Millennial Outreach
If you keep up on marketing news, you know that millennials dominate the B2B world. They are adept at research, and can easily influence their company regarding who to align with, who to do business with, and who to place their products with. While there are some tried and true B2B marketing tactics that stand the test of time and work for most targeted groups, millennials are a different story. Different sets of consumers require unique marketing approaches in order to secure their business. Pulling in the millennial interest will ensure you are reaching a source of contemporary influencers.
Mobile Marketing Absence
According to a 2014 study by comScore, tablets and smartphones account for 60 percent of end-users’ digital media use. Mobile marketing is a key resource that shouldn’t be overlooked. In order to provide meaningful experiences to your clients and partners, you have to be relevant and meeting them on their favored turf. Ensure that you provide marketing attention to the mobile sector.
