10 Common B2B Content Marketing Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Do you ever feel like your content isn’t quite doing what it’s supposed to?

You’re not alone.

 

The latest 2021 report by the Content Marketing Institute* shows that less than one-third of businesses think their content marketing efforts have been successful over the past 12 months.

But that doesn’t mean content doesn’t work. It means that organisations are making small mistakes that can have big consequences.

 

 

At myCloud, we’ve seen the same mistakes time and time again. Whether it’s landing pages, blogs, downloads, videos, podcasts, social media posts or anything else, there are a number of common mistakes that pretty much everyone makes.

Here are the top 10 mistakes that happen all the time:

 

1. Failing to understand the audience:

It’s important to understand the problem your audience is having, and use your content to sell effective solutions, rather than to sell ‘products’ or ‘services’.

 

2. Creating broad content:

Your target customers all have something in common. Address this shared characteristic through your content to add personalisation, rather than being broad or vague.

 

3. Not addressing buyer pain points:

Track and analyse the buyer journey to identify common sticking points, and use your content strategically to guide and support your audience through these challenges.

 

4. Irrelevance:

Visitors head to your website because you offer something that’s relevant to their needs. They’re likely to turn away if your content doesn’t live up to their expectations.

 

5. Being out of date:

Trends and statistics change fast. Your visitors don’t want advice that’s six months out of date. Content needs to be updated regularly to ensure your audience is being kept up to date.

 

 

6. Posting sporadically:

Your content is what’s going to keep audiences coming back for more, helping to build loyal, long-lasting relationships. It’s important to give your audience a reason to keep visiting.

 

7. Following the crowd:

Competition drives inspiration. But if you post about the same subjects, from the same angle, you’re not giving buyers anything they can’t get elsewhere. There’s nothing of value.

 

8. Being distant:

Sometimes, audiences can read a piece of content and not feel any closer to the organisation. Try to use your content to engage them; create content that resonates with them. This will help to bring your customer closer to you.

 

9. Forgetting to add a CTA:

Even the greatest content can fail if it doesn’t drive action. Adding a call to action within your content can work to motivate and inspire readers to take the next step in the journey.

 

10. Not using content to drive loyalty:

The impact of a piece of content isn’t limited to that piece of content alone. By adding internal links, you can use content to direct visitors to other parts of your site.

 

Summary

 

 

So how can you avoid these mistakes?

By developing a strong content strategy.

By planning content so that it engages with the right people, at the right time.

And by using your content as more than just content; using it as a driver of ongoing loyalty.

This is what’s going to take your content efforts to the next level. It’ll help you to see the huge impact that great content can have on your bottom line.

 

 

At myCloud, we offer a range of creative services to help you develop a winning content strategy. Follow our blog for handy tips, or book a call with the team to find out more about how we can help you grow.

 

(*source = 2021 Content Marketing Institute report)