5 Red Flags Your B2B Company is Crying for Marketing Strategy Help

Many B2B companies struggle with marketing, often without realizing it. Here are five warning signs that show your marketing strategy needs a refresh, plus practical tips to turn things around.

You Have Shiny Object Syndrome

Is your company always jumping to the next big marketing tactic without giving any approach time to work? This lack of focus usually means you're missing a solid strategy.

How you know you've got it:

• You're always changing marketing platforms or channels
• You start new tactics before measuring if the old ones worked
• Your team feels overwhelmed by constant changes

How to fix it:

• Set clear, long-term marketing goals that match your business aims
• Choose specific ways to measure each marketing project
• Make a marketing plan with milestones and check-in points
• Stick with each strategy for at least 3-6 months before judging it
• Use a project tracker to stay on course and keep everyone focused

Your Digital Presence Is Outdated

Your website is the face of your company. An old-fashioned site and lack of digital know-how can really hold back your marketing. It's not just about looks – it's about how well your online presence works for users and whether they can even find you.

Signs you're falling behind:

• Your website doesn't work well on mobile devices
• You're not using data to make decisions
• You're missing rich content with a mix of images, videos or podcasts

How to catch up:

• Take a close look at all your digital marketing
• Get a modern, easy-to-use website design
• Start using tools that track how people use your site and how well your campaigns do
• Try different types of content, not just written articles
• Consider adding an AI chatbot to field customer inquiries
• Keep an eye on what's new in digital marketing and use what fits your business

For more ideas, Google has several free tools for website optimization.

Curious to see how your website performs? Request a free SEO report.

The "Me, Me, Me" Syndrome: Focusing on Features Instead of Solutions

When your marketing only talks about product features and company bragging points, you're missing the mark. Good B2B marketing focuses on solving customer problems.

How to spot self-centered marketing:

• Your content is full of tech specs but light on benefits to the user
• Your case studies talk more about your process than how you helped clients
• Your sales pitches are focused on features and don't address specific customer problems

Steps to put customers first:

• Create detailed profiles of your ideal customers based on real data
• Map out how customers typically find and choose your product
• Make content that speaks to specific challenges customers face
• Use stories to show how your solutions help real businesses
• Regularly ask customers for feedback and use it to improve

You're Using a "Spray and Pray" Approach

If your marketing tries to reach everyone, it often ends up reaching no one effectively. In B2B marketing, it's crucial to aim for the right targets and speak specifically to their needs.

Signs your aim is off:

• You can't clearly describe your target audience (or worse, you think your audience is 'everyone'.)
• Few people engage with your marketing across different channels
• It's hard to tell if your marketing is worth the money you're spending

Tips for better targeting:

• Get really specific about who your ideal customer is
• Use data to find prospects who are actively looking for solutions like yours
• For key accounts, create personalized marketing plans
• Use smart tools to focus on leads more likely to buy
• Customize your content and outreach based on industry, job role, and specific problems

Your Marketing and Sales Teams Are Disconnected

When marketing and sales don't work together closely, it wastes effort and confuses customers.    

How to tell if there's a disconnect:

• Marketing and sales disagree on what makes a good lead
• Your marketing materials say one thing, but sales says another
• The teams don't share information or feedback

Ways to bring teams together:

• Use one system (a CRM) to track customer information
• Create clear rules for how marketing hands leads to sales; Define what a marketing qualified lead (MQL) looks like, versus a sales qualified lead (SQL)
• Have the teams collaborate regularly to share insights
• Create content that helps both marketing and sales do their jobs
• Use a scoring system to make sure only quality leads go to sales

Taking Action

If these red flags sound familiar, it's time to take a fresh look at your B2B marketing strategy. Here's how to start:

• Take a hard look at what you're doing now in marketing
• Ask people from different parts of your company what they think
• See what your competitors are doing and where you might be falling short
• Set clear goals you can measure for your marketing projects
• Think about working with a marketing expert to get new ideas

By tackling these issues, you can create a marketing strategy that not only helps your business grow but also builds strong, lasting relationships with your B2B clients. The end result? A business that's more competitive and successful for years to come.