10 reasons why your content marketing isn’t working
Here are some of the real-life reasons why marketing and content marketing didn’t work for me in the past.
Senior management didn’t really care
It’s not so much that they didn’t care. They just didn't know why it was important for them. That was my fault for not demonstrating how useful content marketing could be to the achievement of the business goals.
Sometimes we didn’t know why we were doing it
This happens when you do the same things year-in year-out. We write case studies, post new deals, and talk about company achievements without being clear on ‘why’ we’re doing them. Sometimes we forget to ask; "how does this piece of content help move us towards our goal? If you don’t know why then you don’t know how.
Our content wasn’t aligned with the customer journey
Your target audience comes to you with different levels of understanding and at different points in their journey. Providing every prospect with exactly the same information without taking this into account is a huge missed opportunity that will leave money on the table.
We didn’t put ourselves in the clients’ shoes
Why should prospects care about what we put out. Simply ask; “If I was a prospect would I open or read this?” “Would I find this useful or valuable?”
We were doing the same as everyone else
Maybe we all need to do blog posts, case studies, testimonials, tombstones, and be active on social media… But we don’t all have to look like the same homogenous mass of average!
Our content strategy wasn’t aligned with business goals
Ultimately, marketing is there to support and help the business achieve its goals... But sometimes we get a ‘great’ idea that isn’t quite aligned...but we’ll do it anyway because it’s clever, or may win us an award, or just because it was my idea.
Our proof circle was too big
Too many cooks can be an issue on occasion. Especially when you’re producing content that affects the brand or image of the business. Yes, some senior management input may be useful or even required. But why is the CFO or Risk Director giving me their view on the colours and fonts for the bloody website?!
Sales & marketing weren’t aligned
A polite way of saying that sometimes sales just didn’t really care. Most new business is via the sales team and their relationships with key business partners/introducers. For many, marketing doesn’t generate any useful leads or help them close a deal. So, apart from the website, product sheets, hardcopy case studies, and umbrellas with the company logo, what’s the point?
We didn’t ask them to do anything
It’s amazing how much time and effort marketers put into advertising, brand building and campaigns without actually asking the prospect to do anything at the end…apart from ‘call this number if you want to know more’.
We solely focused on our product/service
Financial services seems to do this better than anyone else. Trust me, everyone in your sector has a great product/solution that will improve cashflow, provide additional working capital, or fund your MBO/MBI! But businesses are not short of sources for finance. What they want is finance from someone that ‘gets’ what it is they’re trying to achieve and can provide the right funding for their specific needs when they need it.
Bonus - Give up too soon
Yes, sometimes we just gave up too soon on a campaign or strategy. It used to be that people needed 5-7 ‘touches’ with a company before making a buying decision. Now it’s more like 20! So, just keep going a bit longer before giving up on your content strategy.
Rule 8 Consulting helps B2B companies generate profit and growth by consistently delivering targeted, valuable, and irresistible content that gets them more customers, at less cost, with less work.
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Tagged as: Content Marketing Strategy, Creating Great Content
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