Let me guess…

You’re a B2B content marketer who puts lots of effort into writing and strategizing, but you still aren’t getting the results you want.

And now you’re frustrated. You might even be ready to quit creating content altogether. It doesn’t seem to be working anyway, so why waste your time?

Stop right there.

I’m here to tell you that content creation is worth your time. Here are a few reasons why:

  • 78% of CMOs think custom content is the future of marketing, according to Demand Metric.
  • 60% of customers say they feel more positive about a brand after reading custom content on its site, according to Content +.
  • 80% of customers say that ongoing content is very important after a purchase, according to MarketingProfs.

If you’re not happy with the return you’re getting on your investment in content marketing right now, you probably aren’t doing it right. Ask yourself if you’re guilty of one of the B2B content marketing mistakes so you can start making changes to your approach.

3 Marketing Mistakes

1.  Talking too much about your products and your company

Don’t get me wrong – you should still include testimonials and information about your company to build trust with your readers. But if your content is mostly about your business, it will fail.

Why?

Because no one wants to read giant walls of text about how great your company is and what you’ve accomplished. Your customers want to know what’s in it for them.

So, give them what they want by:

  • Clearly stating the value you provide to your target audience in the main headline on your website
  • Creating blog posts that address common customer questions/concerns
  • Providing downloadable content resources (whitepapers, eBooks, etc.) that help your target audience understand how to solve a business problem they’re facing

And remember – don’t be too sales-y in your content. When you’re marketing your business online, the best sales strategy is to provide value to your target audience by offering them helpful information.

2.  Using jargon and buzzwords

Did you know that the most persuasive content is written at a middle school reading level? That’s because the average person reads at that level.

So, you’re in trouble if you have sentences like this on your website:

“We are a best-in-class cloud solutions provider that helps enterprise-level organizations leverage robust technology strategically to achieve maximum ROI.”

But don’t just take my word for it. Look at the readability test I ran on that sentence:

An 18.2-grade reading level and a readability score of 11.5 (out of 100)? That’s pretty terrible.

And you can bet that those kinds of unnecessarily complex sentences don’t attract customers. Instead, they bore your readers, make you seem pretentious, and fail to address the needs of your target audience.

In other words, they won’t win you any sales.

So,unless you’re in a weird niche and marketing to the end user of your product/service (someone who has a deep understanding of your product/service), leave out technical jargon/buzzwords and speak directly to your customer’s needs in the simplest language possible. That way, anyone who reads your content can immediately see the value you’re delivering and will be more likely to want to work with you.

3.  Writing content that’s just plain boring

Think about it. You’re a businessperson (same as your target audience in the B2B world) – do you like to read bland content?

No – of course you don’t. You’d rather spend time reading content that catches your attention and gives you good information. And your ideal customers feel the same way.

That’s because they’re human.

Much like B2C buyers, they’re asking themselves why they should choose your company over the competition. If you don’t set yourself apart, they won’t have any reason to.

So, stand out by injecting some personality in your B2B content. You can do this by:

  • Telling stories
  • Showing off your sense of humor
  • Using pop culture references to make “boring” topics more interesting

And remember, these tips aren’t just for your blog – they can apply to whitepapers, webinars, and all of your other content too.

In Conclusion

If there’s one thing you should take away from this blog post, it’s that your content isn’t about you – it’s about your target audience and what they need from you.

So, stop mimicking your competitors’ ineffective content and start asking yourself what value your content will deliver to your customers. That simple shift in your mindset might just make all of the difference in your B2B content marketing strategy.