Sometimes even the most brilliantly concocted business-to-business marketing campaigns fail to help a company pick up steam. Why is that? Chances are the company didn’t take the time to prepare their enterprise properly beforehand. Too much energy was spent on clever ways to reach out to other businesses, not enough was spent on building the company up in the first place.
For B2B marketers, this may not seem like a big deal. One way or another you’re getting your money, right? Perhaps, but what about your reputation?
B2B entrepreneurs and marketers alike need to be aware of what it takes to get a startup up-to-snuff for a campaign destined to succeed. To help you along we’ve come up with six avoidable bad habits fatal to business-to-business marketing campaigns:
Bad Credit: Businesses have been pre-screening credit of potential clients and customers for years. This includes other businesses. If you’re being hounded by collectors then it’s probably a safe bet potential targets of your B2B marketing strategy are going to find out about it sooner or later. Steps must be taken, including a professional money management strategy. Learning everything you can about fixing your credit is imperative. The truth about credit can be surprising. For example, according to an article recently posted on the CreditRepair.com Facebook page, there’s been an uptick in “FAKO scores” made available to the public. These unverified and unreliable scores can lure you into a false sense of security, resulting in a less-than-ideal B2B marketing push when potential clients do their homework and learn your true credit history.
Miser Mentality: The conservative approach to managing a business’s money is ideal. Yet being conservative to a fault can be devastating to a company struggling to launch B2B marketing campaigns. Investing in strong channels of advertising is essential for starters, and those cost money. Fundamentally, refusing to spend money to make money can be seen by other businesses as a sign you’re struggling, among many other negative possibilities.
Day-to-Day Disengagement: Too often we come across businesses where the “CEO” is a mysterious man or woman seen in a few pictures on the website but seemingly out of the picture altogether. This is despite overseeing a startup with less than a dozen employees. It’s easy for business leaders to assume their growing little enterprise is ready to run on its own while they lead some unofficial form of early retirement. It can also be fatal to the company’s chances of success. The ultimate executive of a company focused on doing business with other companies needs to be there during crucial stages like launch marketing.
Bad Products and Services: Entrepreneurs and marketers have an ethical obligation to avoid selling useless goods and services to others, businesses being no exception. Yet the web is awash with junk offers from every nook and cranny across the world. Integrity means everything in a time when any claim can be broadcast across the Internet. Smart B2B marketing may help make an unworthy enterprise money in the short-term, but rare are the businesses which can survive an onslaught of negative online feedback from dissatisfied customers.
No Legal Forethought: Fine print isn’t a bunch of jibber jabber upon close inspection. The language therein could potentially make or break a company’s case in a civil lawsuit brought against them by unsatisfied customers. B2B marketing strategies must be vetted by legal professionals. Not to mention the whole operation should be gone over with a fine-tooth comb by a lawyer to prevent any kind of accidental liability from being generated by marketing moves.
Unclear Vision: Nobody likes it when the party guest walks around without taking his coat off. Potential clients and customers of all shapes and sizes expect a certain amount of long-term dedication to radiate from your online presence and sales pitches. B2B marketing should incorporate a business leader’s dreams for what lies ahead for the company, what he or she hopes to provide customers for years to come, and how it fits into the industry and economy at-large. Successful companies expect to be around for centuries. They want to do business with companies who project the same attitude.
The fact of the matter is the best B2B marketing won’t keep a rotten egg from being detected by savvy customers and clientele. If the goal is to establish a proven track record of successful marketing clients it’s crucial to make sure businesses aren’t about to boil themselves away. For business leaders themselves the stakes couldn’t be any higher or obvious. Preventing the aforementioned weaknesses from manifesting will ensure a successful B2B marketing launch for all parties involved.
