7 Resolutions B2B Marketers Shouldn’t Make

Every New Years many of us choose to draw up a number of resolutions: areas of our life and work where will improve or kick old habits.

B2B marketers are no different.

But while improving your marketing efforts is a laudable and necessary goal, some resolutions can lead you down a bad road when not completely thought out. Today, we spotlight 7 wholesale New Years resolutions your marketing team should avoid.

1. We’re Going to Pass More Leads to Sales!
While a commitment to deliver more goods to sales is admirable, dropping more in their lap is not always the right answer. Your first priority should be delivering better leads to sales, complete with data on how those leads have responded to your marketing efforts along with tools to help sales close deals. (For more tips check out our free Grande Guide to Sales Enablement.)

2. We’re Going to Crank Out Tons More Content!
Like the previous resolution, more is not always best. You need to focus on creating the right content to meet your marketing team’s strategic goals – and then make that content sizzle. Quality can often move the needle more dramatically than quantity.

3. We’re Going on Facebook! And Twitter! And LinkedIn! And Google+! And…
Slow down, partner. No doubt, social media is transforming the way marketers interact with prospects. But before you wear yourself thin trying to tackle every social media channel out there, figure out where your ideal buyers are and understand how best to engage them there. (For more advice from 20 social media experts, download this free guide.)

4. We’re Going Big on Events!
Face to face events continue to be a highly effective way of reaching people and explaining the benefits of your product. Still, events can be expensive and not every event is right for your brand. Take the time to research events, ask others about the kind of return they saw, define your specific goals for each event and have a game plan for enabling sales after the event.

5. We’re Going to Singlehandedly Re-Define What a “Lead” Is!

It’s valuable to re-think what marketing means by a lead. But all your definitions are faulty if sales isn’t on board. The goal is to provide sales with leads they can actually turn into opportunities and close deals. Get sales involved in the process of defining what makes a sales-ready lead.

6. We’re Going to Deliver A Lot More Email!
Email marketing is a highly efficient means to getting in front of prospects. But if you’re just blasting out high volumes of email, you’re more likely to turn people off. Effective email calls for targeting and segmentation, ensuring you’re sending the right content to the right people.

7. We’re Going to Start a Blog!

Welcome to the club. There are hundreds of millions of blogs in the world. Standing out amid all that noise is no easy task. So before you add to the clatter, determine what the purpose and goals of your blog are. Is it to announce news? Attract leads? Product info? Once you know your goals, make sure you have the resources in place to keep your blog going.

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And let us know what resolutions you’re making in the New Year in the comments below.