Audience engagement Archives

B2B content mistakes to avoid (part 1)

Mistake: Quantity of content over quality

I’ve done this, created content because I feel I should publish something, rather than creating something to meet a specific goal. I’m now better at being more targeted, though.

Yes, regular content is a good thing, but publishing for the sake of it doesn’t deliver on goals; it’s just adding to the noise.

Every piece of content needs to have a specific aim.

Before you create, define the content’s purpose. What do you want people to do as a result of engaging with this particular piece of content? What goal is it supporting? If you don’t have a clear answer, then either reframe it or ditch it.

Mistake: Focusing on the wrong thing in your B2B content

This is probably the most common mistake I see. It’s easy to talk about what is interesting to you and your business, what you’ve done, etc., but content is about the audience, not you.

For content to land, what you say has to align with what your audience wants to hear.

We are all selfish when it comes to what content we consume; if we are giving it our time, it needs to give us something in return.

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Audience engagement

Quick B2B content tip: Write for your target audience

*Two of the many gingerbread creations at The Gingerbread City* *exhibition*

My first quick content tip for 2026 is a reminder: Write for your target audience.

A trip to the Gingerbread City exhibition over Christmas was an example of missing an opportunity by not tailoring the copy for the people who would potentially be reading it.

Gingerbread City is an annual event held by the Museum of Architecture. Architects and engineers are invited to build models out of gingerbread, biscuits and sweets that reflect a particular theme.

This year the theme was play and each model was accompanied by a description and the name of the architect/engineer who created it.

Copy not written with the audience in mind

But in reading a few of the descriptions, it was clear that they weren’t really written for the people visiting the exhibition.

The space was packed with families (500 people were expected the day I went), and yet the language, tone and content of the copy appeared to be aimed at other architects.

The result? Few people were paying attention to the descriptions.

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Audience engagement

Avoiding bland B2B content: Use AI tools wisely

llustration by Muhammad Afandi on Unsplash

AI tools like Grammarly can be useful for a final polish of writing, but use them with a healthy dose of caution.

These tools are clever, not just spotting typos but also things like repeated words or wrong words. They also take a stab at grammar.

But some tools try to be a bit too clever.

Grammarly, for example, makes suggestions for writing improvements. It works by giving the most likely or common words or phrases. In essence, it’s delivering the median version of any writing.

The danger of blindly following all the AI suggestions is that your writing ends up bland and lifeless.

Grammarly can also tend towards brevity, which might make writing sound too clipped or robotic.

Everyone has access to the same AI tools, which make it easy to churn out copy.

But to help it stand out, writing needs to be above average, have points of difference and sound human.

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Audience engagement, Content ideas

How to make boring B2B content more engaging

Small black pug-like dog laying on a cushion with a bored expression

A business or individual announces something only they really care about, a few colleague hit ‘like’ and maybe a couple of loyal followers, but that’s it.

Is this sort of content worth the effort? It can be if you add value and/or a human element to give it broader appeal and something tangible for your audience to connect with.

Here are some ideas for how to flip a boring business announcement, turn it into something more interesting and boost engagement.

Announcement: We have a new website, logo or branding

Let’s be honest, the fact that you’ve got a new website or branding is of little interest unless you work in marketing or are going to remove all the vowels from your name like Abrdn did.

It won’t materially impact anyone’s scroll.

But you could add value by lifting the lid on how you got to the finished site/branding.

Are there versions that were dismissed? What were the highs and lows? It’s an opportunity to inject some all-important personality into your story.

Think about how you could make it useful to your audience. That could be lessons learned from the process or something you’ve learned about your business as a consequence.

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Audience engagement

Audience engagement lessons from lemons

A picture of a lemon on a yellow background.

Attracting audience engagement with your B2B content is getting harder, but we can learn a lesson from the man who set up a famous London music venue – and his use of lemons.

Let me explain. In the Summer, I saw a play based on the life of Simon Parkes, who, back in the 80s, turned an old, decrepit cinema into a well-known gig venue, the Brixton Academy.

It’s a fascinating true story, involving struggles to get bands to play, gangs and bomb threats.

But what was striking about Simon Parkes, aside from his determination and resilience, was that he didn’t follow the crowd.

When London’s established music venues were putting on themed club nights, he focused on a different type of music.

To get people through the door of the Academy, he sent out invites wrapped around lemons.

What he did stood out.

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