We’ve all heard the adage, “change is the only constant”. In the world of B2B marketing, there’s a lot of truth to that. We adapt to meet customer needs, internal organizational needs, and evolving economic factors. More to the point, as new technologies advance, organizations must develop and transform to remain competitive in the market.

We know that customers are more adept and discerning when it comes to making purchases. And in this ever-changing marketing landscape, businesses that rely on legacy thinking are at a major disadvantage.

Legacy thinking is the tendency to stick with old tactics and strategies– the tried and true methods of yesteryear– even when they are no longer effective. We get it; change is jarring. However, this type of thinking can lead to you and your organization missing out on new opportunities – failing to connect with your target audience.

3 ways Legacy Thinking Kills Businesses

It can be challenging to discern whether or not you’re using legacy thinking in your marketing efforts. We’ve identified a few behaviors that can torpedo your organization’s growth and future success.

• Old school methodology – Businesses using outdated marketing tactics are no longer effective. For example, relying on traditional advertising methods, such as TV and print ads, you may find that your ads are not reaching their target audience as effectively as they used to.
  This is because people are increasingly consuming media online, rendering traditional advertising methods a less than viable option for reaching this audience.
• Not embracing new strategies – Legacy thinking can prevent businesses from embracing new marketing tactics and strategies. New marketing tactics, which include social media marketing and content marketing, can be very effective at reaching target audiences. Still, businesses that rely on legacy thinking may be reluctant to adopt these new tactics.
  This can put them at a major disadvantage in the competitive marketplace because their audience reach is significantly hampered by not occupying the same channels as their competitors and their target audience, respectively.
• Mixed messaging – When you rely on legacy thinking, you will inevitably create marketing messages that do not resonate with your target audience.
  When businesses do not understand their target audience, they’re more likely to create disjointed marketing messages that are not relevant or useful to their needs or interests. This causes low engagement and poor results, ultimately stagnating your organization’s growth and potentially putting you in the red.

Embrace the future

Change and innovation are hard; that’s a reality. In today’s market, successful businesses are those that are willing to get uncomfortable and embrace new marketing tactics and strategies. They understand that the old ways of marketing are no longer effective, and they are willing to experiment with new approaches.

If you want to succeed in our current landscape, you must move on from legacy thinking and take up new marketing tactics and strategies. By doing these things, you can create marketing messages that resonate with your target audience and achieve your marketing goals.

In this series, we will discuss the tactics and strategies that will help break you away from legacy thinking and get the right message at the right time – in front of the right audience.