You ever hear someone say, “Our product’s perfect for any business that wants to grow”? Sounds ambitious, right? But when everyone’s your target… no one really is.
B2B audience analysis is one of those things that feels deceptively simple. Define a target, build some personas, and boom: you’re off to the races. Except, that’s rarely how it works. Especially when you're expanding from Latin America into the U.S., where market expectations can flip the script entirely.
We’ve seen it firsthand: great teams with solid products getting stuck because they don’t quite know who they’re talking to. Or worse, they’re talking to everyone at once. Let’s unpack the most common mistakes we’ve seen in audience analysis, especially for B2B companies looking to compete beyond their home turf.
Let’s start with the classic: going too broad.
A lot of LATAM companies we talk to will say they’re targeting “tech companies in the U.S.” Or “logistics firms that want to scale.” Okay… but which ones? Startups? Enterprises? Last-mile delivery firms? SaaS platforms?
Here’s what usually happens: marketing teams build messaging that’s way too generic. You end up with weak hooks and landing pages that read like corporate soup. And then everyone’s surprised when the leads are poor quality or don’t convert.
A better approach: Start narrow. For example, instead of targeting all "logistics companies," focus on a specific niche—like mid-sized fleet operators with 100–300 trucks in the U.S. that are still managing routes manually. That’s a clear pain point you can speak directly to with content like: “3 signs your dispatch process is headed for trouble.”
Now here’s a subtle one that quietly derails a lot of campaigns: confusing users with buyers or ignoring one for the other.
We’ve seen teams go all-in on messaging to the person who’ll actually use the product day-to-day. Maybe it’s the warehouse manager, the junior analyst, or the fleet coordinator. Makes sense, right? They’re the ones who’ll live with the tool. But then you realize the real purchasing power sits with someone higher up: the VP of Ops, the CFO, maybe even IT. That’s a big disconnect.
Flip it around, though, and there’s a different kind of blind spot. Some campaigns focus only on the decision-maker, with messaging all about ROI, security, and business cases, totally ignoring the people who’ll advocate internally or influence the call. And here’s the thing: if the end-user hates the tool, you think they’re going to recommend it to their boss?
You need both. The decision-maker might sign the check, but the user’s the one whispering in their ear.
Key takeaway: In B2B, it’s not just about who holds the budget, it’s about who holds the influence. Decision-makers might approve the purchase, but end-users shape perception from the ground up. Ignoring either group means you risk misalignment, poor adoption, or worse, getting filtered out before you even make it to the shortlist. Smart marketers build messaging that speaks to both the people using the product and the ones buying it.
You know what’s worked for years in Colombia or Chile? Great. Now forget about 40% of it when entering the U.S.
Cultural context matters. Buying cycles are different. U.S. execs might be less patient, more data-hungry, or expect higher production value from your content. A sales deck that wowed in Medellín might fall flat in Miami.
We’ve heard it more than once: “What works in LATAM will not necessarily work in the United States.” True. And sometimes painfully so.
What to do instead: Test locally. Run LinkedIn campaigns targeting U.S.-based buyers and compare response rates. A/B test your CTAs. Talk to a few potential buyers and ask: “Would this resonate with you?”
Marketing sits on one end, sales on the other and in between? Often a whole lot of guessing.
We’ve seen marketing teams target small startups while the sales team is chasing enterprise deals. Or generate MQLs that are “technically” qualified but totally irrelevant when they hit the CRM.
You can almost hear the sales team groan: “Who are these people, and why would I call them?”
This disconnect isn’t just inefficient, it’s expensive. It burns ad budget, wastes SDR time, and slows down pipeline growth.
The real fix? Sit down with sales. Ask them what a great lead looks like. What signals matter? What titles actually reply to outreach? This isn’t a one-time sync; it’s a working relationship.
You ever see a buyer persona slide that says things like:
“Meet Steve. He’s a 38-year-old procurement manager who likes golf and efficiency.”
Cool. But… How do we know that? And does Steve even exist?
Here’s the thing: too many personas are built without real conversations behind them. No interviews. No survey data. No message testing. Just assumptions piled on top of assumptions.
We get it, early-stage companies move fast. But skipping the validation phase is like writing a speech for a stranger. Sometimes it lands. Sometimes it crashes and burns.
What works better: Have five short conversations with potential buyers. See what language they use. What keeps them up at night. Then test that language on LinkedIn or cold email. Adjust. Repeat. Personas should live and evolve, not die in a Google Slide deck.
Here’s another blind spot: treating all your target accounts as equally ready to buy.
Some companies you’re talking to might be in expansion mode which means hiring fast, raising capital, launching in new countries. Others might be consolidating, trimming budgets, or navigating internal shakeups.
These two groups are not going to respond to the same message.
A CEO in high-growth mode wants agility, automation, and speed. Someone managing a mature operation might be more focused on security, compliance, or cost savings.
Adjust accordingly: Tailor your messaging to the specific needs and stage of each target account. Understand whether they’re in growth mode or consolidation, and adjust your approach to address their unique priorities—agility and speed for growth, or security and cost savings for more mature operations.
Audience analysis isn’t a checklist. It’s a habit. One that gets sharper with every campaign, every sales call, every low response rate to your latest email test.
Start narrow. Focus on the exact pain points of the buyer with budget. Listen more than you guess. And if you're moving into a new market like the U.S. treat it like a whole new world. Because honestly? It is.
And hey, if you’re still figuring it out, you’re not alone. We’ve been there, and we’ve seen the shift that happens when companies finally nail their audience. That’s when everything starts to click: messaging, lead quality, even morale.
Because knowing who you’re talking to? That’s half the battle. The other half is knowing how to say exactly what they need to hear.
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