Behind-the-scenes (BTS) marketing offers brands a unique way to build transparency, customer engagement, and trust by showcasing an inside look at their operations, culture, and product development. While this strategy can significantly enhance audience relationships, there are common mistakes that can undermine its effectiveness. One major error is creating over-produced, scripted content, which strips away the authenticity that audiences crave.
Additionally, brands should avoid the trap of revealing too much or too little—oversharing can dilute a brand’s uniqueness, while undersharing leaves audiences disengaged. It’s also crucial to align BTS content with brand values, as a lack of coherence can confuse and alienate viewers.
Furthermore, ignoring audience preferences and focusing solely on products rather than the people behind them are pitfalls that lead to lower engagement and missed opportunities to humanize the brand. To avoid these issues, brands should embrace imperfection, carefully balance what they share, ensure content reflects their core values, consider audience interests, and highlight personal stories and team insights. By addressing these five common mistakes, brands can create compelling BTS campaigns that resonate with their audience and strengthen their brand’s authenticity and loyalty.
Mistake 1: Over-Planned and Over-Produced Content
One of the biggest mistakes brands make with BTS marketing is turning it into a scripted, over-produced experience. The core appeal of BTS content is its raw, unfiltered nature, which allows the audience to see a genuine side of the brand. Overproducing content, adding heavy editing, or sticking to a strict script can make the content feel insincere and rehearsed, which contradicts the essence of BTS marketing.
Impact
Viewers are quick to notice when BTS content lacks authenticity. If the content feels too polished or artificial, it can reduce audience trust and lead to lower engagement rates. People are drawn to BTS content for its realness and relatability—two factors that disappear when the content is over-produced.
How to Avoid
Embrace imperfection and focus on capturing authentic, candid moments that reflect the true spirit of your brand. Allow your team members to speak naturally without a script, showcase the everyday realities of your business, and avoid heavy editing. These unpolished elements will make your content feel more genuine and relatable to your audience.
Mistake 2: Revealing Too Much or Too Little
BTS content is all about offering exclusive insights that audiences can’t find elsewhere. However, there’s a fine line between sharing enough to keep your audience intrigued and oversharing to the point of losing your brand’s mystique. On the other hand, sharing too little can make your BTS content feel unfulfilling and leave your audience disengaged.
Impact
Oversharing can dilute your brand’s uniqueness and reduce interest in future releases or campaigns, while undersharing can make BTS content appear superficial and fail to offer value to your audience. Both scenarios can result in lower audience engagement and interest.
How to Avoid
Develop a content strategy that sets clear boundaries on what to share and what to keep private. Plan your content in a way that provides valuable insights without giving away too much detail. For example, during a product launch, you might show glimpses of the brainstorming sessions or initial sketches but leave the final product design under wraps to maintain excitement and anticipation.
Mistake 3: Lack of Alignment with Brand Values
BTS content should serve as an extension of your brand’s voice and values. When BTS content does not reflect your brand’s core messaging or tone, it can create confusion and inconsistency in your communication. This disconnection may cause your audience to question the authenticity of your brand, leading to diminished credibility.
Impact
A lack of alignment between BTS content and brand values can cause mixed messages, leading to confusion among your audience. It can also damage your brand’s reputation, as people may see your brand as inconsistent or untrustworthy.
How to Avoid
Ensure that all BTS content aligns with your brand’s tone, values, and overall messaging. Conduct a brand review before posting to confirm that the content supports your brand’s identity and does not deviate from its core values. For instance, if your brand prides itself on sustainability, your BTS content should also emphasize eco-friendly practices and initiatives.
Mistake 4: Ignoring the Audience’s Preferences and Expectations
Not all BTS content is created equal. What works for one brand or audience may not work for another. Ignoring your audience’s preferences and expectations can lead to low engagement and a lack of interest in your content. Understanding what your audience wants to see is crucial for creating BTS content that resonates and adds value.
Impact
When BTS content is irrelevant or uninteresting to the audience, it can result in low engagement rates, fewer views, and negative sentiment. Over time, this can weaken the overall effectiveness of your BTS marketing strategy.
How to Avoid
Regularly review audience feedback, engagement metrics, and social media comments to understand what your audience is interested in. Use this information to tailor your BTS content. For instance, if your audience enjoys seeing team interactions and office culture, focus on creating content around these themes rather than solely highlighting products or processes.
Mistake 5: Focusing Solely on Product and Ignoring People
BTS marketing isn’t just about showcasing products or services; it’s also about revealing the human side of your brand. A common mistake is to focus too much on the product and ignore the people behind it. This approach can come across as too sales-driven and fail to build a deeper connection with the audience.
Impact
By not highlighting the human elements of your brand, you miss the opportunity to build personal connections and humanize your business. The audience may perceive your brand as cold or distant, making it harder to foster loyalty and relatability.
How to Avoid
Balance product-centric content with team spotlights, employee stories, and insights into company culture. Show your audience the people who make your products and services possible. For example, share a day-in-the-life video of your design team, conduct interviews with key team members, or highlight unique stories that demonstrate your brand’s values and culture.
Wrapping Up
BTS marketing is an effective strategy for building trust, transparency, and deeper connections with your audience. However, to maximize its impact, it’s essential to avoid common mistakes such as over-production, revealing too much or too little, misalignment with brand values, ignoring audience preferences, and neglecting the human element of your brand.
By embracing authenticity, maintaining a strategic balance of content, aligning with brand values, considering audience expectations, and showcasing the people behind your brand, you can create compelling BTS campaigns that resonate with your audience and elevate your brand’s identity. Remember, BTS marketing is about storytelling and bringing your brand to life in a way that feels genuine, engaging, and aligned with your core values.
Avoid these five pitfalls, and you’ll be on your way to crafting BTS content that not only captivates your audience but also strengthens their loyalty and connection to your brand.
Meet the Author
Venus Merc has a passion for creating & sharing relatable content. In addition to creating content, she is also dedicated to the animal rescue using, her platform to raise awareness and make a positive impact.
Leave a Reply