40 Marketing Mistakes and How to Avoid Making Them

Marketing mistakes are more common than you think. Doing these small and innocent mistakes over and over again are impacting the long-term almost as much as big mistakes.

It’s important to keep a good marketing practice in mind and have a sound plan for your business. And the first step is learning all these mistakes, which will determine whether or not you’re on the right track.

So, without further ado, here are the top 40 marketing mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.

1- Not Knowing What Kind of Marketing Your Business Needs

This problem can be applied to any kind of digital marketing outlet: SEO, social, e-mail, or paid advertising. The main goal is to help you get your online marketing efforts off to a good start.  

If you’re new to marketing, and not sure where to begin, here is a comprehensive guide on everything you need to know about marketing. 

2- Lack of Proper Research

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Skipping the proper market research is one of the most common marketing mistakes that business owners make.

Good market research will:

• Help position your brand well in the market and create a unique value proposition.
• Save time and money by predicting how products and promotions will perform before you launch a single campaign. 
• Flag ideas that consumers don’t respond well to before you spend your money putting them into practice.

Do your due diligence, and invest some time to research and test your products in the market.

3- Making Assumptions

As a business owner, you might be assuming that you know your customers, their preferences, their loyalty, you might also be assuming you are the best in the market.

Don’t read minds! 

Do your research, survey your customers to see what they like and dislike about your brand, your products, and your service. 

Ask for customer feedback and engage in social listening by leveraging the research and feedback tools available, and analyze results to identify trends and things you can do to maintain and improve your brand.

4- Dismissing Marketing As Part of Your Business

Some business owners would dismiss marketing and wouldn’t include it in their business at first, and decide to revisit it later on.

For example: 

• Old schoolers rely on word of mouth
• Some think that marketing = social media
• Some would believe that social media is not right for their demographic or industry.

The fact is marketing can change your business model if you include it in your plans in the early stages.

5- Inconsistent Branding

Branding is not just about the logo! 

Having a consistent visual style of colors, fonts, and tone, contributes to creating a stronger brand.

The website, social media channels, and every element of your business is part of the whole brand ecosystem. 

Make sure you have a complete profile on every platform with the logo, phone number, and contact information. Don’t forget the header photo, links to sites, descriptions, and bios.

These elements make your brand look trustworthy!

6- Neglecting Your Website Design

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 One of the most common digital marketing mistakes companies make is neglecting their website or creating a not-so-user-friendly website.

To stand out from your competition, and to thrive in today’s digital world, you need a website that is easy to use. Your website needs to provide information that your client needs. And don’t forget to make it mobile responsive as well.

7- Targeting Everyone

Who are you targeting with your marketing campaigns?

If your answer is “everyone”, then keep reading…

This is a common misconception when it comes to targeting. Marketing to everyone means wasting your time, money, and efforts on people who are not even interested in your brand.

Your targeting has to be specific because you only need the “right” traffic to convert them into customers.

Research your target audience and create fictional personas based on information like:

• Gender
• Location
• Age
• Interests
• Hobbies
• Buying habits
• Marital status
• Income

Knowing your target audience will determine a lot of other details in your business and will provide you with quality and relevant leads.

8- Neglecting Social Media

If your audience is on social media, and you’re not consistently posting on social media, then you’re just wasting a ton of money!

Social media allows you to reach more people and reap enormous benefits like:

• Increasing brand awareness and loyalty
• Driving leads and conversions
• Saving money spent on traditional marketing
• Improving customer experience
• Developing relationships and connecting with your customers

Determine the right platform(s) for your business, by focusing on platforms where your audience spends their time the most, where you post content regularly to get them engaged.

9- No Social Media Marketing Strategy

The story goes like this: you decide to join social media, create your profiles, load it with great content one day, and the next you get busy and disappear. 

Does this ring any bells?

Having a social media marketing strategy ensures consistency and planning because it fills the following gaps:

• Setting goals
• Knowing your target audience
• Setting a budget
• Planning an action plan
• Investing time 
• Planning teamwork

An actionable social media strategy will have predefined and measurable goals. It will allow you to achieve those goals and will provide a better ROI (return on investment).

Social media can be a waste of time and money for you and your team, and the lack of a strategy can seriously affect your image and reputation. The first step is to rely on experts to handle your digital marketing strategy. Partner with marketing experts, like our team to help you get the most out of your campaign without lifting a finger.

10- Inconsistent Marketing Efforts

You need to ensure having the same look and feel throughout your social media, ads, and overall marketing efforts.

If you’re having an inconsistent brand, you should consider hiring a branding specialist to help redefine your company image.

Marketing accounts are great for building a reputation over time through ongoing exposure. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

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