Having worked in marketing for over 30 years across businesses of all sizes — from multinationals to start-ups and across diverse industries — I’ve seen plenty of highly successful marketing work. But I’ve also encountered a fair share of missteps.

One trend I’ve noticed recently is the increasing reliance on AI tools. While they offer undeniable benefits, they also present unique drawbacks that businesses need to be aware of. So, here’s my top 10 list of marketing mistakes. 

1. Ignoring Market Research

Failing to understand customer needs, competitors, and market trends can result in ineffective marketing efforts. Market research helps businesses tailor their messaging and positioning for maximum impact.

Even the most seasoned businesses have been known to develop new products and services assuming they know what their market wants without doing sufficient research.

Up-front research can be the difference between failure and creating sustainable, profitable new business.

2. Trying to Target Everyone

A broad, unfocused approach weakens engagement. Instead, businesses should define a clear target audience and craft marketing efforts that attract and convert the right customers.

We're not all the same. We don't all have the same needs and respond in the same way. So, trying to please everyone never works.

3. Underestimating the Power of Branding

A weak or inconsistent brand image makes it harder to build trust and recognition. A strong brand identity—logo, colours, messaging—differentiates businesses and helps build customer loyalty.

When you go to buy a vacuum cleaner in a large retailer and you see loads of brands on offer, the choice can be confusing. Unless you have very specific price or product needs, you're inevitably drawn to the brands you know and feel you can trust.

Great branding is not only about a great brand identity, but it's about application - consistently applying your branding across all your customer touchpoints.

4. Poor Website Management

A slow, outdated, or hard-to-navigate website can drive potential customers away. Ensuring a fast, mobile-friendly, and conversion-optimized site is crucial for success. Additionally, ignoring SEO makes it harder for potential customers to find your business online.

Optimising for search engines improves visibility and attracts new customers that you are not having to pay for through advertising.

Often overlooked, SEO is easy and cheap to manage, so is a quick win for any business.

5. Not Tracking or Measuring Results

Many businesses fail to analyse marketing performance. Using Google Analytics, social media insights, and conversion tracking helps refine strategies and maximize ROI.

If you don't have mechanisms in place to track your marketing, how can you be sure your marketing is delivering results, or can judge whether its effectiveness is constantly improving and adapting to changing needs and market dynamics?

6. Focusing on Features Instead of Benefits

Customers don’t just buy products or services—they buy solutions to their problems. 

Marketing messages should never be simple lists of features, they should emphasise how a business solves problems and will make the customer's life better or their business more profitable and efficient.

7. Unfocussed Marketing Budgets

Many startups see marketing as a cost rather than a strategic investment, making it challenging to attract leads, build brand awareness, and drive growth. Likewise, established businesses often lack a structured approach to optimising marketing budgets, missing opportunities to maximise revenue.

The best performing business will have a clear idea of what they want to achieve and how much they should be investing in each aspect of the sales pipeline. 

8. Ignoring Retargeting and Customer Retention

Focusing solely on attracting new customers while neglecting repeat business and loyalty strategies limits long-term growth. Email marketing, loyalty programs, and personalized engagement help retain customers and drive repeat sales.

Though they know customer retention is important, many new companies tend to focus more on customer acquisition, yet multiple studies have shown suggest that acquiring a new customer can cost five to seven times more than retaining an old one.

9. Lack of a Clear Marketing Strategy

Many businesses jump into marketing without a structured plan, leading to wasted resources and inconsistent messaging. A solid marketing strategy ensures that efforts are aligned with business goals and targeted to the right audience.

It's easy to race off and want to get started as quick as possible, but time spent creating a plan focuses your time and resources so they have maximum impact and provide the greatest business benefit.

10. Underestimating the Marketing Skills Needed for Success

There has always been a tendency for smaller businesses (and even some bigger ones) to think they can save money by managing aspects of their marketing without expert help, or by using staff who are underqualified. With the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT or Canva, this has become a greater temptation. 

Effective marketing requires a deep understanding of customer needs and the power of creativity to develop content that fosters real relationships with a brand. This can only be provided by having experienced marketers involved with your business.

And whilst AI tools can definitely improve efficiency, if not used judiciously they can be false economies that often lead to generic, uninspired content that fails to connect with audiences. In the case of creative assets, design and copy, collateral created by amateurs without design training can seriously damage your brand. 

When thinking about this, other mistakes sprang to mind, so I'm sure other marketers can add to this list. But if businesses are looking to avoid costly marketing mistakes, this should be a good starting point.