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6 Marketing Nightmares (And How to Make Sure They Don’t Happen to You)

Published on Oct 15, 2024

6 Marketing Nightmares (And How to Make Sure They Don’t Happen to You)
Anastasia Dyakovskaya
Anastasia Dyakovskaya studioID

Come October, it’s officially spooky season. And while ghosts, goblins, and ghouls may haunt our TV screens, there’s an even scarier villain out there in the darkness: dreaded marketing nightmares. 

This Halloween, we’re facing the chilling scenarios that lurk behind every inbox, campaign calendar, and project management app head-on — and coming out the other side a little savvier, wiser… and alive to tell the tale. 

Dare to dive in? Read on to unearth some of the most common (t)errors that plague a marketer’s days and nights — and find out how to quash them once and for all.

🎃Sending an Error-Filled Email 

You’ve crafted the perfect email. The content? On point. The visuals? Chef’s kiss. You hit “schedule” and before you know it, it goes off to your long list of recipients without a hitch. But then, your boss sends you the most the most-dreaded Slack a marketer could receive: “We need to talk about the email that went out this afternoon. Now.” Your stomach drops, and you scramble over to the live email to see what in the world they’re talking about. There, before you, undeniable horrors: it’s riddled with typos, placeholder text you swear you deleted, and — gasp! — broken links. Plural.

Quash It:

Avoid an email horror show by implementing a multi-step proofing process. Get at least two pairs of eyes on any email before sending it out into the wild. Even better? Do a “dummy send” to yourself and a colleague to check the formatting, test the links, and any other devils in the details that could be overlooked or come back to haunt you. 

Related Reading: 2024 Best Practices for Email Marketing Campaigns: A Guide for Demand Generation Marketers

👹Making Your Audience Cringe With Out-of-Touch Messaging

You’re putting out what you deem to be timely, topical, and in-vogue content. But try as you might, it keeps flopping. No engagement, no comments — just the deafening sound of crickets and the occasional echo of footsteps. Then it hits you: you’re falling deeper and deeper into a marketing time warp, totally cut off from your audience and anything they may care about. You’ve officially become out of touch. 

Quash It:

Make sure to do your homework and have a method for always keeping up with the times before creating content. Dive into any available audience insights, look at current marketing trends, and don’t hesitate to engage directly with your audience to find out what they want from your brand.

Related Reading: Don’t React to Audience Trends. Predict Them.

🧛AI Stealing Your Job

Artificial intelligence may seem like a marketer’s friendly, non-threatening neighbor — until you invite it into your home and suddenly find your entire career on the chopping block. And as it keeps getting smarter, the worry that it’ll do your job better, faster, and cheaper becomes all the more consuming.

Quash It:

First, breathe. Then, remember the sage words of content marketing leader Robert Rose

“If you’re worried AI is going to take your job, it probably will. You need to reinvent alongside it.”

AI isn’t your enemy; it’s your ally. Embrace it, use it to remix your own original content, make research a breeze, free yourself from creative block, and help you tackle time-sucking, repetitive tasks with ease. And don’t forget: your memories, your lived experiences, and your innate humanity is still your superpower — and it always will be. 

Related Reading: ChatGPT vs. Content Marketers: Who Came Out on Top?

👻Jumping On a Hot Trend Only to Freefall 

You see a trend catching fire on TikTok or X and jump on it immediately, ready to engage. But then, catastrophe. You realize that what you assumed was a lighthearted joke is actually a very serious matter or a situation steeped in controversy, and now your brand is facing a PR hellstorm.

Quash It:

Avoid potential fallouts on social media and beyond by making sure you fully understand any trending conversation before joining in. Some quick background research and a few gut-check questions can save you a world of embarrassment and even a tarnished reputation. 

Related Reading: What Are Ownable Conversations?

🧟Your Influencer Partner Getting Canceled Mid-Campaign 

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, social media influencers are powerful brand partners. But sometimes, the one you’ve worked tirelessly to recruit, brief, and launch goes and gets canceled — with their image already all over your doomed campaign.

Quash It:

While no one can predict a total social implosion, it’s still possible to reduce the risk. Vet influencers carefully, focusing on their reputation and alignment with your brand values more than their follower count. Review their content from way back when to see if there’s any skeletons lurking in their closet. And always, always have a backup plan for the campaign’s creative assets in case things go from bad to worse. If it all really goes to hell in a handbasket, be ready to make it abundantly clear to your audience your brand doesn’t stand by this influencer’s views and will be quickly severing all ties. 

Related Reading: B2B Influencer Marketing: 3 Essential Steps to Build a Strong Strategy

🤡 Fumbling During a Company Presentation 

You’ve prepared your slides, you’ve practiced your talking points, and yet still it happens. Technical troubles, your mouth goes dry, the slides won’t advance, and worst of all, your mind: it’s a complete blank. 

Quash It:

Practice makes perfect, but preparation goes beyond rehearsing your words. Create a plan for tech issues that includes printouts, backup slides, and/or be comfortable enough with your material to be able to improv and wing it on the spot. Always slow down and take deep breaths before speaking. And remember: humor is your best friend in these scenarios. A simple joke can evaporate the tension and keep your audience rooting for you. A little vulnerability is relatable, so embrace the stumbles when they come; after all, you’re only human — and so is your audience. For now, at least…

Related Reading: What’s Human-to-Human Marketing? And How Can Today’s Brands Achieve It?