5 Marketing Mistakes I Made (So You Don't Have To)
We all know marketing isn’t exactly a steady stream, at least not starting out. It evolves and makes ripples around it. Although I’ve had the opportunity to help many businesses grow and spread awareness around their brand, I’ve also had my fair share of mistakes. But like all mistakes, it shapes who we become.
These mistakes taught me many valuable lessons that influenced my direction and perception of marketing. And today, I want to share some valuable insights with you so you can avoid those mistakes and build new strategies that truly impact your work. I hope these insights will shape your marketing approach just like mine did!
Mistake #1: Ignoring My Brand Story
Just like any newbie, my journey began with mistakes.
The very first mistake I made was not paying enough attention to my brand’s story.
My entire focus was on different techniques to boost my brand, not knowing the power of a strong brand story. I kept running behind ads, social media campaigns, and email marketing, which at first felt quite valuable, but it made my message generic and my narrative dull.
The result? I was unable to connect with my audience.
What I learned from this mistake was that my strategy simply wasn’t compelling. Services do not make relations; your audience needs a story to engage and feel connected.
One of my favorite books on brand story is Donald Miller’s Building a Storybrand. It completely changed my perspective, strategy, and approach when I went back to the drawing board. It’s a super quick and easy read, and there’s a practical component to it. I love those worksheets!
When you tell your audience what makes you unique among the crowd—why you exist, who you serve, and how your services make an impact—that’s when people connect with your brand. When I first realized this huge mistake, I refined my approach, and it made a huge difference!
Mistake #2: Trying to Market to Everyone
We all want more clients, don’t we? "Cast a wide net, catch more fish"
That was my thinking when I started. I wanted to help everyone because, honestly, I needed the money and couldn't afford to be picky. Small businesses, solopreneurs, corporate teams, nonprofits – if they had a budget, I was their girl.
The result? Crickets.
My messaging was so watered down it made no impact on anyone. I was the generic "digital marketer" in a sea of generic digital marketers. Potential clients couldn't figure out if I was the right fit because I wasn't speaking directly to their specific problems.
When you target everyone, you reach no one.
The fix wasn't just picking a random niche out of a hat. I had to get real about:
What services do I actually excel at?
What problems do I solve best?
Who gets the most value from working with me?
This meant sitting down and creating actual personas – not just "small business owners" but "Sarah, the overwhelmed mom who wants to start a business but is overwhelmed by life and doesn’t have time to handle the marketing side of things.”
Once I got specific about who I was talking to, everything changed. My content resonated. My proposals landed. My ideal clients started finding me instead of me chasing everyone. (Although I will admit, I’m still doing some chasing.)
The uncomfortable truth? Narrowing your focus feels scary when you're starting out. It feels like you're leaving money on the table. But trying to be everything to everyone just makes you nothing to no one.
Mistake #3: Overlooking Data and Analytics
Ok, let me be honest. I avoided analytics like they were my high school math homework.
Numbers weren't my thing, so I just... didn't look at them. My strategy was basically "post content, send proposals, cross fingers, hope something sticks." Very scientific, I know.
When clients asked about ROI or campaign performance, I'd give them vague answers like "engagement looks good!" or "we're building brand awareness!" (Translation: I had no clue what was actually working.)
This brilliant approach led to:
Wasting money on campaigns that flopped
Doubling down on strategies that weren't moving the needle
Looking like an amateur when clients asked for actual results
The wake-up call came when a client directly asked, "So what's our cost per lead?" and I literally had to say, "Let me get back to you on that." Embarrassing doesn't even cover it.
I finally sucked it up and started tracking the basics:
Which content actually got engagement (not just likes, but real engagement)
Where my best leads were coming from
What was converting and what was just noise
Turns out, half of what I thought was working... wasn't. And some strategies I'd written off were actually performing well.
Here’s the truth: You can't improve what you don't measure. And "it feels like it's working" isn't a marketing strategy.
Learning to read data didn't make me a spreadsheet wizard overnight, but it did save my sanity – and my clients' budgets.
Mistake #4: Saying YES to Everything
Six months in, I thought I was crushing it. Look at my calendar – booked solid for two months straight!
Except I was making $20/hour, working 70-hour weeks, and somehow my "content marketing agency" was doing graphic design, social media management, copywriting, AND website development.
I was the Walmart of marketing agencies. And just like Walmart, nobody was particularly excited about the experience.
My website kept evolving because I couldn't figure out what I actually did:
Version 1: "I help businesses with digital marketing!"
Version 2: "Content, strategy, design, and growth!"
Version 3: "Marketing solutions for every business need!"
Each version got more generic and less compelling.
Here's what "yes to everything" actually taught me:
Busy doesn't mean successful. I was constantly working but never moving forward. Every project took twice as long because I was learning skills on the job.
When you're everything to everyone, you're nothing to someone. My messaging was so broad that it didn't speak to anyone specifically.
Bad clients multiply faster than good ones. Without clear boundaries, every project became a negotiation.
The turning point came when I got brutally honest about two things:
What am I actually good at?
What do I actually enjoy?
Now I work with 5 clients instead of 15, make 3x more per project, and actually deliver better results because I'm focused.
I know, saying “no” feels like leaving money on the table. But trying to be everything to everyone just makes you mediocre at everything. Remember mistake #2? Yeah, this is along the same lines. The riches really are in the niches.
Mistake #5: Not Having a Consistent Content Strategy
One of my biggest 🤦♀️ moments? Posting content whenever inspiration struck rather than having an actual plan.
Some weeks, I'd post three times. Other weeks... crickets. My audience never knew if I was dead, on vacation, or just having an existential crisis about whether anyone actually cared about my thoughts on marketing.
The result? My engagement looked like a heart monitor during cardiac arrest – random spikes followed by long, flat lines.
I kept telling myself "quality over quantity" while secretly wondering why other people's "lower quality" posts were getting more traction than my sporadic bursts of genius.
I get it now. Consistency isn't just about showing up for the algorithm. It's about showing up for the people who actually want to hear from you.
When I finally created an actual content calendar (revolutionary, I know), everything changed:
My audience knew when to expect new content
I stopped stressing about "what to post today" (like scheduling these blog posts!)
My engagement actually started building momentum
I looked like I had my shit together (even when I didn't)
Your amazing content doesn't matter if people forget you exist between posts.
Building an audience is like building a relationship; you can't ghost someone for two weeks and expect them to be excited when you randomly show up. Look, I'm still not perfect at this, but having a system beats playing content roulette every single time.
What Actions Can You Take?
Look, I can't go back and un-make these mistakes, but you don't have to repeat them. Here's what I wish someone had told me (and what I actually do now):
Get Clear on Your “Why”
Stop trying to sound like every other business owner. What problem do you actually solve? Who specifically do you help? What happens when someone works with you versus your competitor? Once you nail this down, weave it into everything – your website, your pitches, your random LinkedIn posts. People don't buy services; they buy outcomes.
2. Target Your Approach
Define your ideal client. Create a real person, not a demographic. "Small business owners aged 25-45" tells you nothing. "Sarah, the overwhelmed mom who wants to start a business but is overwhelmed by life and doesn't have time to handle the marketing side of things" – now you know exactly what to say and how to say it.
3. Analytics are Your Compass
Set up Google Analytics, look at your social media insights, track where your best clients actually come from. You don't need to become a data scientist, but you need to know what's working. "It feels like it's working" is not a strategy. Check your numbers monthly, adjust what's not performing, and double down on what is.
4. Learn to Say NO
Every yes to the wrong thing is a no to the right opportunity. Before taking on any project, client, or collaboration, ask: Does this align with where I want my business to go? Will this energize me or drain me? Can I do this well without sacrificing my other commitments? If the answer is no to any of these, pass.
5. Show Up Like You Mean It
Create a content calendar and treat it like client work (because it is). Consistency beats perfection every time. Your audience would rather see you show up regularly with good content than sporadically with masterpieces. Pick a schedule you can actually maintain and stick to it, even when you don't feel like it.
Final Thoughts
Here's the thing about mistakes: they're going to happen whether you want them to or not. I made these five, I’ll most likely make a ton more, you'll probably make three different ones, and that's completely normal.
The difference between founders who make it and those who don't isn't avoiding mistakes entirely. It's recognizing them quickly, learning from them fast, and adjusting course without beating yourself up about it.
A year ago, I was the person trying to help everyone, saying yes to everything, and crossing my fingers that something would work. Today, I'm still learning, still adjusting, still making smaller mistakes, but I'm building something that actually makes sense.
Your journey won't look like mine, and that's the point. But if sharing these facepalm moments saves you even one of these headaches, then posting about my failures was worth it.
What mistake are you currently making that you'll look back on in a year and laugh about? (Seriously, drop it in the comments – misery loves company, and I promise you're not alone.)
