The Scariest Marketing Mistakes Brands Still Make (and how to avoid them)

Warning: apologising in advance for the Halloween puns

It’s October, prime time for ghosts, ghouls and marketing mistakes that haunt brands long after they happen. At Amplified, we’ve spotted the spookiest ones and know exactly how to keep your marketing looking (and performing) frightfully good. Let’s get into it.

1. Ghosting Your Audience

The mistake: Launch a campaign, then vanish. No follow up, no replies, no nurture. Your audience is left in the dark, unsure if your brand’s still listening.

How to avoid it: Keep the conversation alive. Respond to comments, share follow-ups, and give your audience a reason to stick around. Think of them like trick-or-treaters. Ignore them, and they won’t come back.

2. Frankenstein Branding

The mistake: Patchwork visuals and inconsistent messages that clash. The result? A Frankenstein brand that’s confusing, chaotic, and scary to look at.

How to avoid it: Stick to your brand guidelines. Make sure your visuals, voice, and messaging all feel like they belong together. Consistency isn’t boring, it builds trust.

3. Content Graveyards

The mistake: Publishing content that sits forgotten, collecting dust, or worse… spiders. Nothing signals “we don’t care” like a blog or post left to rot or outdated.

How to avoid it: Audit your content regularly. Update old posts, repurpose your copy, and remove what’s outdated. Keep your content alive and engaging.

4. Ignoring Data (The Boogeyman of Marketing)

The mistake: Flying blind. No tracking, no testing, no insights. Ignoring data is like wandering a dark forest, you’re bound to bump into trouble.

How to avoid it: Track, test, learn. Data keeps you on track and out of the dark, so use it to guide smarter campaigns and avoid scary surprises.

5. Terrifying Your Customers

The mistake: Overly pushy sales tactics, endless forms, or technical words that reads like a spell book. Your audience will feel confused, frustrated, or just plain scared off.

How to avoid it: Be clear, helpful, and human. Build trust, not fear. A little charm goes further than a scare tactic ever will.

Wrapping Up (a little early)

Marketing mistakes have a way of sticking around, but with the right strategy and creativity, you can stay ahead of them. At Amplified, we help brands cut through the noise and keep their marketing performing at its best.

Pro tip: Embrace a bit of seasonal fun, clever Halloween references make your content shareable, relatable, and memorable. After all, Halloween is about creativity, not terror.