(Part 2 of 2) Ten marketing mistakes to avoid

Hello,

In today’s newsletter, we’ll look at 5 more things small businesses and creators stumble over. (If you haven’t already, check out the first 5.) Read on!

All the best,

#12 | 24 June 2025

(Part 2 of 2) Ten marketing mistakes to avoid

In my last newsletter, I covered 5 mistakes small business owners sometimes make that don’t leave the best impression on their audience. Here are 5 more:

6. Not testing your web pages on mobile devices.

If your content is not accessible on a phone, you could be turning away more than 50% of your potential clients. I came across an online rental application form that was completely unusable on a phone. Yikes!

Always test your stuff from end-to-end on a phone. Mobile functionality is essential.

At bare minimum, if you’re unable to offer mobile access right now, I suggest clearly asking visitors to use a web browser on a computer instead. And then do everything you can to fix it!

7. Not checking or fixing your copy on cross-posted content.

Auto-posting on multiple social media platforms is convenient and understandable. Unfortunately, your content doesn’t always look good in all places without further effort. Even with Instagram and Facebook, both owned by Meta, the same content does not post perfectly in both places.

Check all posts soon after publishing and fix things that don’t look right. For example, characters or emojis that can’t be displayed are often replaced by a black box (rhombus) with a white question mark. Edit these out as soon as possible!

Plus, some platforms allow clickable links in copy while others don’t. Take advantage of those that do, and use links where you can to make it easy for your audience to click through.

8. Using fonts that are difficult to read, or incompatible with other devices and platforms.

Many unique or fancy fonts are considered “display fonts” which are not meant for body text with longer passages and/or smaller text size. For this type of text, choose a font that makes your copy easy to read. Don’t let anyone struggle to read your content!

Further, what you see on your screen may not be what everyone sees on theirs. When a specific font is not available on the user’s device or in their email app, for example, that font will be replaced by another one that is available. At best, it’s similar but not what you intended, and at worst, the replacement font may be difficult to read.

If you don’t have complete control of the text display, it’s a good idea to choose fonts that are compatible across devices and platforms. (Image files and PDFs offer complete control while web pages and email do not.) Common fonts may seem “boring” but the excitement of using something “different" is not worth the risk of turning off readers.

9. Not proofreading your content (or more likely, not proofreading with focus).

I have seen many typos, duplicate sentences, and even sample text lately. We all make mistakes like this at some point, and ideally, we catch them all before publishing. But sometimes we don’t. When I’ve missed a typo, it’s usually the first thing I see after hitting the publish button! (Subscribers, did you spot the typo in my April newsletter?)

The key here is to correct missed errors quickly–which means taking the time to review and fix your content after you publish it. Most digital platforms will allow you to edit your text after posting.

Print materials are not so easy (or cheap) to fix. You must take your time before printing! Slow down. Ask someone else to review it, too. I recently saw a small business owner lamenting her order of 100 postcards that said, “Thanks for you’re order!” Oops.

10. Not disclosing the use of AI or using AI poorly.

Many people are becoming quite sensitive to the use of generative AI (artificial intelligence). They’re annoyed and left wondering, what is real anymore? Is this true? Who can I trust?

Trust is vital! Don’t damage anyone’s trust in you and your business by taking too many shortcuts.

For example, I saw an ad for a meal-planning course or membership, and the picture of food in freezer storage bags was so unrealistic (and clearly AI-generated), the business was hammered with very unkind remarks.

It’s important to find a balance between the speed, convenience, and (probably) minimal cost of using AI to create an image, and presenting an image that resonates with your audience.

If you’re using AI in your business, be sure to understand the implications of that use, and when you need to disclose your use of AI. Do your research! Some platforms, such as Etsy, require disclosure when “an item is created with the use of AI.”

Do you need help spotting bloopers like these? Never enough time (or focus) for proofreading? I can help!

Reply to this email anytime and let me know what’s on your mind. If reading this on theowlsedge.ca, subscribers can log in and leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

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