At Tulip Media Group, our mission is to provide Client-Partners with the tools and strategies to ultimately be successful in their marketing initiatives. But along the way, we’ve also heard some horror stories that could only be described as the bad and the ugly side of marketing.

In this article, we’re going to discuss four different marketing horror stories we have heard that others have experienced which has prevented them from growing their online presence through effective marketing strategies. Plus, we’ll provide tips on avoiding these pain points so that your campaign can run more smoothly and you can see a better ROI.

#1 – Not Understanding Google Ads Policies

Nowadays, creating an advertisement on Google Ads can be one of the most powerful ways to promote your service or offering. However, understanding how Google Ads works is critical in order to run an effective marketing initiative that doesn’t get flagged or—worse—banned from the system. One of the things to be aware of with Google Ads is its policies. For instance, with certain guidelines and rules for various industries like tech and real estate, there are many things that you have to consider when it comes time to create your ad and things you have to learn regarding what you can and cannot advertise. For example, Google doesn’t like redirects, so advertisements with things like Bitly or JotURL will be declined.

The real horror story with Google Ads is best demonstrated by what happened when one of our Client-Partners accidentally violated a Google Ads policy. Prior to coming to work with us, the Client-Partner created a second Google Ads account, not realizing they already had one. When Google became aware of this, they suspended both accounts. We tried to help resolve this issue for our Client-Partner by appealing the issue, but unfortunately, to this day, they are unable to advertise on Google. So, why exactly are they blocked forever from being able to advertise on Google Ads?

Google takes its policies very seriously because people and businesses often try to circumvent its rules. Even in this instance, where it was an honest mistake, the account is still suspended. In other words, if you are found to breach Google Ads policies, it can be difficult to appeal such matters, so be sure to create only one account and follow all the rules that apply to your industry to avoid this same outcome for your business.

#2 – Emphasizing Website Aesthetic over SEO

A common mistake we’ve seen time and time again is emphasizing the aesthetic of a new website instead of focusing on the functional, technical side of SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization and is what helps Google understand and rank your site accordingly for your customers to find. You can pay big bucks to create the most beautiful website, but if no one can find it, then what’s the point?

This was the worst-case scenario one of our Client-Partners experienced when they spent a lot of money to have an amazing website created, but their developer did nothing with SEO on the backend. Having zero SEO strategy is a surefire way to have your website tank because there’s no way for Google to understand your offering and promote your site to the right people.

Keep in mind that SEO is a long-term game. You should always be thinking about SEO and have a website developer who is mindful of the best practices surrounding SEO. If you’re making major changes to your site, be mindful of not changing URL permalinks, meta descriptions, alt text for images, and title tags. Always talk with your website developer first to make sure you aren’t hurting your website’s SEO.

#3 – Not Being Sensitive to World Events

Nothing kills a marketing campaign faster than content that is tone-deaf to current political or world events. For example, one of our Client-Partners received an email from a third-party business making puns in their headline at the current situation between Russia and Ukraine. As you may have guessed and from what we have heard, this email campaign did not go over well. This mistake reflects poorly on the business’s reputation and left a bad taste in the mouth of our Client-Partner who received the email.

Being sensitive to events around the world or even topics that trigger certain people when creating your marketing initiatives is paramount so that you don’t create content that reflects poorly on your company or is tone-deaf to current events.

#4 – Cheaper Is Not Always Better

With inflation on the rise, individuals and companies alike are looking for ways to save a few dollars. But unfortunately, when it comes to creating a website that converts, or even running an effective marketing initiative, cheaper is not always better. At Tulip Media Group, we have onboarded many Client-Partners who have wasted countless dollars on an approach that seemed cheaper at the time, but in the end, it only caused more problems and headaches.

Consider this: Is it worth all the extra time and hassle to have to fix your new website to ensure it runs smoothly, potentially having to buy further extensions and plug-ins, just because you wanted to save a few dollars during the creation period? Obviously, your time could be better spent elsewhere—like running your business.

We have even fallen victim to this ourselves. We had hoped to save some money by switching from the domain provider. It turned out to be a big mistake. Not only did we take the time to move everything over, but it ended up creating security and management problems. It was stressful, time consuming, and a waste of money, but we definitely learned our lesson that doing it right the first time is worth the extra money spent.

When you become a Client-Partner at Tulip Media Group, we help you consider all of these insights and more so your entire business is optimized and ready to give you great ROI. So if you’re interested in exploring how we can help make your next marketing initiative a success, visit us at TulipMediaGroup.com. We can’t wait to help you take your business to the next level.