This time of year brings out all the usual Halloween themes: hairy spiders, gory zombies and flocks of bats that adorn front lawns. But in the digital world, nightmares tend to involve low click through rates and 404 errors.

In the spirit of the season, we’re offering up a list of the most common digital marketing mistakes that scare away new customers.

So check in on your web campaigns, or risk being haunted by the spectres of lost customers.

Proceed if you dare. 

Ads that are too heavily branded. 

Like any good marketer, you want your brand to stick after your ad’s out of sight. But if you overdo it, you’ll actually make your message less effective.

Avoid the temptation to over-brand, like adding a giant logo that takes away from your design, or having your brand name dominate the ad. The best digital ads don’t look like ads at all: they speak to a specific audience, and invite them to explore what you have to offer.

Draw them in with striking visuals and a catchy headline, and save the heavy branding for later.

Trying too hard to sell without making a connection. 

In the tourism industry, most customers are doing their research. They don’t want just any tour guide or restaurant: they want a memorable experience. So you’ll need to establish your brand with more than just prices or a list of certifications.

Decide on a few key words or phrases that communicate the feel or personality of your brand, and infuse those into your ad copy. Avoid the all too common digital marketing mistake of trying to over-sell.

Having no clear CTA. 

Okay, you got their attention. But now what?

Give your audience a clear next step. Make sure the actual text of your Call to Action button is specific, like Book Now or Check Availability. And make sure your landing page reflects that exact goal.

You don’t want to risk losing a potential new customer because they weren’t compelled to click, or got confused when they did. Forgetting to add an effective CTA is one of the most common marketing errors out there, but luckily it’s a quick fix.

Using boring images. 

You can put hours into identifying your target audience and creating custom landing pages. But if the imagery is boring, you’ll never capture their attention in the first place. This is why lackluster photos are one of the most dangerous digital marketing errors out there.

More and more ads are competing for each person’s attention. Your images need to be unique and compliment your message. If you’ve been using the same few stock photos for the last two years, it might be time for a refresh.

While you’re at it, take time to evaluate the images on your landing page, too. You’ll typically find that the page is more appealing if you dedicate space to just one or two images that pack a punch rather than trying to cram in a bunch of smaller pictures.

Trying to share too much info at once. 

When you’re trying to attract new customers, you only have their attention for a split second. (If you’re lucky!) It’s not enough time to tell them about your wide selection, convenient booking process, prime location and customer-centric team.

Pick one focus for your headline and main ad copy. Design your ad around that message, and make sure your images and verbiage are all cohesive. Let them navigate your site to find out how great you really are.

If you’re not sure which feature is most compelling, A/B test a few different ads to see which one gets the most conversions.

Using the same ad on every platform. 

Users who are Googling something, scrolling Facebook, and watching YouTube videos all interact with ads differently. Try tailoring your headlines and CTA to have maximum impact within each platform. Look critically at the design of your ads, and don’t be afraid to use different photos to suit each format.

But don’t stop at aesthetics! Consider each audience separately, and try to predict what stage of the buying process they’re in. Are they ready to make a reservation, or do they need to do more research? Do they know exactly what they’re looking for, or do you need to show them why your activity is the best option?

Asking yourself these questions when you create your ads will help you find “that golden nugget” in optimization – which, in turn, leads to sales.

Slow landing pages. 

With so many other aspects to consider, it’s far too easy to overlook the basics. Slow landing pages are one of the most common digital marketing mistakes out there. Fortunately, this one is easy to diagnose and fix.

Check each of your landing pages on multiple devices, and use tools like www.webpagetest.org to analyze load time.

There’s a time and place for fancy website features, but at the earliest stage of the buying process, you should prioritize fast, easy navigation and lean to the simple side of functionality.

Bringing it all together.

We’re all for a good scare once in a while (especially around Halloween). But it shouldn’t come from your marketing results. If you need some support managing ad campaigns or developing your overall marketing strategy, drop us a line.

Hopefully you found some time to fine-tune your ads and avoid these common digital marketing mistakes. If not… you may want to sleep with one eye open.