By Alice Barat, chief commercial officer at BGirl Fashion,

From news-worthy opportunities being overlooked to a lack of research on a client, the fast-paced world of PR and marketing can sometimes mean that important mistakes can be made, costing potential success for clients and your business. Here are four common business mistakes to avoid, and the implications they may have.

Poor brand marketing

Whether you’re focused on spreading the word about your business or a client’s brand, having knowledge of their values, who they are as a business and long-term goals is crucial in developing a successful marketing strategy.

In order to build brand awareness, a clear strategy with measurable targets needs to be implemented across teams so there are actions that are transparent across the business for each project. Be sure to consider details such as brand wording and consistency across all digital platforms and the message that your brand wants to spread throughout coverage in order to not lose track of the end goal for your client or business.

Misunderstanding your audience

Another key mistake that is often made when working with a new business or strategy is misunderstanding your audience. Sometimes when a business is looking to move into a new area of expertise or widen their market, it can be difficult to change long-standing brand messaging to suit a new target audience.

Consider adapting your brand messaging and tone of voice to suit your new target audience – for example, fashion companies targeting 18-35-year-old women will need to change their messaging and modes of communication to reach an older or younger audience as per the new strategy. Also, make sure to undertake market research into the new demographic you’re aiming to reach and convert before setting the next steps.

Refusing to move towards digital

In business today, it’s imperative to utilise digital marketing as a valuable, and often free, platform to spread the word and shout about your business, product or campaign. From generating a compelling story and sharing it on your website or promoting business news and campaigns to the national media, it’s important to use online platforms to your advantage.

Earned and paid media are both brilliant ways to feature online for a client or your own business, not only from a brand awareness perspective but also to build authority within a sector and become a dominant presence within the fashion industry, for example.

Neglecting social media

Similarly, social platforms are a brilliant way to collaborate with influencers, develop your brand and showcase visual campaigns. It’s also a great way to bridge the gap between consumer and business, and open dialogue between your customers and potential audiences through shares, likes and conversations on posts. The ways in which social platforms can be used now are limitless, from competitions to promoting business news, sales and campaigns; it really is an important way to build a business brand.

If a brand isn’t present on social media platforms, it could be preventing them from realising their potential and therefore not becoming as successful as competitors within the same sector. If a company isn’t willing to open up these channels of conversation, it could be an indicator that they’re not open to moving forward with the pace at which online marketing is moving or just need a push in the right direction to realise the possibilities.

Photo by Daniela Holzer on Unsplash