Some small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are not identifying their customer base properly, according to one expert.
A spokesman for marketing consultancy firm Brand New Way said that many SMEs do not understand marketing and are failing to appeal to their target demographic.
Peter Hawtin, director of the company, said: "Most businesses don't know who their customers are, unless they only have four or five."
He added that looking at your business from the point of view of the customer as well as creating a compelling message that stands out from your competitors was vital.
"Those are the key principles that marketing is about, only part of which is knocking up an ad, which often is seen as what marketing is," he concluded.
A survey conducted recently by webitpr revealed that internet marketing and online public relations were becoming an increasingly important part of business.
The research found that 99 per cent of respondents said that online presence was important and that 90 per cent believed online coverage had become more vital to their clients within the last year.
