SouthWiRED 2014

If your business is in a crowded industry like Digital Marketing, market differentiation becomes increasingly important for the survival of your company. So what can you do to make your business stand out? Here are a few simple yet important things I have learned (I will further expand on these points with specific examples in my presentation):
1. Sell something that actually has value. As simple as this may sound, you must make sure people are willing to pay for what you’re offering.
2. Stay focused on your strength. Search has always been Cardinal’s strength. Yes, we do provide supporting services but search is our core competency. It’s how we get customers in the door- once they start with SEO, we can upsell them to Paid Search, Social Media, Web Design, and/or Rep Management. 3. Determine your Unique Selling Proposition. This is what makes you different than the rest of your competitors. Remember: don’t sell what you do, sell why you do it.
4. Talk to your customers. They’re your best source of market intelligence because they’re the ones using your services or your product. 
5. Understand that your customers are your best marketing tool.  Word of mouth is still the most effective form of marketing. When your customers are happy, they’ll speak for you and become ambassadors for your brand. 
6. Be extremely passionate about your company. As a business owner, you have to share your passion for your company with everyone you know. Your employees look at you as an example, if you’re not passion about what they’re working for, they won’t be either!
7. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. You must have the capacity to deliver on your promises because it won’t take long for your customers to realize you can’t handle the work you promised. Plus, an unhappy ex client won’t stay quiet.
8. Hire the best. Success comes down to execution. You need intelligent and hard-working individuals working to create and sustain your company as it grows.