Friday Marketing Spotlight: Jennifer Devitt
Niche.
Cheerful Jennifer Devitt of SYDCON Marketing was one of the first people I met at Erica Allison’s blog, where she introduced her Chicago-area-based web development firm. We’ve kept in touch on Twitter since, and she earned a spotlight in her comment with the important realization she made that literally changed her business direction–for the better.
We started out as a web design and development firm, hoping to target all the small local businesses in our county. Well, as we kept going to Chamber mixers, etc. we were faced with the realization that our local firms were light years behind in technology, and Chamber mixers were always the same: people just looking for a night out, not real business networking.
Then, after having a bit of luck with some marketing firms in neighboring suburbs, the light bulb went off. We compliment designers, marketers, etc. by offering them strong programming services. Design was always our supplementary offering; custom development was our ace. So we went with it. Now we are trusted by other firms to do their clients’ work.
I would say the best lesson we learned was: find your niche and pursue it.
There are a lot of businesses out there terrified of choosing a niche because they’re afraid they’re limiting themselves. But for some businesses, to niche or not can be the choice between limiting your brand and limiting your success. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, Jennifer.
Jennifer’s an avid Twitter girl, and it just so happens it’s #FollowFriday! Give her a follow at @sydcon_mktg and you won’t regret it, I promise!
I know you have a marketing lesson of your own to share, too! Don’t hold back: share what you’ve learned as you market your own business in the comments below.
Photo credit: Allyson Holder, courtesy Flickr, CC 2.0.
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Sorry to be late!! But thank you so much! :) I was away all weekend in Wisconsin Dells for a baseball tournament!! Thanks for the feature!
I adore sydcon_mktg #thatisall
jasonkonopinski Something we have in common--but wait: you've got plenty of marketing lessons to share, I know it. Spare one for us?
ShakirahDawud But of course!
A recurring theme for me is always knowing your core competencies and delivering on those in everything you do.
jasonkonopinski Always prudent. How did you learn to stay "tight?" It's something that's hard for me as a writer sometimes. I see a project up for bid and it's on something I'd love to work on but simply never have, and don't have a background convincing enough to get me in the door. I usually resist proposing for it, but the temptation is still there, though.
jasonkonopinski Awe, thanks! ;)
[...] and writing that he shares at his blog, and he did the same with the lesson he shared for us at my invitation: A recurring theme for me is always knowing your core competencies and delivering on those in [...]