Fail to differentiate yourself in the marketplace and you'll be exiled to the commodity ranks.

Never fear, though, because there's always something that you can use as a differentiator.

The differentiator doesn't have to already exist. You can create it!

The key is to take a step back and look closely to see what really is different - or what could be.

Being faced with a never ending parade of new social media platforms and other tools for marketing often makes it overwhelming when it's time to create a marketing plan. How do you know what to use and when to use it? Should you just go ahead and use everything to avoid having to make a decision?

About 10 years ago my husband and I were at the Farmers Market in Roanoke, Virginia, when I noticed a cardboard sign proclaiming "Halifax County Produce." I remarked to him that it was a good possibility that the produce wasn't even from the county, but since Halifax County didn't have a brand or seal for farmers' use, customers would have no way of knowing.

That day was in the back of my mind for years as I continually saw similar situations.

A 5-Step Recipe for Creating Successful Marketing Campaigns

There are so many marketing tools and platforms available today, we find that clients are often overwhelmed and don't know what to use and when to use it - much less how to actually create a marketing campaign or plan.

We like to keep things simple, so we created our Sandwich Marketing™ concept to help you break it down into steps.

Spring Fever. Now's the time to focus some of that energy on your business.

This is the time of year that we're all opening windows, letting in fresh air, clearing out the stale air and cobwebs. Why not do the same with your business?

Here are 5 ways you can recharge your marketing with some of that Spring energy.