Cut Throat Marketing

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a commercial janitorial service.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cut Throat Marketing?

I had issues with my website services provider, so I was looking for a partner who could take over my digital efforts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Cut Throat Marketing took over my website to help me improve its Google positioning. Since then, they’ve provided me with a lot of marketing services, such as SEO and PPC campaign management. They’ve also helped me with my commercials and provided me with web design services.

Additionally, Cut Throat Marketing creates the content for our Google Ads campaigns, and we collaboratively create content for Facebook. I create most of the content for my website, but they tweak it as needed.

As part of their services, Cut Throat Marketing also offers photography and videography for an extra charge. Sometimes, they take photos of our team while cleaning for our clients to generate content.

What is the team composition?

Tayla (Office Manager) is my main point of contact from Cut Throat Marketing, and she helps us with marketing. Additionally, Cynthia (CEO) is directly in charge of my website and SEO.

How did you come to work with Cut Throat Marketing?

I met Cut Throat Marketing through a business partner who also uses them. At the time, I was struggling because I had gone through four different web designers, and I wasn’t getting results. Given that Cut Throat Marketing came highly recommended, I gave them a shot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around February 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Business success doesn’t happen overnight, but I’ve stuck with Cut Throat Marketing, and I’m now seeing great results. They’re doing a great job, and I’m getting calls non-stop.

On estimate, we’re receiving double or triple the calls and emails than we were receiving before engaging with them. Additionally, our Google and Facebook traffic has increased tenfold, and the comments and shares of our content have also increased significantly.  I was so pleased to see those numbers that, last week, I texted them and told them to keep doing what they were doing.

How did Cut Throat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Cut Throat Marketing performs very well. I really like that they constantly follow up on me, and Cynthia is very responsive. A lot of times, I call her early in the morning or late in the evening, and she answers and provides me with what I need.

Regarding the budget, I’ve paid the same fee for over a year. When something costs extra, it is because I request an additional project or service; Cut Throat Marketing never reaches out to announce increases in their fee.

As for communication, we’re in constant contact with Cut Throat Marketing for different reasons. Tayla schedules the posting calendar 45 days ahead and shares it with us for us to approve. Usually, we communicate via phone calls and email, and we have Zoom meetings a couple of times per year to regroup. For instance, if they hire someone new, we have a meet-and-greet meeting to get to know the new person and get them familiar with our business. Overall, our communication is wonderful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cut Throat Marketing is very down-to-earth and personable. Cynthia relates to the small business owner and understands small businesses very well. I always feel that she cares, and she takes the time to understand my business. Their whole team strives to make my business the best it can be.

Furthermore, Cut Throat Marketing goes above and beyond to provide us with more than what we pay for. They do a lot of small tasks without extra charges, even if those tasks are outside of their scope. For example, Cynthia took the time to come to my office last week to help me fix an issue with my phone and computer that I was having trouble figuring out myself.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very happy with their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend working with Cut Throat Marketing. Ask them a lot of questions because they’re very upfront and transparent. If you don’t know something, it might be your fault to stay like that because they’ll always answer. Additionally, working together requires a learning process, so get to know each other, let them figure out what works best for your business, and always make sure that you’re on the same page.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of Greater Irmo Chamber of Commerce.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cut Throat Marketing?

My biggest challenge was my digital marketing presence because I didn’t know how to have an effective one. Despite that, I knew that in order to grow within my industry, I needed to have a strong online presence. As a result, I hired Cut Throat Marketing to help me.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a very outdated website that crashed a lot and it didn’t communicate well with our chamber management software. As a result, Cut Throat Marketing started by building a completely new website that interacted well with the software. 

Subsequently, the team handled our social media marketing efforts. Six years ago it was just a mess because we didn’t have a cohesive plan. We also didn’t understand engagement and insights and all of the things that we needed to pay attention to in order to create good social media posts. Cut Throat Marketing focused on educating us about social media, and as our partnership progressed, they provided a social media coordinator who could handle everything. They helped us build a solid Google My Business page, too. 

They continue to support our social media marketing efforts, specifically on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We also work on a content calendar on a monthly and annual planning basis. In the near future, we’re also discussing how to successfully set up a TikTok account. Furthermore, they manage our SEO services, strategically plan all of our digital content, and set up all of our IT needs.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with Cynthia (Founder & CEO), Geoffrey (COO), and Tayla (Office Manager). Cynthia helps us with business and strategic planning, and Geoffrey is in charge of the technical issues. Then, Tayla is in charge of invoices and billing.

How did you come to work with Cut Throat Marketing?

I met Cynthia when she was working for someone else, and her reputation was really good. She also became a partner in my chamber, and she did a small business loan to start Cut Throat Marketing. As a result, I wanted to be one of the first people to work with her when she started her company. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $10,000–$20,000 annually.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in March 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

My biggest metric is the number of partners that I have who are investing in my chamber. Since I’ve worked with Cut Throat Marketing, we’ve been growing exponentially — from 11 partners a year to 70 partners in 2019 and 88 partners in 2020. The visibility that they’ve given us has helped people to see what we’re doing and convinces them to join our chamber.

How did Cut Throat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Cut Throat Marketing has a team of excellent communicators who are incredibly accessible. On top of that, they’re organized, and they’re good at working with people. They keep us on schedule, too. We typically communicate through text messages, but we also communicate using email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cynthia has a lot of interesting ideas, and she’s very confident. Additionally, her ability to think out of the box sets her apart from a lot of the people that offer what she does in our town. She’s also very involved in civic organizations and philanthropic groups, so she’s using her skills to give back to the community.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any complaints about them, other than Cynthia probably needs to say no to people. Sometimes, I think she has a lot on her plate, which means that we’re not getting 100% of her time. However, I  can’t think of anything that I’d change about her company.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded and be willing to take some risks and chances because when you do — the rewards are huge.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a retail store called Splurge in South Carolina.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cut Throat Marketing?

We have a brand new concept, and we need Cut Throat Marketing to get the word out about us, be it on Google, social media, or anything else.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cut Throat Marketing provides digital marketing services for me, including SEO. I pay them monthly to do everything they need. We’ve collaborated closely around keyword research, but they’ve taken off with it after having a fundamental understanding of my product and how to use it. This makes it easier for them to search keywords without my assistance. I’ve also paid for word-burst analysis to ensure we’re targeting all the right keywords as they change and develop. 

For social media campaigns, we mainly use Facebook and Google Ads. We’ve asked our clients what apps they’re on, and we’ve found out that we need to emphasize those two platforms. Meanwhile, our younger client base is on Snapchat, and we also use TikTok to provide little snippets of information that we link to our website. Cut Throat Marketing ultimately takes charge of all of these efforts. 

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Cynthia (CEO) and Geoffrey (COO), but I’ve also collaborated with Tayla (Office Manager) and Britton (Web Developer). They have plenty of other teammates that I haven’t dealt with personally. 

How did you come to work with Cut Throat Marketing?

Cynthia and I sponsored an event in our neighborhood, and I realized that we were uniquely different but similar at the same time. After that, we had a conversation about my needs. I liked that she was very honest, informative, and friendly. She had everything that I could ask for in a marketing partner. As a result, I instantaneously knew that she was the perfect fit for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000–$20,000 over the course of the years. We’ve started slow, but we’re currently working on investing more and ramping up. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2018, and the collaboration is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Cynthia and her team have taken us from a tiny 1,200-square-foot store to a 6,000-square-foot one in just two and a half years. We’re still working together, and I won’t give them up for a million years. Overall, the Cut Throat Marketing team is hands down the biggest reason — and probably the only reason — I’m as big as I am right now. I’ve also recommended them to everybody, and they’ve all seen success with Cut Throat Marketing.

Moreover, I’ve received positive responses from my Facebook campaign, which I didn’t have when I was doing things on my own. On top of that, I now have an online store, which has started taking off. These things show that when Cynthia and her team make a change, we see an uptick in our growth and sales. 

How did Cut Throat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of project management, they perform phenomenally. We typically communicate over the phone and through in-person meetings. If I have any issues, feedback, or ideas, they instantly respond to me. They’re also honest; if I have a bad idea, they tell me it’s a bad idea. If I suggest something that we can play with, they tell me that we can chew on it, brainstorm ideas, and talk it through. Overall, their responsiveness alone gives me faith in their ability to help me. 

In fact, I trust them so implicitly that they’re also involved in my plan to set up another small business; they’re going to help me grow that venture, too. In other words, I won’t utilize them in multiple businesses if I don’t trust their ability to do what they need to do. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their wealth of knowledge is impressive. It doesn’t matter what subject I talk about. If they’re not familiar with it, they’ll become subject matter experts within hours or a week. This way, they work better with their client base. They simply overcome any challenge that anyone puts in front of them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We previously had hiccups and growing pains, but that was how we became better. For instance, when we were growing my online store, we quickly learned that I had too many products. Instead of sticking with that, we went with a better idea. That situation helped us figure out what we truly needed, so it was another value-add in their services. If that didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have known what our problems were.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Cut Throat Marketing is absolutely amazing, so get ready to make a lot of money. Be prepared to be successful. Once you dive in with Cynthia and her team, you’re on your way up.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive assistant at a flower petal and ash jewelry store. We also make wedding bouquets and funeral flowers.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cut Throat Marketing?

Initially, we needed help with marketing.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired them for marketing. The team helped us build our new Shopify website. They help us with everything we needed with the site, as far as little tweaks. They also help us placing ads for Facebook. Additionally, they work on our blog. About a week ago, we started talking about improving our SEO.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–4 people from their team.

How did you come to work with Cut Throat Marketing?

They were voted the best marketing company in Columbia, South Carolina. Our owner decided to reach out to them after seeing how highly ranked they were.

How much have you invested with them?

We average $900 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020, and our work is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been in business for 26 years and we hadn’t gone up in sales for the past two years before Cut Throat came on. In fact, we were down $100,000 last year. This year, we were only down by $8,000. Their help makes a big difference.

How did Cut Throat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with them once a month to talk to them about where things are and what we’re doing next. They do a spreadsheet that shares all of their activity. We prefer to communicate face to face. They also send an analysis once a month through their office manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like Cynthia (Founder & CEO) because she’s direct and honest. If she thinks something isn’t a good idea, she’s straight forward about it in a nice way.

When the team talks to us about what they’re doing, it’s in language we can understand. In the past, other vendors have talked in terms that were above our heads and we had no idea what was going on.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’ve done anything we’ve asked them to do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We keep them accountable with check-ins. A lot of other marketing companies just send reports, which makes us wonder if they’re even doing anything. It pays to have them show what they’ve been doing in regular meetings.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director of Carolina Comfort Inc. We work in the heating and air conditioning industry and have been doing so for almost 30 years now.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cut Throat Marketing?

We were trying to find someone that’d help us with our online presence in terms of SEO and SEM. We wanted to improve our general Google and browser searching performance. Additionally, they’d handle our website hosting and updates.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cut Throat Marketing rebuilt our website from the bottom up. They’re now doing SEO, SEM, and PPC. Their team has also written blog content and things of that nature.

What is the team composition?

When we started, we worked with three people, now we work with 6–7 individuals. My main points of contact are Cynthia (CEO) and Geoffrey (COO).

How did you come to work with Cut Throat Marketing?

I found them while searching for marketing companies. We later found out that they’re located 15 minutes away from us. We wanted someone local so we could have face-to-face contact.

When we found them, we were intrigued by their name and looked around their website. I liked what they had to say and what their approach was to the marketing world. I reached out to them and everything took off from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested close to $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in February 2019.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

After they rebuilt our website and took full control of our blog, we now receive 6,000–7,000 unique views in a month. For context, in the past, we’d get 500–600 unique views during our busiest months of June and July. We’ve seen exponential growth over the length of our engagement with them. Our cost per lead is currently somewhere between $60-$70; it used to be between $150–$200.

How did Cut Throat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve always met deadlines. Usually, if they’re waiting on something it’s probably because of me. Their team is always on top of their work and do a good job on everything. If there are any issues, they come back with a revised version very quickly.

Cut Throat Marketing created a customer dashboard that allows me to see what they’re working on and anticipated completion dates. We communicate through emails, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m very impressed with the way they conduct themselves and the type of speech they use. It doesn’t feel as if I’m talking to someone who has a cookie-cutter model. It feels that I’m talking to some who genuinely understands our area. Cut Throat Marketing has a good understanding of the method of approach that works for our city. They’re very real and candid, and that’s how I like to speak.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re still a young company. Their team should continue to grow. As they grow, they should expand on what they do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to them. They know what they’re talking about and are great at what they do. Be open to their suggestions.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of Kay Plumbing Services. We’re a residential and commercial plumbing company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cut Throat Marketing?

We were working on growing our business and growing a larger presence in the local community.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cut Throat Marketing has utilized a couple of different dashboards and has done a lot of work in Google with SEO. They manage our social media presence and have gotten us on Birdeye and Monday.

Their team also gets us involved in various things with our local community. These efforts help increase our presence. They also manage all of our Google reviews and take care of our website so our customers can give us direct contact.

What is the team composition?

We work with everyone on their staff including Cynthia (CEO), Geoffrey (SEO Strategist & Project Manager), the office manager, social media managers, and so on.

How did you come to work with Cut Throat Marketing?

She was familiar with a previous office manager within our company who introduced her to our owner. They ultimately determined that they were prepared to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $97,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement started in December 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve seen growth and an increase in our business. We were at just under half a million dollars when we started working with Cut Throat Marketing. Last year we did $1.7 million and this year, we’re on par to do $1.5 million; like everybody, we’ve suffered some with COVID-19.

They’re fantastic people to work with. They make my job super easy. Their team communicates what they need and how we can best provide it. If I have questions or issues, all I have to do is simply email, text, or call. They’re very professional and efficient. Their team does exactly what I ask them to do in exactly how I ask them.

How did Cut Throat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent. We get a weekly summary of all of our reviews and a monthly summary of web traffic and interfacing. We have no complaints about their services.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their overall efficiency and willingness to get down in the trenches and help us figure out what we need to do to best serve our company and customers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m perfectly happy with everything they do for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be willing to be transparent. They can’t help you if you aren’t being open and honest with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the marketing manager for a full-service glass company. We handle glass needs from auto windshields to residential needs and storefronts.

What challenge were you trying to address with Cut Throat Marketing?

They began the relationship before I came on board. Based on the information I've gathered, the initial need was to increase our rankings and improve our SEO.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They've done a lot for us. Before I came on, they handled our social media and completely redid our website. SEO was included in that original scope, and we're currently ranked at number one in the glass industry in our region. We use Google Ads, Facebook, and other campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I have two main points of contact. Occasionally they have another team member helping them, but that's behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Cut Throat Marketing?

I'm not sure what their hiring process was.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe the relationship started in 2018, and it’s ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The biggest hurdle since I joined the company was getting Google going. We recently opened a third location, which they really pushed through social media and Google Ads. They helped us tremendously to ensure we were in the top ranking for everything. That goes along with SEO and all of our ads. No pun intended, but they're helping us be cutthroat in our industry.

How did Cut Throat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very responsive and are great communicators. Whenever I call, text, or email, I hear back either immediately or within an hour. They're on top of everything and are excellent to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It's so nice to work with a company that is willing to go out of their way to explain things to us. They've taken me under their wing, and they help ensure we get all the enhancements we need. They're a good partner to have, and we look at them as a part of our team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything they should improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready for great communication and involvement. They will be honest, so be open to their advice. If they make recommendations, follow through and implement the solutions they suggest.