Just how big and important is the service sector? According to Bloomberg, it represents a whopping 77 percent of private sector output in the U.S. It also supports hundreds of millions of jobs, as the numbers are only going to increase as the years march on. Basically, services are to the 21st century what manufacturing was to the 20th century.
However, while the explosive growth in the service sector is good news for customers because it means more choice and increased value, it’s creating marketing challenges for businesses that sell services (exclusively or partly).
Specifically, they’re struggling to do what all businesses need to do no matter what they sell, which is differentiate their offering and stand out in a crowded marketplace. The reward for achieving this goal is plenty of profitable customers. The consequence of missing this goal is getting whacked with the “commodity stick”, which means that customers only care about one thing: price. And when that happens, as the old saying goes, it’s a race to the bottom.
To ensure that your business doesn’t head in that direction, here are 3 key tips on of how to market a service – and stay several steps ahead of your competition:
How to Market a Service Tip #1: Don’t Sell Services – Sell Solutions
Customers essentially and ultimately don’t want to buy services: they want to buy what services enable. That is, they want outcomes, benefits and results. The service, whether it’s relatively simple like a haircut or complex like a cyber security monitoring system, is a means to those ends. As such, help your customers make the connection between the services you offer and the results they want by focusing on solutions. Tell them all of the positive things that await them once they get on the bus.
How to Market a Service Tip #2: Focus on marketing content
Businesses that sell physical products can leverage photos, videos and demonstrations in their marketing. However, services are by definition intangible, which means that businesses have to do more heavy lifting to help customers understand the benefits and advantages of their offerings – and that’s where marketing content comes in.
Marketing content isn’t sales content, in the sense that the idea isn’t to get customers to “act now and make a purchase” (of course if they wish to do that, then that’s great too!). Rather, the goal is to use marketing content to usher customers along the “buyer’s journey,” so that they are nurtured and cultivated into buyers. Different customers need various types of marketing content depending on where they are on the journey. Those closer to the beginning need content that is more educational in nature. Those closer to the end need support to overcome/neutralize objections that prevent them from making a purchase.
For example, customers in search of an office relocation company may be offered an ebook on what to do with their used office furniture (early in the buyer’s journey), and then through a later touch point offered a one-pager with key questions to ask prospective moving companies before hiring (later in the buyer’s journey).
How to Market a Service Tip #3: Use Packages and Tiers
Often, businesses that sell products don’t have a lot of flexibility when it comes to their overall offering. However, services are a different matter and there’s typically a lot more room to be creative by building packages and tiers.
For example, businesses can create silver, gold and platinum packages at various price and/or commitment points, or have a standard tier with a range of add-ons. Customers love choice almost as much (and sometimes more) than getting a great price, and businesses that offer services should certainly tap into this as part of their marketing approach.
Learn More
To learn more about how to market a service to your target audience, contact the Leap Clixx team today. We know how to help your unique business stand out for all of the right reasons. Instead of a dreadful race to the bottom, we’ll power you onward and upward!
Need more tips to help you differentiate from competitors? Download our FREE eBook "A Guide to Inbound Marketing Best Practices":
Topics: Inbound Marketing, Lead Generation
