One of the best tips for services marketing is to start with a clear profile of the target customers. Many companies don't do enough research on their target audience and this may result in sales going to their competition due to not reaching out with the right communication. Once the targets' exact profile, desires and needs are evaluated, strategizing a marketing plan to meet them can be much simpler and less time-consuming. In order to best capture a target audience, the benefits of the service rather than just it features must be effectively communicated.
For example, fast door-to-door service is a feature of many delivery companies. To make an individual store stand apart from its competition and connect with target customers, a benefit to be highlighted in marketing materials may be extended delivery hours to better suit the customer. Another incentive to extol in services marketing is an offer of an additional service the company offers — free — so the customer gets increased value for his money.
A great tip for marketing a service business is to use social media. Unlike broadcast advertising on radio or television, this marketing form is usually inexpensive. As long as the target market is reached, the results can be excellent. A mistake to avoid is to promote the service without a call to action. A potential customer should always be given the company's contact information with a message to use it to "learn more" or "save money now."
Thinking in terms of passive and active forms of services marketing can be helpful. Since a service is an action, showing this in a website video can make what the company does come alive to help viewers want to buy the service. Merely mentioning the service in text isn't as likely to have as strong of a sales effect. A combination of a video showing the company's services along with concise, compelling text such as "we take care to do the job right" while the screen shows a carpet cleaner carefully lifting and cleaning under a sofa can be effective.
Branding is crucial when marketing a service. Targeted customers should be made aware that it is the people in a certain color and style of uniform of a specific company name that are the ones to call for the work, not others. Uniforms in a company color help create awareness in the mind of the potential customer and make the company stand out from competitors. The same branding color used in services marketing materials unifies the company and helps sell it as a whole to the target market.
