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Points with Personality: Challenges and Trends in Service Marketing

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When you think of marketing, the first thing that comes to mind is usually advertising and these are usually current promotions and new products that should be presented to customers. Advertising for Services and Services is only rarely seen, but this area of marketing is also a very important one. Service marketing (or service marketing) is becoming increasingly important, especially in today's service society. Many companies specialize purely in services and activities or expand their product portfolio with additional services. Service marketing can therefore be clearly differentiated from traditional goods marketing.

Challenges posed by the “service” product

Due to the different content generated by products or services, many strategies of classic product marketing cannot be transferred to management in service marketing. In service marketing, the advertised service (the product, so to speak) does not yet exist and is a so-called intangible value. Advertising and general marketing are intended to build trust among customers, which means that they use the company for a future service. This trust is particularly important because services, unlike products, cannot be returned. When making a purchase or booking, the service is carried out. This usually cannot be canceled afterwards.

In order to attract new customers, especially in product marketing, many service providers rely on advertisements and articles in the mass media and on the Internet. However, this classic advertising is less and less viewed positively by consumers. It is perceived as annoying and is often overlooked due to the crowd or even hidden by extras such as ad blockers. In addition, the focus is on more diverse reasons for a service or a product, especially when it comes to services but also in general. Only price and quality are no longer enough. Nowadays, ethical, social and ecological factors also play a role in purchasing decisions in service management.

Strategies in Service Marketing

Especially in service marketing, it is therefore all the more important for service providers to know their own customers and to take their needs seriously. Through a successful personal relationship and interpersonal communication, values such as friendliness, integrity and reliability can be strengthened and the service provider can appear trustworthy and reputable. In the long term, this has a positive effect on the brand's reputation and strengthens the relationship between customer and service provider. This helps in particular because customers share their experiences with services and can be used as a multiplier. In order to know the customer even better, it also helps to address their needs and to understand an exemplary customer journey. If these are known, the touchpoints can be used specifically to play out marketing.

Service Marketing 2.0 — Online and Social Media

In many areas, you will also notice that there are also many (new) touchpoints in the service sector and also communication through digitization online or on social media. Social media use is therefore also essential in service marketing. Here, service providers in particular can use business platforms such as LinkedIn and Xing to appear reputable and as experts, for example by publishing or advertising articles. Social media also offer the opportunity to conduct virtual, personal communication with customers and strengthen customer relationships. The Internet offers the opportunity to influence referral marketing even more through targeted communication. The multiplier effects already mentioned, through personal recommendations, are particularly visible online. Here, on Industry Directories (so-called local listings) and well-known search engine reviews about a brand or the company can be submitted, which are seen as recommendations for other customers. As a company, you have the opportunity to view these recommendations online and, if necessary, react to them with the right communication and use them as positively as possible.

Service from experts

In general, in service marketing, it is important to always position yourself as an expert as a service provider. New customers in particular book a service based on know-how, brand image and positive experiences. In this way, all marketing channels can be used to convey the most positive image of the brand possible and to support expert status. It is up to you whether this is done in personal contact, such as in sales talks or at trade fairs, on social media or through articles in traditional media. As in all areas, however, a targeted and diverse marketing mix that is convincing on various channels is also recommended in service marketing.

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