The Right Way To Market A Service Based Business

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Running a service based business is largely different from running a product based business. This is because the price, product, place and promotional strategy don’t entirely fit in together, and so, are planned and executed separately.

Where a regular brick-and-mortar business would compete based on price, a service based business must compete based on value added through their business services. This requires a different thought-process that most business school graduates have not been equipped for.

That said, here are four ways to market a service based business profitably:

1). Offer An Exceptional Service:

Rather than thinking of what product to sell, think first, about the service your customers desire, and how you will meet-up to their expectations. Bury yourself in thoughts and become obsessed with providing a far better service than anyone else in your industry or within your geographical location.

See Also: Starting A Consultancy Services Business? Here Are 10 Ways To Land Your First Client

2). Engage With Your Prospects & Clients Online:

Think about accessibility and how your customers perceive you. In a brick and mortar business, you would have to establish a physical presence by means of setting up stores or offices wherever your ideal prospects or customers reside. But not anymore! Today, all you need is an internet connection, a website, knowledge of some important social media tools, and you’re well on your way to becoming a marketing expert, except in this case, your skills are largely for the digital space.

With a great strategy in place, word about your business could spread fast, since you’re able to reach out to several prospects and clients at once.

Here are some ways businesses like yours can leverage the internet to grow their service based business:

• If you are a relationship coach, consider having a group online and frequently put up videos and articles discussing current hot topics and how your viewers or readers can learn from them.
• If you are into food delivery, consider having a mobile broadcast list where you send your “Menus of the Day” along with a picture of the meals to your recipients every morning. Also encourage them to make their choices for lunch before 10a.m to get a form of discount. e,g 20% off.

3). Focus On Adding Value:

What value does your business add? Do you focus solely on price? What are your business priorities streamlined towards?

When selling a service, thinking first about the price reduces you to a vendor and limits you to a position where you can only bargain from a price point. Focus instead then, on the value you will deliver to the customer, and build an obsession with always exceeding all expectations.

When this is achieved, price becomes irrelevant because, the value of your service becomes priceless. It’s the same reason some photographers take pictures and charge Two Hundred Naira (48cents) per photo, while an official wedding photographer can charge as high as Four Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira ($1,000) for an album.

A simple way to do this is by focusing not only on the service provided, but also considering what happens before and after the service is rendered, like your after-sales support, warranties, return policies, and more.

A mechanic for instance, can go the extra-mile by choosing to take his customer’s car for a thorough wash after carrying out a routine check and some repairs. A tailor on the other hand can deliver more value by dry-cleaning a dress after sewing it, so it can be in the best ready-to-wear condition for the customer.

Adding more value is termed going the extra-mile, and it’s a hallmark of excellent customer service.

See Also: 10 Amazing Small Business Growth Strategies

4). Become A Teacher:

Lastly, consider using content marketing as a viable alternative to advertising your services. Most people will naturally be drawn towards a brand that positions itself as an expert. And what do experts do well? They teach, inform, enlighten, educate, entertain and inspire.

Some ways to exploit this are:

• If you’re a professional chef, instead than just uploading finished photos of gourmets you prepared, you could do a 30 minutes live broadcast once a week, teaching your audience how to prepare a specific dish.
• If you are an internet marketer, you could upload several short 3 minute videos sharing insights on what social media marketing tricks work and what doesn’t. This way, your brand sits on the minds of your audience as an expert.
• If you are a physician, you could share how-to tips on a variety of health related topics from, self-examination for lumps in the breasts, checking the blood pressure, and several others.

To Sum It Up

Ultimately, all types of businesses operate in a binary tract. You are either growing or not. But by executing a brilliant marketing strategy, your business can experience growth, and make you an inspiration for others to look up to.

See Also: This Is Why Your Customers Are Not Paying You

About The Writer

This is a guest blog post published by Ebuka Anichebe. He is the Managing Partner at Jean-Paul & Associates Consultancy and a highly sought-after business development trainer with a passion for entrepreneurship and small business development. He hosts a weekly radio program on We 106.3 F.M.

Note: This article has been edited for style and substance.

If you’ll like to submit guest blog posts like this to startuptipsdaily.com, please read the guidelines listed here.

What are your thoughts on this article on how to market a service based business profitably? Let me know by leaving a comment below.