Is it possible to distinguish between product and service marketing? Can you distinguish between a product and a service? A product can be viewed, touched, felt, and stored as a property. On the other hand, a service is something we can’t touch (intangible), and it involves the execution of specific actions to create value for someone.
Because of the importance of services to the economy, which is largely due to the advancement in technology, experts in marketing and entrepreneurs realized it was important to communicate and promote them with a different strategy than that used to market products.
What is service marketing?
So, what is service marketing and How Does Marketing Help Your Product Or Service? Service marketing is a distinct area of marketing, but it does not stray from the main purpose of the business.
Marketing does not create demand or create new markets. It is about identifying ways to satisfy latent needs and explore them. This requires you to add, highlight and deliver value to people. You need to differentiate a product or company from its competitors, position them as references in the face of the demand or desire of certain people.
These are ways to promote the benefits and impact of an offer on a customer’s life. It uses communication strategies that are based on the relationship it has with its target audience. These include publishing informative content, sending messages via SMS, and placing advertisements in media.
How can you structure your strategies to take into consideration that customer support has particularities which products don’t have? It is recommended to do it considering the 7 Ps.
What are the 7 Ps in service marketing?
Service marketing includes three additional Ps. Let’s look at each one in the following list.
Product
In the marketing of services, the product is the outcome of using the offered or offered products. A person offering household cleaning services might use a product and then end up with a cleaning service.
The first P is the promise or potential delivery of a service to customers. The service offer or product must highlight the benefits and potential advantages it can bring to the client.
This means that the product must be tangible, even though it may seem intangible. The person will not be able to touch or feel the product until they have used it.
Price
Many services don’t require additional charges to be performed. A mechanic may charge the labor and parts value, giving the impression that profit is 100%.
This sentiment is false, as it doesn’t measure indirect costs such as the maintenance of space for the provision of the service or displacement of professionals, or the risks they take when performing that work.
It is therefore difficult to establish a value for service marketing that will cover the cost of professional hours and other expenses associated with providing the service. This value cannot be extrapolated to the public.
Place
It is composed of two elements. The first refers to the location where the service will be offered, and the second refers to the communication channels in which it will be disclosed.
If a service is provided at the customer’s residence, the provider will need to take care of transporting the tools and materials required for the delivery of the services. Although other services can be performed remotely, this frees the customer from worrying about such things.
Promotion
Promoting a service involves creating outreach strategies to win and attract potential customers. This step can involve both digital and conventional media depending on the characteristics and target audience.
Communication should reinforce the differentiators of the service provided by being creative, dynamic, and personal. The company must use the correct tone and voice to represent its brand.
The brand’s voice reflects the company’s personality and how it wants to be perceived by the public. Simple adjectives help position brands in people’s minds. Examples of adjectives include professional, technical, positive, and a sense of humor.
Process
These are the processes and methods that ensure the quality and timely provision of the service.
A clear process and clearly defined workflows can be a factor in service marketing. This will help customers feel more confident.
People
To provide a high-quality service, you must hire and train competent employees. Marketing to empower people also includes a focus on customer happiness.
The customer is not the only one who should be at the center of service delivery. It does not mean that collaborators will perform any extra tasks to please the customer. It is a sign that the collaborators will be able to say no to requests outside of scope because they are aware of how it could impact the company’s profit margin.
Training your employees in all aspects of business is important. Give them the tools and knowledge to respond to different situations.
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
Service marketing is the most important task. It makes an intangible service tangible. Visual and/or audio evidence that the service will be offered creates palpability. Examples of evidence include images showing a workflow or clients giving testimonials.
