Marketing a service-based company is different from driving customers to buy a shiny, new product. For starters, you don’t have an actual thing for people to purchase and walk away with. Your business sells an intangible product, performed by your team of experts.
The Differentiator. It all starts with being clear on why your service is the best choice in the marketplace. Here at The Brandhouse, we call it your unique-solve. This is the one thing that sets you apart from your competition, what your ideal client avatar really wants and can’t get anywhere else. Make sure you are clear about this differentiator. You should be able to own this claim. Does it answer your customer’s pain points?
Being able to defend your claim or competitive positioning is important. The following are examples of social proof you can use to market your service-based business:
- Client testimonials
- Case studies
- Online reviews
- Social proof such as user-generated content about your brand and customers tagging your company
Online Presence. Before that new customer has picked up the phone or sent an email inquiry, trust me, they’ve done their homework. They have checked out your website, visited your social media and perhaps, read a client review or two. Confirm your online presence is on-brand and the messaging is consistent. If you have social media platforms, are they current and up-to-date? Do you post to them regularly? If not, consider taking them down or directing people to the platforms you use most often.
Brand Ambassadors. For many service-based businesses, referrals are a strong source of qualified leads. Your brand ambassadors are those clients and former customers who whenever someone asks them, “do you know a person that does XYZ (insert your service)?” they refer you. Nurture this by creating a brand experience for your customers that mirrors what you say your brand is and delivers on your promise.
Thought Leadership. If you are a service-based business, chances are it’s centered around the founder or CEO’s zone of genius. Perhaps there are others in the organization that share this zone of genius, too? Utilize the expertise within your company to build awareness, and ultimately drive leads to your business. Digital platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, Clubhouse, blogs, podcasts, webinars along with in-person opportunities such as conferences, local business groups, etc. provide endless ways to connect with your audience, and build that like, know, trust factor. Be the expert in your field that people find when they go looking for answers to their pain points.
Email Campaign. 2020 was the year many businesses realized just how important building an email list really is to their marketing efforts. When the pandemic hit, some businesses were left without a way to communicate to customers when in-person opportunities were gone.
Even if you are on multiple social media platforms and have a following that your competition envies, your email list is the only thing you own and completely control. A regularly scheduled email blast, whether it’s weekly, monthly or quarterly, should be a part of your marketing strategy. Talk to your customers’ pain points. Use the eblasts as a resource for your costumes and strive to be helpful. Your clients, and potential clients, will find this invaluable.
When marketing a service-based business, your brand is central to your strategy and creating long-standing clients. If you feel your current brand is holding you back from scaling your business, we can help! Grab a spot on our calendar to schedule a free 30 minute consultation and let’s see how we can work together.
