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You offer a reliable, quality service. You know that if more people knew what you can do, you'd increase sales. So you advertise in the most likely media for potential clients to read about you. But there's no response. Why?
If this scenario is familiar to you there's a few likely causes.
1. Maybe your ad's aren't designed well - poor layout, inappropriate offer, etc.
2. Maybe you have selected the wrong media, placement or timing.
3. Maybe you shouldn't be advertising your services.
Now I know there's a lot to consider when writing advertisements - creating "killer headlines", long copy versus short copy arguments, using white space, etc - and I could give you some tips on how to buy media. But I'm not getting into that today. I'm going to talk about the third point - maybe you shouldn't advertise.
But wait! (I hear you ask)... Why shouldn't I advertise my business?
Put simply, some services are not suitable to be advertised in the usual fashion. Most advertising is to stimulate action, usually a purchase or decision to place an order. If you're selling a 'product' this is relatively easy to achieve. Customers know what they are buying. There's usually some sort of benchmark, or product criteria, customers use to judge whether your product will do what they want.
But when it comes to services, many potential customers (or clients - I use both terms interchangeably) may not be able to make the same sort of judgement. This is particularly the case for services where the specific outcome is hard to predict, or where there is a large degree of emotional involvement or risk in the customers decision making process.
Think about it this way. Services can be broadly classified under the following headings:
* People Processing (eg hairdresser, medical)
* Possession Processing (eg computer repairs, dog obedience training)
* Knowledge Processing (eg education, entertainment)
* Information Processing (eg accounting, investment advice)
Generally speaking, possession and people processing services are more tangible than knowledge or information processing. For possession and people processing services, clients can see/touch/feel the outcomes, and they may even be personally involved in the delivery of the actual service. Additionally, tangible services usually incorporate a higher level of personal contact (intensity or frequency) between the provider and the customer.
So, for more tangible services, clients often have more reference points on which to base a future purchase decision.
If your business provides services with less tangible, and more variable, outcomes then media advertising may not be the best answer for you. For your type of services customers will be very interested to understand 'how' you deliver your service and will need to develop a suitable degree of trust in you before they will make the decision to use your services. These criteria cannot be fully met through advertising alone.
So what should you do to get more business? Here are a few ideas:
* Perform your service to an excellent standard - surpassing mere customer satisfaction.
* Provide information to educate your potential clients.
* Develop sales processes that identify real problems you can solve.
* Make sure you address the true concerns and risks of your clients.
* Understand the clues customers use to decide whether they will use you.
* Create a network of related service providers who may refer prospects to you.
* Develop mutually beneficial joint-promotional activities with well-respected businesses in complementary fields.
Please don't misunderstand my message. Advertising can be very productive. If you can clearly state specific benefits (i.e. outcomes) and overcome the initial concerns of prospective clients, then advertising may work for you. That's why possession processing services such as lawn mowing can be easily advertised. For your average lawn the customer can recognise and understand what they are buying.
However, if your business provides relatively intangible services that deliver outcomes dependent upon a variety of factors, then media advertising should not be high on your list of marketing activities.
(c) 2004 Marketing Nous Pty Ltd
Stuart Ayling runs Marketing Nous, an Australasian marketing consultancy that specialises in marketing for service businesses. He helps clients to improve their marketing tactics, attract more clients, and increase revenue. Stuart also offers telephone consultations and runs regular marketing seminars. For additional marketing resources, including Stuart's popular monthly newsletter, visit his web site at http://www.marketingnous.com.au.
MORE RESOURCES updated Thu. May / 17 / 2012 TIME | Will Facebook Adapt to Mobile or Will Mobile Adapt to Facebook? BusinessWeek By Kevin Fitchard on May 17, 2012 We all know Facebook needs to become a force in mobile advertising, but just how much of a force? If Facebook were to replicate the success of its desktop ad business on mobile, it would account for a healthy chunk of ... Facebook Advertising Shows 'A Lot Of Potential But It's Not A Slam-Dunk' Facebook's biggest problem is that it's a media company Is Advertising on Facebook Worth the Expense? |
NPR sees sharp downturn in advertising revenue, leading to talk of cuts Washington Post Halfway through its fiscal year — and six months into Gary Knell's tenure as chief executive — Washington-based NPR has seen a sharp downturn in corporate “underwriting,” or advertising revenue. The falloff has led to projections of an annual ... |
 Sydney Morning Herald | Does advertising on Facebook pay? San Mateo Daily Journal But ahead of the IPO, a debate emerged between two of the nation's largest automakers: Does it pay to advertise on the social network? General Motors, the nation's largest automaker, said it would abandon Facebook ads after concluding they were ... Companies ask: Does advertising on Facebook pay? |
 Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) | Skechers agrees to pay $45 million to settle charges of sketchy advertising of ... Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog) By Rita R. Robison Kim Kardashian, fresh from a sweaty workout and pictured in a variety of steamy, suggestive poses, decides in a TV advertisement to dump her personal trainer. “It's not someone else, it's something else” Kardashian, a reality TV-show ... Sketchy ads? Skechers agrees to pay $50M to settle false-advertising allegations Skechers settles with WA over false advertising Shoe-maker accused of sketchy advertising settles lawsuit |
Sweeney: Facebook Advertising Money Is In the Movies CNBC.com Traditional advertising in that context can be both annoying and ineffective. Imagine someone interrupting your conversation by waving a big billboard between you and your friend. Yuk! Social media advertisers are just realizing how influential the ... |
Viewers Want Choice, Control and Relevance from Online Video Advertising ... San Francisco Chronicle (press release) New York, New York (PRWEB) May 17, 2012 Vibrant Media, the global leader in premium contextual advertising, has released key research findings that determine what viewers want in their video advertising: choice, control and relevance. |
New Mobile iPhone Application for Location-Based Virtual Advertising Sacramento Bee By They Creative Advertising HOUSTON, May 17, 2012 -- /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- They Creative Advertising introduces Knibbler™ iPhone application, a location-based advertising tool for individuals and small business owners. Using the dynamic Knibbler™ ... |
 Sydney Morning Herald | Apple Moves to Dismiss Siri False Advertising Suit PC Magazine But Apple's main counter-argument appears to be its contention that the plaintiffs' complaints lack the specificity that would be required to back up their claims of false advertising—failing to provide "a single actionable misstatement" on the part ... Apple Responds to Siri Class Action Lawsuits |
Coca-Cola Dodges Federal False Advertising Claim Courthouse News Service By TIM HULL (CN) -- Pomegranate juice purveyor Pom Wonderful cannot pursue federal false-advertising claims that Coca-Cola's pomegranate blueberry drink contains mostly apple and grape juices, but it may be able to revive its state law challenges, ... |
 Street Fight | Local Ad Spending Moving More to Mobile and Online; BIA/Kelsey's Media Ad View ... MarketWatch (press release) CHANTILLY, Va., May 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- According to BIA/Kelsey's Media Ad View reports, local advertising spending will experience a compound annual growth rate of 2.6 percent between 2011 and 2016, with revenues climbing from around ... BIA/Kelsey: Local Ad Spending Moving More To Mobile And Online, Radio 'Holds ... Mobile, Online Local Ad Spending Will Double in the Next 5 Years Forecast: Locals Ads Hit $150 Mil By 2016, Trad Media Holds |
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