Service Marketing Objectives

Unlike with marketing a tangible product, marketing a service or service-oriented business poses the challenge of creating interest without the luxury of appealing to the five senses. Consequently, marketers and business owners must develop a different set of objectives than when marketing products. In essence, service marketing requires a more personalized approach to be successful.

One primary focus of service marketing is to develop relationships with customers to gain their trust. Insurance agents, for example, sell an intangible product that promises to fulfill a future need. Consequently, insurance agents often attempt to market themselves as trustworthy individuals who will always be there for the policyholder. Agents take the time to get to know their policyholders and learn about their families. They frequently become involved in their local communities and participate in charitable activities.

Service-oriented companies do not have the advantage of luring customers with flashy products loaded with attractive features. Instead, they must use marketing to highlight the value of the services they provide. One way to increase the value is to bundle several services together and offer them as a package. Continuing with the insurance industry example, many insurance companies offer discounts to customers who purchase more than one policy, such as a combination of auto and homeowners coverage.

Service businesses can use marketing to keep the lines of communication open and provide relevant information to their customer base. Businesses can use methods such as sending regular email newsletters to their customers that contain information about industry trends that could impact their lives. This enhances the business's image as a service-oriented company that is concerned about the well-being of its customers. It also helps to keep the company in the forefront of the customer's mind, which can lead to repeat business in the future.

Service marketing can focus on what makes your business different from the competition. This serves to inform the customer as to what advantages your business offers that others cannot. For instance, you can highlight fact that you possess a higher level of expertise in the business or that you have served your local community for a longer period of time. Showing that you're different can also help you carve out a niche in the marketplace, helping you to target your marketing strategy.