Communications make services more tangible and visible and give clients something firm to grasp. Marketing communications for services haul a heavier burden than communications for products. We trust products but we are far less trusting of services. So communications about services must make the service more tangible and real and must sooth the worried prospect.
People are interested in themselves. Turn the attention away from “I’m an expert”, “I’m the smartest”, “me, me, me” and turn the attention to the client. Indifference is the worst enemy not competition. When you do speak say one thing. Saying many things usually communication nothing. Your prospects have one question “What makes you so different that I should do business with you?” So give them one good reason to do business with you then repeat it again and again. Don’t use adjectives to explain your reasons, use stories. Work one good basic communication; the communication must be vivid and not unclear, concrete and not abstract, familiar and not unfamiliar, and proper nouns not adjectives. Create evidence of your service and then communicate your service quality. Don’t use silly or unprofessional promotional ideas. Prospects don’t necessary want to buy the best, they just don’t want to buy bad; so, help assure the prospect that you have weakness, you are good enough, and they can be comfort with selecting you. Convey that you are positively good. The client will continue using your service if the client feels comfortable with them. The golden rule of marketing applies: “It is far better to say too little than too much.”
People hear what they see. When people watch commercials they don’t hear words, they see pictures. For example, an attorney climbing a mountain caused people to say that “First Banks were strong and solid, like the man climbing the mountain”. People will trust their eyes far before they will ever trust your words. Make the invisible visible by using visual symbols to look for clues about what the business is about: Prudential has it’s Rock of Gibraltar, Travelers is umbrella, Allstate is good hands, TransAmerica its tower, and Wausau its railroad station. Make sure people see who you are. Make sure your visual communications are consistent and reinforcing through out your company, it make you look more organized and professional and easier to remember. If your selling something complex, simplify it with a metaphor. Metaphors can quickly define your concept and your uniqueness.
If you want publicity then advertise. Prospect believe advertising is publicity and creditability. Advertising is the source by which people come to know the companies mentioned in the ad. People do not believe in companies they have not heard. Write articles and if you want editors to help you then give them something interesting. Give them a story worth publishing. Look deeply there are interesting stories to be told.
Focus on Buying and not selling. Think of the opposite side ask the customer “What do you want; what do you need; who are you”. Make buying easy for the customer. Talk with the prospect about them and not you.
People want to smile. The most important thing you can sell is hope. Hope makes people feel good and customers that feel good will continue to give you business.