The Challenges of Marketing an Intangible

Marketing a product that customers can see, touch, and try before they buy is challenging enough. So how can you market something customers can't see or feel? How do you turn an intangible idea into something that will connect with people in a hands-on, real-world way? That is often the challenge involved with marketing a service. Here are five tips to help you get started:

• Focus on answering the question, "What's in it for me?" Feature lists are all well and good, but for most people the bottom line (THEIR bottom line) is what really matters. If you can show a prospect how your service will benefit them (by saving time, reducing costs, providing security, or eliminating frustration, worry, or doubt), that will go far in convincing them to give you a try.


• Make it real. Just telling someone how much your service will benefit them isn't always enough. Back up your claims with tangible, real-world proof. Use testimonials, case studies, and verified statistics whenever you can to help bolster your case. Few things sell confidence better than a success story from a satisfied customer. A testimonial or case study outlining the positive results your service has provided will go a long way toward putting a prospect's mind at ease about doing business with your firm.


• Create a strong, positive identity. While your service may be intangible, the words and imagery you use to represent your brand can help you make a positive impression in prospective buyers' minds. Consider Prudential's Rock of Gibraltar logo or Allstate's "good hands." Each conveys a message of security and dependability -- traits important when you're talking about insurance and investing. Try to create a similar feel with the images and words you use to promote your company.


• Avoid the temptation to under-price your services. Under-pricing undermines profitability and sends the message that you don't value your own services as highly as your competitors value theirs. Customers will see this as a sign that your service is inferior in quality or that you lack the experience necessary to help them. If you're uncomfortable pricing your service competitively, consider a tiered approach, where customers can pay higher premiums for added benefits.


• Treat yourself -- and your company -- as the product. In many ways, you are. When customers buy a service, they're really buying into a company and its people. They're trusting your knowledge, your skill, your experience, and your integrity to do right by them. Keep that in mind. Use every interaction as an opportunity to reinforce, renew, and reward that trust...and encourage your staff to do the same.