To build a thriving service-based business, you need to put a little effort into marketing. Here are seven crucial tips that will help you on your way to success.
A service-based business is an exciting opportunity to provide something valuable to others while getting paid to do so. However, there’s much to think about when starting a service-based business. Some of the first things to consider are marketing and branding. In the end, the success of your business is primarily based on how well you market it.
Marketing is the key to bringing customers to your business. You must go above and beyond to prove your worth when you have a service-based business. You don’t have a tangible product you can deliver, meaning customers will judge you based on the service quality.
Here are seven tips to keep in mind when marketing your service-based business.
Table of contents
1. Identify Your Target Audience
Whether you’re trying to sell something new or build brand recognition, you must ensure that your target audience can benefit from your services. If your service doesn’t address a need in someone’s life, no amount of marketing will be successful. So, the first thing you need to consider is your target audience.
It can be hard to know your ideal customer when you’re starting. To help figure out your target audience, start with the following questions:
- What problem do you solve?
- Who does your service help?
- How big is the market for your service?
- Do people need your service?
- What kind of people are your ideal customers?
- What type of person is likely to be interested in your service, and how does that person need to be convinced to buy your services?
- Does your target market need a unique service, or does it simply need to be something they didn’t even know they needed?
2. Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition for Your Sevice-Based Business
Now that you’ve identified your audience and value proposition, you’ll need to understand why they want what you sell. You’ll need to discover what makes your product or service stand out from the rest. You can begin by asking yourself:
- Why does my service solve a problem?
- What is the main difference between my service and the services of my competitors?
- What makes my service special?
The difference between these questions is that the second question looks for the unique selling proposition (USP).
Your USP— Unique Selling Proposition— is the identifier that sets you apart from the competition. You’ll likely be competing against numerous other businesses offering the same services. Knowing what sets you apart and ahead of the competition is essential for attracting customers and creating brand alignment.
Brainstorm the features of your business that add value. This could be anything from a robust customer service platform to the personal experience and skills you bring to your organization. What is it about your business that your competitors can’t copy? As an entrepreneur, the answer might be yourself.
Related: How to Add Value to Your Products and Services
3. Create a Launch Plan
If your business is based on service, there’s no better place to begin than with the launch plan for that business. Once you’ve identified your potential clients, defined the value proposition you offer, and developed your marketing strategy, it’s time to create a launch plan. You’ll need a detailed roadmap for your company to maximize its success.
Launching a service-based business means that you need to think long and hard about your launch plan. Your launch plan should include everything from how you launch your business to what marketing channels you’ll be using.
The launch plan is what you put together to get the word out about your new service.
Creating a launch plan for new services, bundles, and offers is essential for building hype around your business. Your launch plan could be a brief series of social media posts over a week or a multi-faceted approach over three months.
Consider how frequently you’ll post on social media when creating a launch plan. Take time to craft your messaging to inform and intrigue your potential customers, setting goals to drive the process forward.
4. Focus on Local SEO for Your Service-Based Business
There’s no better time to start thinking about local SEO than now. This is a significant business opportunity, but you must ensure you take full advantage of it.
Local search engine optimization (SEO) is about giving your business the best chance of getting found by customers searching for businesses in your geographic area. The fact is that consumers are increasingly using local search engines such as Google Places, Yelp, and Bing to find local businesses.
So what does local search mean for you?
The local search involves businesses within a certain radius of a particular location. Some people search online for local services to make it easier to book their next appointment. In contrast, others seek out local restaurants or bars to check out. For service-based businesses, Google My Business is a great place to start. It’s free, easy, and allows you to manage your online reputation locally.
Local SEO plays a vital role in service-based businesses.
“Google is the modern-day equivalent of the phonebook,” say the experts at https://localsparkmarketing.com/, “If your business doesn’t appear for searches related to your services, you’re losing potential customers to your competitors who are already there.”
As you can see, local SEO directs traffic to your site from people who are in the right geographical location to use your services. Start by claiming your Google My Business page and ensuring your location is mentioned clearly and frequently on your website. Consider outsourcing to a local SEO expert to help develop your marketing for this purpose.
5. Go Live
Watching online videos is another great way to reach potential customers who may not even visit your premises or website. Video is a great medium to engage consumers, build trust, and encourage them to take action. Online video consumption is rising at a rate of 32% per year. The average person watched videos for an average of 67 minutes per day in 2018 and 84 minutes per day in 2019.
When it comes to online videos, you want to capture your audience’s attention and engage them. The trick is to figure out how to produce them, so they’re high-quality and effectively communicate your message. The video needs to be compelling, show why you’re different, and convey how your services are beneficial. Online videos help sell faster and more effectively than any other form of advertising.
This trend has created an opportunity for service-based businesses to connect with their audience in a new and exciting way. Consider posting quick tutorial videos or updates about your business. Going live on social media platforms creates a notification that draws your audience to you and allows them to interact, answering their questions to drive purchasing decisions in a live environment.
6. Capture Customer Reviews for Your Service-Based Business
Some sources estimate that over 90% of customers read online reviews before choosing a business. Rather than relying on customers to initiate the review process, ask them! You can make this a part of the customer service process, asking them to leave a review after they’ve confirmed that they’re satisfied with your services.
Customer reviews are essential in local SEO and social proof on your website. Use these reviews and testimonials as highlights on your website or branded social media posts.
7. Focus on Customer Retention
A lot of service-based businesses focus on new customer acquisition. While this is an integral part of growing a business, focusing on retention can be profitable in the long term. Instead of positioning all your marketing efforts for new customers, consider how you can build loyalty and encourage repeat purchases with current customers.
Your primary objective as a service provider is to get repeat business. This means that the retention rate is your primary concern. What does it mean to retain a customer? In this context, you’ll need to offer them the best value in the market because if they are unhappy with your service, they will choose another vendor.
Like any other market, people need to continue using the product or service you provide, so they don’t switch to another provider. There’s nothing wrong with using tactics like upselling, cross-selling, referrals, and loyalty programs to keep your customers happy and interested.
Consider how you can use your marketing to stay at the forefront of your customers’ minds. Engage them regularly to be proactive in your customer service, reminding them of your continued value.
By working on these seven areas of a marketing strategy, you can attract both new and returning customers to your service-based business.
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