And what happens to your marketing when that happens?

The way in which products and services are marketed is very different. With a product, you can show your potential buyer what they are going to buy and they can compare your product to those of your competitors. But with a service, you can’t show anyone what they’re going to get, until you’ve delivered the service.

At Appletree we specialise in promoting services, because that’s what we’ve always done. However, when Phil called me, to ask for help in marketing his product, I had to think again.

Phil’s company designs and sells eco buildings – stunning arc shaped constructions that can be put up anywhere. Standard ‘product’ marketing says that he should advertise the ‘product’ with images of how it looks from the outside and inside and he does this very well on his website. There are images showing how the buildings can be used, to help potential buyers to picture themselves living or working within one of the buildings. He will be taking a section of a building to an exhibition later this year, to allow more people to see it, touch it and walk through it. Phil has run a number of events at their ‘show home’ so that people can experience it. All this is standard ‘product’ marketing.

However, there is a huge element of ‘service’ involved in buying one of these buildings. Each one is individually designed for the person buying it. The buyer can choose the size, number of sections, layout of the rooms and use of the space. This means that there is a lot of hand holding, through a long design process. Phil and his team will help clients to secure planning permission for putting up a building, if it’s needed. They will advise on the best layout, to give their clients the best use of their building. They project manage the installation of the building, to make sure that everything works – the electricity and water supply – and are on hand to smooth out any teething problems. All these elements of buying an arc are actually a ‘service’ and as such, the marketing that’s needed is different. It’s about building up the reputation of the company, to reassure potential clients that they will be able to take their project from design to a fully working building with the least amount of hassle. A few photos on company’s website won’t be enough to persuade buyers to trust them!

Do you sell a product or a service? Are you using the right marketing tools to promote what you do?

If you’re not sure, or you’d like a quick review of your marketing, just get in touch to tell us what you do and we’ll give you some advice on the best marketing for your business. Call us 01635 578 500 or click here to email us.