Because services are intangible, marketing messages for services do more than sell services. Communications make services more tangible, and present prospects something firm to measure.

As a result, marketing communications for most services drag around a heavier burden than communications for products. A bright red Porsche 911 convertible, for example, shouts loudly and beautifully for itself. Very few services speak for themselves at all.

We implicitly give trust to most products. We trust that our new tyres won’t explode, our white sugar will taste sweet, and our aspirin will soothe our headaches without bad side effects. But we are far less trusting and certain about most services.

We fret that our solicitors and web designers will work more than necessary, and charge more than is warranted. We worry that the latest weight loss service will be useless, just like the five we have tried before. We worry that our builders will exceed their budget and finish weeks after they agreed to. We worry that the collection agency we hire for our service will harass our clients worth keeping and collect only a small part of our outstanding receivables.

So unlike communicating about products, communicating about services must make the service more tangible and real, and must reduce risk for the worried prospect. It’s not like selling Porsche automobiles.

For more information about services marketing and making services more concrete, visit Rob Johnson’s Twitter page. Sponsored by Rob Johnson of http://seocairns.seovoodoo.com.au/