Because services are intangible, marketing messages for services do more than promote services. Communications render services more tangible, and give prospects something firm to consider.

As a result, marketing communications for most services haul around a heavier load than communications for products. A bright red Porsche 911 convertible, for example, speaks 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 brown sugar will taste sweet, and our aspirin will reduce our headaches without bad side effects. But we are far less trusting and certain about most services.

We worry that our lawyers and web designers will do more than necessary, and charge more than necessary. We worry that the latest weight loss service will be useless, just like the three before it. We worry that our home renovators will exceed their budget and finish weeks after they promise. 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 soothe 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/