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

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

We implicitly trust most products. We trust that our new tyres won’t blow out, our white sugar will taste sweet, and our aspirin will relieve 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 work more than necessary, and charge more than is warranted. We worry that the latest weight loss service will fail, just like the four before it. We worry that our builders will extend their budget and finish weeks after they promise. We worry that the collection agency we engage 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/