Marketing is a powerful tool that businesses can use to boost sales, but the kind of marketing that is needed may vary depending on the sort of company and the products that are being sold.
Organizations that sell tangible goods rely on product marketing, but companies that sell intangible goods utilize service marketing to draw customers. This type of marketing allows companies to reach a larger and potentially global market by showcasing and promoting intangible products to consumers.
Service marketing: What is it? And why is it a must for your Midwifery Practice?
A marketing strategy called service marketing is utilized when a company wishes to provide clients with services. This is distinctive in that the goal is to convince a consumer to buy something that doesn’t physically belong to them but nonetheless satisfies their wants and requirements. A potential client can only see the advantages the service can offer, not the actual product.
Businesses can successfully market a service by anticipating a range of client needs and using their marketing approach to help customers recognize the best option for them. As a healthcare provider, you might ask the client questions about the maternity services they want to avail of and assist them in choosing the one that best suits their needs.
The characteristics of service marketing
Midwives provide health services and if you decide to start your own practice, you must understand these specific characteristics of service marketing, including the following:
- Services are intangible
While customers can test, keep and use physical products, they can only experience services. The purchase of a service depends on the customer’s knowledge and understanding of what the company is offering.
Potential customers can take their time when assessing the various options of service before selecting one as the decision isn’t made based on aesthetics or other physical factors.
- Services relate to performance
The better the service, the more likely the business is to succeed. The hospitality industry is a perfect example of a performance-related service. A good experience at a restaurant is likely to see repeat custom, while a poor experience can see custom drop.
- Services are not owned
While customers can keep physical documents as evidence of receiving a service, such as an insurance policy, the customer does not own the service itself. A car repair often comes with a checklist, but the experience of the repair is in the improved performance of the vehicle. The service benefits the customer, but it’s not something they can physically show.
- Services are inseparable from providers
A user does not take the service away from the provider but instead experiences the service. The provider maintains the service and that service is continually provided to other customers. Therefore, providers are integral to the delivery of a service.
- Services are perishable
A service lasts only for as long as a customer experiences it. A musical band provides a service to their fans in an arena and the service lasts for the duration of the concert. Once the band has left the stage and the fans have exited the building, the service is over.
- Services have varying costs
A physical product usually costs the same to every customer, but a service cost may vary. A plumber’s charge for a repair can differ depending on the complexities of the job, the amount of time required to complete the work, and the materials used. The more complex the job, the more variable this pricing could be.
Your marketing strategy to use depends on the type of business you have. Increasing brand recognition and creating a pipeline of qualified leads that convert to sales are the goals of marketing. Understand your client and the service radius of your practice to better develop the strategy that would fit into your practice.
What is services marketing? definition and tips | indeed.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2023, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/services-marketing
GREAT MIDWIFE MARKETING COURSES AVAILABLE –
50 WAYS TO MARKET A MIDWIFERY PRACTICE