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

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, yells loudly and beautifully for itself. Very few services speak for themselves at all.

We implicitly trust 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 solicitors and auto mechanics will do more than necessary, and charge more than is warranted. We worry that the latest weight loss service will be useless, just like the three we have tried before. We worry that our builders will exceed their budget and complete the job weeks after they promise. We worry that the collection agency we hire for our service will harass our customers worth keeping and collect only a small part of our outstanding receivables.

So unlike communicating about products, talking 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/