Companies that focus on providing services have an advantage over companies that sell physical products: services are a perfect match to launch campaigns that silently promote a company or brand. This is not to say that product-based companies cannot do this. In fact, many brands use Influencers to promote their brands inconspicuously via Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms. The difference, however, is that service-based companies can build trust and rapport by providing information and establishing themselves as experts on the topic. This is done by giving out volumes of information via blogs, videos, and other high-value content. Once a potential customer sees the content and determines the value, they will view any other services provided by the company as expert as well.
Content is King
The concept that content is king is more accurate today than ever before. This may be tied to two philosophical realities. The first is that people like to buy instead of being sold on something. Therefore, when users find informative websites and research the topics of interest, they are likely to follow advice based on the researched information. Such decisions are internalized, which means the consumer does not feel pushed into purchasing a specific product or service. The second is that buyers prefer to do business with people that they know and trust and follow the advice of such individuals. Therefore, businesses or individuals that establish themselves as experts can find a level of respect that maintains a client’s business.
Drive Traffic Toward Content
Once quality information is posted on a website, businesses need to begin driving traffic toward the content. Organizations have many options — this is where experts may differ in terms of which strategies are the best. Some experts believe that focusing on organic-based search engine optimization strategies is the best route while others believe that pay-per-click (PPC) tactics work best. Also, there are those who focus efforts exclusively on social media posts and push those posts toward driving traffic to a website. Which option works best depends on the type of services that a company is marketing and the style of the business itself. If a company does not understand how to create and implement such strategies, they can choose a top-rated ppc advertising firm that can develop, execute, and manage the campaigns or hire companies that specialize in a specific area, such as online marketing for legal firms.
Some organizations have a great Facebook presence and provide professional services, such as legal matters, that work well with the development of video content. Therefore, the strategy that professional services companies may use will differ from a company that provides makeup services, which may work better on Instagram. Other companies may produce high-quality written content that uses a different marketing style altogether. The idea is to review what the organization does well online and create a strategy that aligns well with business. Furthermore, combining marketing styles will provide a point of comparison between the strategies. One of the greatest advantages of online marketing strategies is that all have data associated with the campaigns. Therefore, businesses do not need to assume or guess which ideas are working, and which ones are not producing positive results.
Service-based businesses can use the power of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and an organizational website, among others, to produce and post quality content that is information and knowledge-driven and establishes the organization as subject matter experts. Afterward, the business can drive traffic using Google Adwords, Facebook and Instagram Ads, Affiliate Email Marketing, and other platforms; the advantage is that these methods are much less expensive than traditional marketing channels and can be measured.
