You've probably heard or read about the importance of product branding, but what about branding your services? When running a service business, you compete on quality and speed. You aren't selling tangible products, so your business is hard to quantify. That's why you have to work hard on how to brand a service-based business to convince your customers that they need your service before they can realize it for themselves. Here's how you can get that done.
What is Service-Based Branding?
When you think of service-oriented companies, you might think of restaurants, law firms, or even accountants. But what is a service, exactly? It's anything intangible: an experience, a feeling, a result. These are things that you can't touch, and they're often the reason we choose one business over another—even if they offer the same thing. According to Hubspot, 92% of consumers actually switch to another company after 3 or fewer bad experiences.
In essence, service-based branding refers to your company's overall identity related to the services you provide. It's how you and your company communicate itself to the rest of the world. Your brand identity is formed by the wide range of services you provide, how you manage them, and the outcomes of those services.
The difference between Service-Based Branding and Product Branding?
Unlike product branding, which promotes a product, service branding requires more behind-the-scenes involvement. Branding anything that isn't visible is more complicated.
Service-based branding emphasizes your organization's identity, professionalism, brand image, and other aspects influencing how customers perceive your company. Product branding, on the other hand, is the act of giving a product an identity—a distinct look, feel, and message that distinguishes it from other items.
With a service-based branding, it can be hard to understand precisely what your customers want. It's not a simple physical product that everyone needs. Instead, it's a personal experience that depends on your understanding of the customer journey along with your client's wants and needs.
Why is a Service Branded?
Why do you need to brand your service? It would be best to make sure that your clients understand what they are buying when they choose you. Their perception of what they can expect from your business should be clear.
In today's world, service providers and brands are more and more important. As companies move from manufacturing products to delivering complete solutions and intangible services, the importance of the service branding process has never been higher. But even though service brand profiles have risen in importance, it's critical to understand that developing a strong brand service requires a different branding process approach than developing a product brand.
Service Branding Strategies, How do you Brand A Service Based Company?
As a service-based company, it can be hard to figure out how to brand yourself when your product is not physical. You're trying to sell something intangible, and that's always tricky. So how do you maximize your branding efforts to brand a service-based company?
Use the Power of Story
Are you a small business owner or an entrepreneur? If so, you're probably having trouble communicating effectively with your stakeholders. It's not uncommon for entrepreneurs to struggle with this—but it's also not a problem that can't be solved through services.
The most effective way to help yourself, your team, and your customers understand what you're trying to say is to use storytelling. When people are inundated with information all day long, they don't have time to listen to anyone who doesn't communicate clearly. But they'll listen if you tell a story. This will help them understand the message you want them to hear and see that you're a strong brand.
Be Proactive and Anticipate Needs
The best way to be proactive with your service business is to use the internet. You can actively market your services and make it easy for people to find you. People are always searching on the internet for local businesses that can help them with their needs.
When you have a project in progress, and your target market is asking about it, think ahead and plan the following phases. You don't want to wait until they come to you but instead, be proactive and meet them in the middle where they need you. Reach out to them and show them how you can help them get actionable answers.
Be Responsive
What's the single biggest problem in any relationship? Poor communication.
And that's why you need to respond to your customers as fast as possible, or within 24 hours—no matter what. It's expected of you, and if you don't live up to it, you'll be in trouble.
Establish expectations for your office hours and response times. Make sure customers know you're open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Let them know if it takes you an average of 23 minutes to react. They won't have to wait three days and be upset by the delay.
The more you communicate well with your customers, the better your relationships and the quality of service brand will be!
Customer Satisfaction is Key
A happy customer is a repeat customer, and repeat customers help you build brand loyal customers. That's why customer satisfaction is so important! It tells you how well the professional services that you offer meet or exceed the expectations that your customers have.
If you're a service provider and take the time to listen to your client's comments and concerns, you'll be rewarded with a growing client base that loves your business.
You can keep tabs on how much your customers appreciate your business performance by sending them short surveys, conducting follow-up calls to assess how satisfied they are with your services, or even offering a referral bonus to encourage them to spread the good word about your company.
Engage with your Audience
Of all the qualities you need how to brand a service-based company, enthusiasm is one of the most important.
Showing enthusiasm is a surefire way to give a good customer experience they won't forget and want to keep coming back to.
By showing enthusiasm and making it visible on social media and in your blog postings, you say that you believe in what your business offers and that you think it can make a difference in people's lives. When you show how excited or passionate you are about your service-based business, people are more likely to be interested because they will see how much it means to you.
Benefits of Service Based Branding
Service-based branding helps you control the narrative surrounding your company.
It allows you to express who you are and what you have to offer potential customers clearly and consistently, which will help them understand why they should choose you over your competitors.
Branding also allows service-based businesses to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
A well-known brand helps customers identify quickly between companies that offer similar services, especially when the businesses are near one another or advertise on similar platforms.
Service-based branding is all about standing out from the crowd and distinguishing yourself from others in your field so that people will see that you're different—and better than the competition.
A branded service also has the advantage of reaching a larger audience than an unbranded one simply because it has been established as a trusted name within its industry and culture. With service-based branding, it's easier than ever before to be unique and draw attention to yourself!
