Designing the Right Digital Strategy for Service Businesses

When you go to Amazon or any other online store selling physical goods, the results of your very deliberate search are almost tangible: you can already feel that new Kindle in your hands, or unwrapping that cool tent on your next camping trip.

There are various images to help you envision these scenarios as well as detailed descriptions to follow and give you that final nudge.

What happens when you’re shopping for something more abstract, such as plumbing services, or someone to walk your dog? It becomes slightly more challenging to depict a service in the same appealing, almost tangible manner the way product businesses can do. However, it’s definitely not impossible. In fact, with a few of the following strategies up your sleeve, you can tweak your digital look and feel to make your service business more attractive to prospective customers.

Keep your content fresh and informative

Although many businesses claim to focus on content creation solely to gain better SEO results and more traction in search engines, content also plays a vital role in building brand awareness and loyalty. Creating authentic content with a purpose means that you have the ability to engage your readers, but also to give them useful information, tips, advice, guidance, how-to videos, and the like. Providing value without asking for anything in return is one of the best ways to build more authority around your service.

Use your content pieces to create your own, memorable voice. That way, your readers will gladly head to your website for more information on other related issues, and rest assured they’ll remember you when they need your services. If you, as a teacher, present a successful case study of preparing a young student for a prestigious college, parents will remember (some may even bookmark) your website when their kids are in need of study help.

Transparency and authenticity

Too many service-focused businesses waste their time selling their price ranges and ensuring their target audience that they are competitive. What you should be selling are your values, that “edge” that makes you different, not cheaper or more affordable, compared to others in your niche. This is particularly vital for fast-growing markets such as Australia, where competition is fierce, and price is not the issue.

To accomplish that, you will need to use your entire digital strategy to present your values through wording and images that set you apart and bring your services closer to your customers. A great example is how professional coach hire in Sydney can clearly outline their available vehicles as well as their features, examples of how they can be used, and testimonials from previous clients. This helps establish trust through a transparent service, and makes it easier for clients to make the right choice.

Use social networks to your advantage

Instagram is not reserved for influencers alone. In fact, if your business is based on a service, you will benefit greatly from utilizing social networks to bring your brand closer to your audience. In fact, you might even want to work with some of those influencers provided that they are in line with your brand’s values, to provide an example of a successful cooperation.

If you are in the fitness industry and you have built a network of reliable fitness experts under your wing, what better way to show off their success than on social media through those before and after comparisons and personal journey stories? Some of the finest US fitness trainers have utilized social media precisely for this purpose – to educate, attract more clients, and build a reputation of excellence.

Analyze and apply

No matter how much you already know your audience and your competition, times keep bringing new trends and fluctuations that can help your business thrive or slowly make you obsolete. To stay relevant in this day and age, to stay on the cutting-edge side of things, you need to utilize various research tools to your advantage and keep adjusting your digital strategy based on the results and the data you collect. From Google Analytics, all the way to various marketing automation tools that help you simplify the entire process, it’s not enough to simply go through the motions – you also need to implement the data.

If you, for example, conduct a survey asking your customers directly as to some of the features your service might be lacking, they will only appreciate the effort of asking if you proceed to implement their suggestions, at least to the best of your abilities in the given moment.

Ensure the right visual appeal

While you may not be able to provide visuals of your service in the same way your product-based counterparts might be, the visual aspect is still essential in portraying your business properly. The previously mentioned success stories in fitness might lead to more questions, such as “how on Earth do they achieve those results at all?” – this is where you can use images to present the meals in your meal plan for weight loss, photos of people using your high-quality gear, and instructional videos for DIY workouts at home.

Some service businesses such as banking or legal representation might not be open to such versatile options, but showcasing your certifications, images from relevant events, and the like can help establish a stronger bond with your target audience – it will always require a level of creativity.

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and do your best to represent your business in the most “tangible” way possible. Pair these tips with creativity and your own brand uniqueness, and you’ll soon find yourself surrounded by better-educated customers and a reputation of authority to uphold.