How to market your organization if you have a service and not a product?

This country has made a dramatic shift since the end of the Second World War. We have been moving more and more from a country that builds things to a country that relies on intellectual ability and the marketing of services. Politicians and editors spend a great deal of ink deciding whether or not this is a good thing but for marketing and public relations people, it is something we need to deal with.

First of all, speaking from a purely public relations standpoint, being a service organization is a very unique and promising platform which will allow you to establish yourself in the market place based on your own terms. As an organization founded and reliant on your intellectual abilities, you have a great opportunity to meet a huge need of many media organizations and event organizers. Due to the well known seismic shifts we have seen in the marketplace during the past ten years, there are huge editorial holes to fill and, as a result, media organizations are eager to meet intelligent and thoughtful industry leaders who can not only provide insightful commentary, but can also provide them with a much needed article for their publication.

Also worthy of mention is the proliferation of speaking opportunities. This is a two-fold advantage for service organizations as they can reach out both to potential customers and intellectual contemporaries. As many of us know, media organizations, desperate for new revenue streams have opened up a wide variety of events designed to bring together industry professionals. These events can offer the potential for tremendous brand exposure when used properly.

The first rule is to select an event where you can connect with the most customers. While this may seem obvious, keep in mind that this may be a new event or one without the pedigree of some events, the goal is to maximize brand exposure amongst key decision makers. As a result you need to pick an event that will allow you to reach your target audience. Be willing to participate as a panel member or panel head but in any case be willing to start as someone further down the food chain. Once you have demonstrated both leadership and insight you will find that further opportunities will come your way.

Finally, one way service organizations can stand out is by winning awards. When you start winning awards, your organization will begin to see a much stronger upswing of recognition and openness to your ideas. You will be seen as an expert on your subject area and the end result of that is that you should be able to sell more of your services since you are now the expert.

Remember that when you are a service based organization, you are selling your expertise. Anything that demonstrates how smart you are, your leadership and most importantly, how you are offering new and distinct ideas will result in an upswing in your business. Smart sells!