Promotion Mix in Services Marketing

Communication Strategy and Communication Mix in Service Marketing

Communication strategy conveys the firm's positioning strategy to its target markets, including consumers, employees, stockholders, and suppliers, to achieve organizational objectives. Communication strategy development aligns closely with basic marketing principles: identifying target markets, selecting a positioning strategy, and tailoring a communication mix. It involves more than just creating ads; it's about using various tools to reinforce the desired positioning strategy.

Communication Mix: 

The communication mix comprises various tools available to marketers, such as advertising, personal selling, publicity, sales promotions, and sponsorships.

• "Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor." Philip Kotler
• "Personal selling is oral communication with potential buyers of a product with the intention of making a sale." Philip Kotler
• "Publicity is any unpaid form of non-personal presentation of ideas, goods, or services." Philip Kotler
• "Sales promotion includes all those activities other than advertising, personal selling, and publicity that stimulate consumer purchasing and dealer effectiveness, such as displays, shows, exhibitions, demonstrations, and various non-recurrent selling efforts not in the ordinary routine." Philip Kotler
• "Sponsorship is a company's support of an event by providing cash, products, or services in return for the right to associate its name or product with the event." Philip Kotler

Managing the Service Communication Process:

Selecting Target Markets:

• Analyze consumer needs and categorize them into market segments.
• Evaluate segments based on profit potential and compatibility with organizational resources and objectives. 

Establishing Communications Objectives:

• Objectives aim to inform, persuade, and remind customers about the firm's service offerings.
• Objectives align with the service offering's stage in its product life cycle.

Setting the Communications Budget:

• Techniques include top-down, bottom-up, and percentage-of-sales approaches.
• Consider company resources and marketing objectives when setting the budget.

Establishing Message and Media Strategies:

• Create message content that conveys the positioning strategy to customers.
• Choose effective media strategies to deliver messages to target audiences.

Monitoring, Evaluating, and Controlling the Communication Strategy:

• Continuously monitor customer reactions, evaluate effectiveness, and make adjustments as needed.
• Evaluate communication outcomes against previously stated objectives.

Special Challenges Associated with the Service Communications Strategy:

1. Mistargeted Communications: Improve marketing efficiency by targeting specific consumer groups.
2. Managing Expectations and Perceptions: Communication influences customer expectations about service quality.
3. Advertising to Employees: Internal communication should align with service realities to avoid unrealistic expectations.
4. Selling/Operation Conflicts: Balance marketing responsibilities with service delivery to ensure consistency.

Specific Guidelines for Developing Service Communications: 

1. Develop a Word-of-Mouth Communications Network: Encourage satisfied customers to share positive experiences with others.
2. Promise What Is Possible: Avoid overpromising to prevent customer disappointment.
3. Tangibilize the Intangible: Make abstract services more concrete in marketing materials.
4. Feature the Working Relationship between Customer and Provider: Highlight customer-provider interaction to showcase service delivery process.
5. Reduce Consumer Fears about Variations in Performance: Provide evidence of consistent quality to reassure customers.
6. Determine and Focus on Relevant Service Quality Dimensions: Emphasize service quality dimensions important to customers.
7. Make the Service More Easily Understood: Present service as a series of events to aid customer understanding.
8. Turning Current Clients into Company Spokespersons: Utilize satisfied clients as advocates for the company.
9. First Impressions Are Everything: Ensure positive initial interactions with customers to shape perceptions.
10. Create Visual Pathways That Reflect the Firm’s Quality: Maintain consistent visual branding across all communication materials.
11. Establish Regular Communications with Clients: Utilize all communication opportunities to maintain relationships with clients.
12. Develop a Firm Brochure: Create a comprehensive brochure showcasing services and company information.
13. An Informed Office Staff Is Vital: Ensure internal staff are knowledgeable about company services and values.

References:

Grönroos, C. (1990). Service management and marketing (Vol. 27). Lexington, MA: Lexington books.

Palmer, A. (2013). EBOOK: Principles of services marketing. McGraw Hill.

Kotler, P. (2009). Marketing management. Pearson Education India.