3 Big Challenges of marketing services (or donations)

I love marketing. I first learned about it in an academic setting in community college for tourism management. That program wasn’t the right fit for 18/19-year-old me, but it did teach an important lesson on how marketing for services (or donations) is distinguished from selling products. Even if you don’t want to be in marketing, you can see how they affect your everyday life.

Here we go. Services are:

Intangible - ahead of experiencing the service, they cannot be seen or touched. Apple stores let you fondle their goods. The same can’t be said for engaging a service business. You may be able to get references, which is why Yelp and Trip Advisor are so valuable, but you can’t smell the fresh pine forest or taste the pan-seared scallops prior to purchase.

Perishable - the root of so much stress; if you don’t raise donations by December 31 or sell out tickets to that event if your rooms aren’t full for the night, you won’t ever be able to sell them again. Ever. Products, though not immortal, don’t have this same curse. There isn’t a secondary “usedexperiences.com” for services.  

Variable - not only is your experience of a given event different from mine, but my experience also changes from one day to another. What if that server at your favourite restaurant quits? Or if the lodge isn’t as fun on rainy days. The experience that you’re selling is fragile. Be careful how you manage your expectations and those you’re selling to.

Promise what you deliver - Deliver what you promise. It was another lesson I learned from that marketing class. I didn’t need to learn anything else from college than that to make that time valuable.