When a designer faces new customers or wants to face old customers with new services, there needs to be a certain agenda behind such activities. Providing existing services or introducing new ones without including people who are already buying them or are yet to use them is counterproductive. People within the service industry need to be aware that they’re not alone in creating and providing services. Their target audiences and potential customers are on the other side of the counter, so it’s vital for every service professional to bear that in mind. The following strategies will add to this awareness and improve cooperation between those that design services and users.
Put yourself in customers’ shoes
Every service comes from a recognized need, which can be identified either by business owners or customers. In an ideal case scenario, designers will notice a gap in the market or realize that existing services don’t meet customers’ demands. After locating this issue, it’s necessary to create the right strategy to come up with a service or set of services that will resolve this problem and satisfy customers’ needs. So, on the one hand, this service should be useful.
But on the other hand, design services should provoke a certain emotion. This is where brand marketing is important. When a designer or group of designers are working on a project, they should put themselves in customers’ shoes and try to understand whether the service in question and its marketing appeal stir any emotions. If not, they should keep changing its iterations until they’ve found the version that has an emotional effect.
Focus on a global audience
Contemporary designers work in a globalized world. This means that their services should appropriately address different target audiences around the world. The more global approach a designer has in his/her work, the larger the potential lead generation will be. In other words, when you’re polishing your design services and its promotion, try to keep your tone as neutral as possible. This doesn’t only mean taking into account the different cultural and social backgrounds of potential audiences, but pricing, as well. Of course, targeting only high-class audience for your design services is not forbidden, but it may take a lot of time until a new design brand to reach them.
Going by what the experts behind IED Barcelona’s master’s degree in service design teach us, professionals in this field should nurture sensitivity and critical thinking when creating solutions for their audiences. Keeping an eye on global trends and addressing a global audience is one of the ways to follow suit in that sense.
Ensure the reliability of services
Giving customers exactly what they need means providing reliable and persistent services. Design brands and individual designers that fail to ensure continuous quality services will fall behind and, eventually, lose their audience. At the same moment when you notice the aforementioned gap on the market, start brainstorming all the elements that would make your approach to that service different. Gather your designers, marketing experts, and financial advisors. Go through the potential solutions and check out which of them are feasible and how much they might cost you. Bear in mind that outstanding services are not only those that offer added value to customers, but also provide optimal cost reduction for the business offering them.
Sometimes designers and other business people fall into the trap of promising too much and failing to deliver it. Since brand reputation is vital for the business future, it’s crucial to promise only what you can fulfill. To cut a long story short, the trust of experts you summon to discuss the placement of the service in question needs to ensure that people trust it and that it fills the gap on the market.
Identify service obstacles and enhancers
As you’re considering the best ways to market and launch your design services, measure the potential obstacles and enhancers of that service. When it comes to obstacles, make sure to search for potential issues in providing and placing your planned services. For instance, if you’re preparing a design service for a single client, do your homework and research client history as much as possible. On the other hand, for design services meant for a larger audience, highlight the existing problem on the market and special benefits that this service is going to bring them.
Customers need to be treated as partners, so the people who come up with certain services should foster that relationship and build trust between them and their clients. That’s why it’s crucial to know what they expect and how they feel to ensure that the services you provide reach a wide and loyal audience.