Thanks to technologies like the IoT, and enticed by the promise of more revenue and a cozier relationship with customers, traditional manufacturers are now getting in on the service game. It’s a shift that not only blurs the lines between manufacturing and service, but also how companies market those products and services.

Sure, tried-and-true product marketing strategies are still relevant, but service marketing is a different beast entirely, says Michael Blumberg, president of the Blumberg Advisory Group. Below, he explains service marketing’s growing importance — and why it’s so hard to do well.

Is service marketing now more important than product marketing?

It’s not that product marketing is less important, it’s that service marketing is becoming more important. There are several reasons why: First, many companies have made it a strategic priority to build and grow their service businesses. Second, they recognize that services can be sold independently from products and, in some cases, in lieu of products. Third, they recognize that service marketing is different from product marketing and a different approach is need. Fourth, they understand they have to step up their marketing game if they are going to generate more service business.

So products might sell themselves, but that’s not necessarily true with services?

That’s true. You can sell a product by showing the customer the great things it can do because it has cool features, such as the IoT and augmented reality. On the other hand, service is intangible.

[Companies] think that because the customer owns the product, they’ll buy the services, too. That’s often not the case.

There is nothing you can show or demonstrate to the customer before they buy it. Just because a product has certain features, doesn’t necessarily mean that they will buy the service and support that comes with it. This is different sale all together.

How do you convince customers to invest in an unfamiliar service — especially if they don’t immediately know why they need it?

You have to focus on the economic value to the customers of having (or not having) the service available when they need. When you understand that, you can start selling services around that value proposition. Companies that struggle with service marketing can’t explain this benefit to the customer. Instead, they talk about service as an insurance contract. That’s a very general term. It doesn’t tell them anything about how the service will be provided, when it will be provided, or what outcomes it will produce.

What are the biggest differences companies should consider when marketing services, rather than products?

In a product sale, you sell the customers on the form, fit, and function of the product:. You basically sell them reality: what it does, how it works, its dimensions, etc. When selling services, you also have to sell customers on perception: the outcome or defined level of service they can expect. Bear in mind, you also have to sell reality, which is also known as the actual capability to serve, by describing or showing all resources that make it possible to deliver that level of service.

Is it fair to say service marketing is a lot harder — and a lot more work — than product marketing?

It’s a lot harder for a couple of reasons. First, service is an afterthought for many companies. They think that because the customer owns the product, they’ll buy the services, too. That’s often not the case.

Secondly, you can’t market a service like you would a product. Marketers talk about the four principles or Ps of marketing — product, place, promotion and price. But those principles are product-oriented. They don’t work with services marketing. Why? Services are intangible, and it’s hard to market something that’s intangible. To market services, companies need a new mix — the “Seven Principles.”

Are new technologies changing how companies market their services?

Service technologies like IoT, Big Data, and even field service software enable companies to collect and analyze very granular data about service events, product usage, failure rates, etc.

Services are intangible, and it’s hard to market something that’s intangible.

This information enables them to offer very tailored and customized solutions to their customers in terms of service coverage, response time, pricing levels, etc. The technology also helps companies be more precise about who they market to, when they market to them, and what they market.

Any standout companies that are doing this well?

Siemens, GE, and Philips are doing a pretty good job in marketing their service. They’ve made service marketing a priority because they understand services’ strategic value to their bottom line. They have carefully designed their service portfolios and pricing strategies to meet customer needs and requirements. Their service marketing and sales people are adept at articulating the economic value of their services, and they are properly trained and incentivized to sell those services. They are effectively leveraging technology to find new market opportunities and exploit existing ones.