The Hidden Marketing Power of Your Core Offering
You may not realize it, but your product is part of your marketing plan. By understanding how your product plays a role in marketing, you will unlock a whole new tool set to connect with consumers and meet their needs.
Most small business owners think of their product simply as the core good or service that they offer. However, product is more than just that; it’s the entire experience that your customer receives. This includes so much more than just what the consumer holds in their hand, and we’ll dive into that in this post.
This post is part of our 4 part series on Marketing Mix (the 4 P’s of Marketing). You can read the prior post on “Placement” here.
What does “Product” really mean?
If we take a very basic and fundamental look, a product is simply what your business offers to meet a customer’s need. However, there is more at play than simply delivering something to a customer that meets their needs.
Think of your product as having three distinct layers:
1. The Core Product: The Consumer’s Fundamental Need
This part of your product is the benefit it provides that your customer is actually seeking. For example, a consumer buying a TV is fundamentally seeking entertainment. Another example, a consumer buying coffee is seeking a caffeine source (and perhaps fulfillment of a morning wakeup experience).
Your marketing messaging should always be centered around this benefit provided. Consumers are first guided to messaging that fulfills their needs, not specifications of the product that allow it to meet those needs. For two competitors with identical products, the one that can better talk to the benefit that the product describes will be more successful.
2. The Actual Product: The Tangible Part
This layer is what actually makes up your product physically (or descriptively if you offer a pure service). This includes more than just the core product; aspects such as packaging and labeling are considered here. There are a few aspects you can focus on in your marketing messaging related to your physical product:
- Quality – consider use of premium materials, ingredient freshness, narrow tolerances, or service reliability.
- Branding and Design – consider your logo, the product’s packaging and label design, the service vehicle’s look and condition, or the way you are dressed when delivering your service.
- Features – consider different options, sizes, flavors, or functionalities that differentiate your product from other competitors.
This part of your product is often used more in trust building content. It is best to make these details available to consumers in easy to access places, but they should not often be directly pushed to consumers as promotional content. Consumers that need to build trust before purchasing will often seek out details about the physical product to form their final opinion before making a purchase decision.
3. The Product Experience: The Big Picture
The third layer is where your business can truly differentiate from competitors, especially larger ones. This layer includes many non-physical extras that lead to loyal customers and ambassador creation.
Small businesses can determine ways to enhance the experience of their product in order to maximize the marketing benefit received from the experience. There are several examples below, but a small business owner should look through the lifecycle of the product (including shopping for the product and use of the product) to look for opportunities where extra benefits can be added in.
| Element | Example | Marketing Impact |
| Packaging | A handwritten “thank you” in the product box | Creates a personal and memorable moment |
| Warranty | A 60 day “no questions” satisfaction guarantee | Reduces customer risk and builds trust |
| Customer Service | A dedicated phone number or email address with fast response time | Keeps customers loyal to the brand |
| Installation | Free white glove delivery and installation | Offers convenience and reliability to build trust |
| Added Value | A free “care guide” with purchase of the product | Positions your business as a source of expertise |
Often these additions to the high level product experience don’t have high costs, but can add significant marketing value by increasing customer loyalty and advocacy. These extras can also often help a business charge prices at the higher end of a product’s market price range.
Goods vs Services
Products can take the form of a good, service, or a mix of both [1]. It’s important for a business to know how their offering is classified, as well as how they could improve their product by offering a hybrid of a good and service.
A good is something purely tangible that is directly transferred from your business to the consumer. Some examples would include a bottle of water, a chair, batteries, or a handbag. When a business sells a pure good, they offer the physical product and nothing else in exchange for payment.
A service on the other hand is something purely intangible, something that is experienced and perishable (it is used up when created). Some examples would be a concert, a massage, or therapy. When a business sells a pure service, they offer a temporary experience and nothing else in exchange for payment.
Between pure goods and pure services, there is a spectrum of good/service hybrids that vary on how much of a “good” and how much of a “service” they are. For businesses that offer products that are close to the edge of “pure good” and “pure service”, they can change their offering to better balance the two which may offer an improvement in value for the consumer and the business.
For example, a lawncare business may offer a specific fertilizer blend to its mowing customers, mixing product and service to enhance the value the consumer receives. Another example, a store selling golf supplies may offer a few swings in a golf simulator for any in-store purchases made over a certain value. These examples blend product and service to offer a greater value for the consumer.
Hybrid products allow your business to better differentiate their products against consumers, while also demonstrating better value for consumers. This may also open up new sources of revenue for your business.
Using your Product in your Marketing
Your product is part of your marketing plan. Using it as such will increase the value your business gets from your marketing.
Now that you recognize the ways your product impacts your marketing, you can lean into it. Always keep your customer and the needs they have in mind, but also consider the products your competitors are offering.
With both of those in mind, consider advertising and promoting how your product is differentiated from competitors via a special experience, extra benefits, or perhaps just a more appealing visual design.
You can also consider modifying your product based on what your competitors, large or local, currently offer. Shifting your product offering to be more of a hybrid can help add more values to your customers. Consider looking for low-cost ways to augment your current product offering, such as free stickers, hand-written notes, or an added experience at the time of purchase.
Looking for ways to enhance your product offering? Businesses looking for Marketing in Central Indiana should look no further! Book a free consult today with Arwing Creative to brainstorm the best possible product for your business.
References
[1] https://www.uschamber.com/co/grow/sales/differences-in-selling-products-and-services