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So, what does your business do?
That's the question every potential client wants to know when they consider hiring you. They need to see if you can meet their needs and whether they'll have a good experience with you.
Service descriptions do precisely that. Keep reading to learn how to write a service description well — and why a good description of services helps you grow your business.
What Is a Service Description?
Service descriptions are blurbs of text that describe what you do for customers or clients. They explain what the professional service entails and why people need it. Think of it like describing a product but for something intangible.
Like a product description, a service description is essentially a sales tool. You describe your product or service in terms of what it can do for your target customers and why they should choose you.
Your goal is to be the solution to the person's problems. You want them to sit up and think, "Yes, this is exactly what I need!" The stronger that reaction, the more likely they will choose your business.
Service Description Uses
You can add a product or service description to your marketing and sales materials. You want it on your website for anyone browsing the internet for a business like yours.
You can also add your description to Google My Business and online service-finder websites such as Angi or Thumbtack — which are excellent sources of service description examples. Service descriptions even make good starting points for your Facebook or Instagram profile.
Why Is a Good Service Description Important for Businesses?
A service description introduces your business to a potential customer. According to recent research, 76% of consumers search for a business's website before visiting its physical location. Your service descriptions will answer their questions when they look for more details about your work.
Your service description offers those details in words you've chosen. You get to tell a reader about your approach and how you work. If you do it well, they feel more confident choosing your business.
Best Practices for Writing Service Descriptions
You'll use your service description a lot, so it's worth doing right. These key elements will help you describe your product or service, whatever industry you're in.
1. Know Your Target Customers
A description of products or services is successful when it leads to a sale. It's essential to optimize for search engines because doing so will increase your exposure, but remember: Exposure is only helpful if it creates customers.
First and foremost, your service descriptions should speak to your audience's needs and pain points. To make that happen, you must understand those pain points and determine your customers' needs.
The best way to understand your target audience is to analyze your current customers. Review customer data for characteristics your customers have in common. For example, they might have a similar age range, family status, or income level.
Next, think about your service and why it matters to people. Find where your audience's needs match what you offer, and you have the focus for your service descriptions.
2. Explain How Your Service Can Solve Problems
It can be tempting to describe a service from your perspective — "We develop customized marketing plans by visiting customer premises," for example.
That's valuable information, but your potential client wants to see the experience through their eyes. Use your service description to show them how your service will help them with whatever problem they face. Everyone reading your service description will have at least one — it's why they're there.
Consider your current customer base and why they choose you. Think about how to highlight the benefits they experience, describing them through the customer's eyes.
For example, the marketing example above might turn into "Receive a marketing plan that works for you, your audiences, and your budget." This message helps the reader picture great results.
3. Use Clear, Concise Language
Straightforward language is another way of showing your focus on the customer. You make the description easy to understand because your underlying message is "I get it; I'm here to help, don't worry. " You tell the customer what they need to know and move on.
Here are some tips for a concise service description:
- Use active voice — "We solve problems," not "Your problems will be solved by us."
- Aim for a simpler sentence structure.
- Cut out "fluff" — filler content that adds bulk but doesn't communicate anything new.
- Replace industry jargon with everyday terminology.
- Remove any words that don't add value.
When in doubt, ask yourself whether you can make the same point with fewer words.
Also, avoid the temptation to impress the reader with advanced vocabulary. According to the Public Relations Society of America, the average person in the U.S. reads at an eighth-grade level, and most people prefer content below their level. Aim for sixth to seventh grade. Even an educated audience will be grateful.
4. Showcase Uniqueness
Many potential customers visit your website to comparison-shop. Increase your chances of landing a customer by highlighting what sets you apart from other service businesses.
To do this, you need to know your competitors. If you haven't already, list your top five competitors and their unique value propositions (UVPs). A UVP is the core benefit that a business offers, but its competitors don't.
Setting yourself apart is easier when you understand your competitors' UVPs. Either offer something you know your competitors don't or subtly one-up them — with a 60-day guarantee instead of 30 days, for example.
5. Use Persuasive Techniques
Service descriptions are a type of copywriting — sales writing that convinces the reader to take a desired action, such as buying a product or making an appointment for a service.
Copywriters are professionals in the art of persuasion. They close sales by applying a variety of persuasive techniques, such as:
- Playing to the reader's emotions rather than pure facts and logic
- Mentioning research and statistics
- Focusing on benefits — the user experience — instead of features
- Promising relief from fear, pain, or risk
- Using power words to energize and motivate the reader
- Creating a sense of urgency so the reader feels the need to buy now
Copywriters practice for years to master these techniques. To access persuasive service descriptions and top-notch content, consider partnering with a content-as-a-service provider.
6. Provide Social Proof
You can have the most persuasive argument in copywriting, but another consumer's experience will still make it more convincing. People are more likely to buy from a company when they know others like them have had a good experience with company services — hence the popularity of online reviews.
BrightLocal's most recent survey shows that 98% of consumers in the United States read online reviews before choosing a local business. About three-quarters — 76% — do so "regularly," and 46% trust those reviews as much as friends' and family members' recommendations.
A glowing review can spice up your service description, especially as a snappy closing line. Awards, certifications, and star ratings also do the job.
7. Incorporate Visually Appealing Images and Videos
Don't make your service description do the entire job of selling your business. An image or video on the same page will engage the reader and help them feel a stronger connection with your business. The image speaks to the emotion processing center of the reader's brain, helping them connect immediately to what you're saying.
Research has also shown that visuals help people learn better and retain information more reliably. A brief introductory video or helpful infographic can make your message memorable while others fade into the background.
Partner With Professional Writers for Stellar Service Descriptions
Like other types of copywriting and content writing, a service product description is an entry point to your business. You need it to show you in your best positive light — and that's worth the professional touch.
Compose.ly's product and service description writers can write a description that converts and showcases your business's personality. Learn more today and get ready to put your best foot forward.
