Learning Something When Need Requires It

Many of corecubed’s clients provide services that we call “at-need services”. These are services (sometimes products) that the general public does not usually know or think about, consider or retain knowledge about until they have a specific need that arises and that requires a solution. A prime example of this is home health care—a service that individuals often do not pay attention to until someone in their life (a family or friend) becomes frail, has an accident or is hospitalized. A generalization about home care is that:

  1. When the need arises, it is often immediate and must be fulfilled right away.
  2. When the need is immediate, someone is more likely to others for guidance and advice and, most usually, follow their suggestion.
  3. OR they will go to the Internet and seek a solution.

We also know the following about marketing “at need” services:

  1. You cannot market an at need service like you would a service people know—like dry cleaning or shoes or something that is well known and understood.
  2. Instead you must position the service using educational marketing that forms public perception of your brand…this way, when they have a need or know someone who has a need for what you offer, they will think of you.
  3. As for the Internet, using education and helpful resources, communicated regularly and changed and posted regularly, finding that solution becomes easier.

A basis for marketing “at need’ services is teaching that a product or service solves a problem. Tylenol has adopted this strategy in a new print ad, pictured below. “Increasing the font size on your computer screen,” the ad reads “can help prevent eye strain and headaches.” It then shows a simple image of computer keys that one would need to hit in order to increase the font size on a computer, in both PC and MAC.
Brilliant.

Below that, it offers an educational explanation—that staring at a computer screen all day can be strenuous on your eyes and cause painful headaches that make it difficult to concentrate. Tylenol, it says, works with your body to silence headache pain you can’t avoid.

This ad is perfect for the professional who stares at her computer screen all day. The problem is stated and a solution offered. Perfect example of how to effectively market an “at need” service.