Service With a Smile Not sure how to market your service business? Focus on these 5 tips for bringing in new customers, and you'll be glad you did.

With so much attention being paid to marketing new products, entrepreneurs building service businesses may feel overlooked. The truth is, marketing a service can be tricky. For some companies, success depends on creating a bundled offering that includes the features customers or clients want most. For others, it's all about differentiating based on customer satisfaction, with heavy emphasis on testimonials and ongoing customer input.

If you're searching for the best ways to win customers and build sales for your service business, here are five important tips you can't afford to overlook.

1. Find a way to differentiate. If you were to take an analytical look at your competitors' ads and brochures, you'd find one glaringly obvious similarity--most are satisfied with "me too" marketing themes. Consequently, few ever stand out from the pack. Careful differentiation is essential to successfully growing a service business. What sets your company apart from all the rest? Perhaps it's the group of services you offer or the way you excel at customer satisfaction. For best results, identify the unique benefits you provide, and make them the central focus of your marketing message.