Features vs Benefits

Features vs Benefits

A common mistake made by many inexperienced copywriters is to focus too much on a product’s features and not enough on the benefits it provides. While features are important and should be mentioned, if you want consumers to take out their wallets and hand over their hard-earned money you need to convince them of the benefits your product offers.

What’s the difference?

A feature is simply a characteristic of a product.

A benefit explains what the customer has to gain by using the product.

Anyone can make a list of a product’s features. But it takes a bit of work to convert each of those features into benefits.

A handy trick you can use is to add the phrase "which means…" to the end of each feature.

A feature of a razor blade for women could be that it has 3 blades. That in itself is unlikely to win many sales because it means nothing to most people. But add the phrase "which means you’ll have smooth and sexy legs" and women will know exactly what they will gain when they buy it.

Let’s look at a few more examples of benefits vs features:

A Car

Feature – All wheel drive.

Benefit – You are less likely to get stuck in the snow.

Feature – Gets more miles per gallon than competitors.

Benefit – You’ll save money on gas.

Feature – Side-impact airbags.

Benefit – Your family will be safe in an accident.

A DVD Recorder

Feature – Time shift recording lets you pause live TV.

Benefit – You will never miss a second of your favorite show.

A Pair of Boots

Feature – Waterproof.

Benefit – Your feet stay warm and dry.

Not long ago I was stopped at a red light, and as I looked at the van in front of me I saw the perfect example of focusing on benefits over features. The van belonged to a small handyman business that does small jobs in several neighboring towns.

On the back of the van was a simple drawing of a man carrying a small child on his shoulders. Underneath it read, "We’ll take care of the little problems, so you have time for more important things."

As a parent who struggles to find every minute I can with my family, that simple bit of copy struck a nerve.

Rather than listing the various types of projects they specialize in (which I would never bother reading), they tapped into a common problem (finding time for the family) and offered a solution.

Sure, I could power wash my house, clean my yard, and paint my garage myself. But if I hire these guys to do it I can spend more time with my kids.

Brilliant!

Remember, always focus on benefits. Show customers how your product solves their problems or makes their lives better and they’ll line up to buy from you.

Tags: website optimization, internet marketing tips, niche marketing, article marketing, affiliate marketing

The Call To Action

You’ve written a killer headline that stops people dead in their tracks and forces them to read your sales page as if they had a gun to their head.

You’ve got them completely mesmerized by your hypnotic and persuasive sales copy.

You’ve broken down each of their objections one by one.

You’ve used nearly every copywriting trick and gambit known to man.

But without a strong call to action, all of your hard work could be for nothing.

What exactly is a call to action?

Put simply, its telling people what you want them to do. It seems so obvious, but many sales pages miss this all-important step. And sales suffer mightily as a result.

If you want to make a sale, then you have to ask for it.
And the clearer you make it the better. Never assume that a reader will know what you want them to do. Lay it out for them in plain, simple terms.

"Order now."

"Click to order today."

"Mail back your free sample certificate today."

One of my favorite calls to action comes from a late-night infomercial:

"Call 1-800-xxx-xxxx now, and have your credit card handy."

That call to action makes it easy for viewers to comply because it takes away all guesswork and tells them exactly what to do.

Adding Urgency to Your Call to Action

There’s another aspect to the call of action that you should not forget. You don’t just want people to take action. You want them to do it NOW.

Let’s face it. People are busy. At any given time they probably have 15 things on their mind. Even if your copy convinces them that they can’t live without your product, they may forget all about it if they don’t take action right then and there.

How many sales letters or flyers have you put aside for "later" but never got around to doing anything with?

To keep that from happening to your sales material, you need to create a sense of urgency. Let people know that if they don’t take action immediately they’ll miss out on a bonus. Mention that the price is scheduled to increase soon. Or that you have only a few copies left.

Make it clear to them that if they don’t buy it right this minute, they’ll regret it.

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Tags: niche marketing, website optimization, internet marketing, gregg hall, article marketing

Copywriting Techniques – The Swipe File

A swipe file is a collection of ads, headlines, sales letters, and other marketing materials. Every successful copywriter has a swipe file that they use for inspiration when they’re hit with a case of writer’s block. If you’re an aspiring copywriter yourself, you should start building your own swipe file too.

You can then use it as a study guide to learn more about the craft and as inspiration when you’re stuck. But let me make it clear that you should NEVER just copy someone else’s work. You can borrow ideas and learn from the structure and voices used by other copywriters. But copying an ad word for word is just stealing.

What should I include in my swipe file?

Start with your mail. Look at the sales letters, flyers, and postcards you receive every day. When something catches your interest and makes you reach for your wallet or your checkbook, put it aside. The same goes for advertisements from newspapers and magazines.

But how do you know if an ad is good at selling? A good rule of thumb is that if you see an ad repeated again and again, it’s probably a good seller. All ads are tested to determine which ones sell and which do not. They’re constantly tweaked and adjusted, and unprofitable ads are eliminated. So if you find an ad that has been running for some time,
it’s a good bet that it has already been tested and proven to be a winner.

How you store your swipe file is up to you. I like to laminate the ads and place them in a binder where they are safe and easy to pull out when needed.

Don’t forget about ads and sales letters you read online. There are many excellent examples of copywriting available only online.

You can keep these organized and easy to find by saving them to a social bookmarking site such as del.icio.us.

Simply go to http://del.icio.us and create a free account. You can then save web pages to your favorites, and access them from anywhere.

It’s a good idea to print these out and add them to your binder as well. If not you’ll lose them all if the website ever goes down.

Tags: article marketing, internet marketing, website optimization, internet marketing tips, niche marketing