Focus on the Benefits, not the Features
Over the past few months, I have met with several clients who ask me to review their copy and make improvements. Invariably, their marketing piece describes the features of their products or services and talks about the company, their history, etc. While informative, the copy focuses on the wrong target; the company. Instead of the we-us-our-company viewpoint, the attitude should be on customer (you & your, which of course, is the client/customer’s focus).
The customer does want to know about the company, its products & services, differentiation from the competition, etc. All of this is important. It’s how this information is presented and relates to them and their desires that separates the motivating, call-to-action copy from the so-so variety that isn’t getting results. To be effective in your marketing, you have to present your products and services as beneficial to your target customer in a clear, understandable manner. While all the features, bells & whistles may seem wonderful to you, the customer is only thinking WIIFM (what’s in it for me?). That’s it, plain and simple.
The first step is drilling down to the core need and/or want of the customer. Why does he really want that covertible? He might like the color red or the feel of the wind through his hair on the highway, but maybe it’s the cool, sexy image he’s after? (Ego is a big consumer motivator). The next step is applying how your products or services fulfill that core desire. While features may be interesting (and stroke your ego as the business owner or marketing manager), answering those core emotional needs and wants of your target audience with benefits from your product or service in your marketing copy can bring surprising results. Make sure you’re including benefits along with all those features. If you’re not sure how to do this, drop me an email or call and let’s talk about how to juice up your copy.