How to Focus on Benefits Over Features
Craft copy that connects, problem-solves, and persuades.
All companies are in the problem-solving business. If your product solves a customer’s problem and the price is competitive, chances are they will buy from you.
This is why it is crucial for your copy to focus on the benefits your product or service provides rather than its features or capabilities.
Benefits are the ways your product solves your customers’ problems. Both features and benefits play a role in marketing, but the benefits are the decisive factor.
Let’s take the example of a small energy products company. Their principal product is a Styrofoam attic cover that solves a common problem: it prevents cold drafts in the winter, and hot air from seeping in during the summer.
Here are a few tips for focusing on benefits over features:
Start with a benefit. When writing a headline or opening paragraph, start with a benefit that is relevant to your target audience. “Stay cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, and save $ hundreds $ while you do it.”
Use action verbs. Action verbs help your readers visualize solving their problem by using your product. For example, instead of saying "Our product is easy to install," say "Install our attic cover in less than an hour, even if you can’t even screw in a lightbulb.”
Quantify the benefits. Whenever possible, put a number on the benefits to make it easier for potential customers to compare options and realize the overall value of what you offer. Instead of saying "Our product can save you money," say "Our attic cover saves homeowners an average of $300 per year."
Use testimonials. Customer testimonials build trust and credibility. For example, “Scott from Nashville, TN, saved $300 in 2022.”
Tell stories. Stories are always a powerful way to connect with customers, and highlighting a product’s benefits in story format can bring the product’s value to life. Tell the story of an older lady in a drafty house who is always cold in the winter. Her son installs the attic cover on a chilly Saturday morning, and by dinner time, her house is warm and cozy.
In summary, follow these simple steps: understand your customers’ problems; focus on your product’s benefits and how it can improve their lives; and craft a message that creates a connection and inspires action.
Excellent advice!