People misunderstand features and benefits. I don’t mean you don’t know what they are. Everyone knows what a feature and benefits is. Basically, features are those which pertain to attributes of your product while benefits tell what it does for your prospect or customer.
Most gurus in direct marketing will tell you to “Forget about features, focus on benefits.” And that “Features tell and benefits sell.” But those statements are not exactly accurate since there is really a need to be able to mix the two together to succeed in your internet marketing business.
When you are capitalizing only on the benefit, there is really no uniqueness that can be derived from it. For all you know, everybody in the field is probably lobbying customers’ loyalty for the same benefit. The feature is often where we derived the uniqueness. So there is actually a spectrum. You don’t just do benefits. If you want to give your copy verisimilitude of multitude, a richness and believability, you go up the spectrum.
And here are the levels synonymous to a pyramid.
First is the feature. A feature is something the product is or has. That’s the precise definition. Tires companies like Goodyear and Michelin are good examples. A feature of a tire might be in a commercial, “It is steel belted.” Another feature might be, “It is double ply.”
The next level consists of an advantage, which is simply a feature or features that other products lack. So there might be many people who likes steel belted or others double ply. But what if you are the only one with both? This factor of exclusivity really pulls people in to buy from you.
The third level is the benefit. What does the product do? Probably, if you have double ply and steel belt, you may have better breaking power. You may be able to make turns quicker. The car handles better. You are safer in rain or snow. So you put those benefits altogether and form the third level.
Finally, you have to include ultimate benefits, which are better described as the benefit of the benefit. How many people remember the Michelin tire commercial where it opens up and there’s a baby sitting in the middle of the tire? That is the ultimate benefit. “Buy my product and you won’t kill your baby.” And I don’t mean that as a joke. That’s what they are saying. If they came out and said it that way it’s crude ad disgusting, but that’s what they’re saying.
In business-to-business (based from tires example), the real benefit is that it will save gas and get packages there on time. But on a fleet manager working for a guy who owns a company, the real benefit is my boss will be happy. I’ll look good to the boss. And the cliché line is: “You’ll be the hero of your company.” That’s not a good way to say it but that’s the benefit of the benefit.
Joel Chritopher is known worldwide as the
MasterlistBuilder who can help you generate leads and increase you profits. Find out more at http://www.masterlistbuilder.com
