Boring. There are lots of features listed, no benefits. Why should I take this?
"Now it's time to tell [your prospect] how they will personally benefit from your product or service. Don't make the common mistake of telling all about the features of your product without talking about the benefits. As I already stated, [prospects] are interested, not so much in you, or even your product or service, but what it will do for them."
Excerpted and adapted from 12-Step Foolproof Sales Letter Template by David Frey
You want to uncover the benefits -- what is really in it for your prospect? -- of what you are providing. People have common motivations that are emotionally based. They also thus motivated by and sold to on emotions. Logic is used to justify their purchase. Speak to your prospect's emotions by espousing the benefits (the deep, ultimate motivation) they will get from your solution.
Think about your own behavior. When did you last buy something because that thing had something rather than because that thing did something for you?
The Benefits of Stating Benefits
Alan Zorfas of Motista published data in The Economics of Emotion which shows that emotionally connected consumers were roughly 3.5X more likely to shop a particular retailer first than those who reported to be satisfied. They were also more likely to pay more, purchase recently, and follow those retailers. Speaking to emotions allows your prospect to connect and become a much stronger customer.
Emotionally-connected consumers shop particular retailers first.
Kelton Reid of Copyblogger writes, in an article discussing how to write benefits, that "neurological studies show that messages focused on rewards (read: benefits) can trigger activity in the brain that mimic the results of experiencing the actual reward." Our brains trick us into experiencing the reward -- this gears us up for action. Hitting the emotional triggers of your prospect will get them feeling the rewards and ready to move.
Methods For Injecting Emotion Into Your Website
Emotions are not just spoken to through your copy. Your site design also has a huge impact on the effectiveness of your emotional selling. Peep Laja gives a number of examples for how you can inject emotion into your site:
- Copywriting: Ask yourself – does the buyer feel smarter, sexier, cooler, richer or more powerful, simply by reading?
- Typography: In most marketing, media is the only “body language” we have, so to speak is through using fonts to reinforce the “vibe” you’re trying to evoke.
- Color: Supports the tone of what you’re trying to create. Its impact is influenced by personal preferences, culture, and the context of how the color is used.
- Motion and Sound: Movies, television, and advertisements have been using motion and sound to create emotions in viewers for over 125 years.
- Composition: How you compose things – whether static or in motion – can communicate a lot about the emotional impact you’re trying to make.
He closes the article by reminding us that our sites are our stores. "One of the most significant features of the total product (Philip Kotler, 1974)is the place where it is being consumed. In some cases, the place,more specifically the atmosphere of the place, is more influential than the product itself in the purchase decision.” With that in mind, "how are you going to design the best buying atmosphere for your customers?"
Benefits v. Features
A quick note of clarification. Nearly every piece of literature you find on copywriting will tell you to emphasize benefits over features. You need to discuss both, but benefits will sell them while features will allow you to back up your claims. Below is an example of features v. benefits on battery pack packaging from Oli Gardner of Unbounce:
Example of a Feature Statement
Feature: 2000 mAh capacity
"But wait, what’s that in the bottom left corner?
It’s a feature! Awesome. This battery pack has a “capacity of 2000mAh”.
That’s exactly the information I needed in order to make a buying decision.
Really? No.
I couldn’t [care less] about that number. I don’t even understand what it means.
I want to know how this device is going to benefit me."
Example of a Benefit Statement
Benefit: Up to 120% extra battery
"Bingo.That’s the one I’d buy. It speaks to my needs, it communicates quickly and easily, and it’s benefits-driven.
If you look closely, you’ll notice it’s actually the same company, with two different versions (iPhone 4 vs. iPhone 5) – so either they learned their lesson for the new version and like leaving old designs in stores, or their marketing departments don’t talk to one another."
Who cares about facts? I know I do not, unless I already know what fact means to me, and your prospects probably do not either. Tell your prospects how their life will be made better. Motivate them to move.
A Quick Review Of Common Motivations
Speaking of motivations, let's recap the "ultimate motivations" that Frey lists:
- To be wealthy
- To be good looking
- To be healthy
- To be popular
- To have security
- To achieve inner peace
- To have free time
- To have fun
You will want to determine which of these your solutions addresses and how. Then hammer that home.
Translating Features To Benefits
Brian Clark of Copyblogger provides a simple method for translating features to benefits:
- First, make a list of every feature of your product or service. Example: “Contains an artificial intelligence algorithm.”
- Second, ask yourself why each feature is included in the first place. “Adds greater utility by adapting and customizing the user’s information experience.”
- Third, take the “why” and ask “how” does this connect with the prospect’s desires? “Keeps the data you need the most at the forefront when you’re in a hurry.”
- Fourth, get to the absolute root of what’s in it for the prospect at an emotional level. “Stay up to date on the things that add value to your life and career, without getting stressed out from information overload.”
Brian also cautions that even though business customers need to know what is in it for them, they may be more easily annoyed by being overly emotional. They have business needs and do not want to deal with too much fluff. Once again, know your audience and speak to their motivations.
< Present Your Credentials
Step 4
Show The Benefits
Step 5
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