Copywriting And Direct Response Marketing For Beginners Turn Features Into Benefits

By Author: Timothy Gonzalez
Total Articles: 40
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There is an old saying in sales:
"Features Tell. Benefits Sell!"
The reason they say that is because features are what the product 'is' while benefits are what the buyers want - and if your product or service delivers those benefits they will buy your product assuming those benefits are of significant enough value to exceed the price tag.
Simple enough, eh? But you'll see that when you look at most ads with the eye of a copywriter (or good sales person) you'll see that many ads and even many sales pitches are actually all about features.
Now, we've already agreed that features tell and benefits sell. What does this mean for the current crop of advertising? It means that it is not as effective at getting people to buy as it could be.
How do we get more people to buy from the same ad or promotion?
Simple, really turn those features into benefits.
That easiest way I know of to do that is ask one simple question over and over again.
"Why is that important?" And ask that of the answer until you get to an answer like 'because that is good.'
Looking around my office desk let's take ...
... a simple pencil,
Feature: The pencil is 16cm long.
"Why is that important?"
It can sharpened many times before you can't write with it anymore.
"Why is that important?"
It lasts a long time - possibly years before you need another pencil
"Why is that important?"
For just $1.69 per dozen you get a life time supply of writing that will be ready to use, never have to worry about the ink drying up like you would with a pen, at considerably less cost.
How much more compelling is that than "the pencil is 16 cm long?"
This is the power of using benefits to sell. The sin far too many copywriters and salespeople fall into is using the feature in the sales pitch and leaving it up to the audience to figure out what the benefit is for themselves. (It is a good reason to know how to spot good sales copy and good copywriters for yourself).
A Criminal Offence.
People want to buy what you are selling but they need to be spoken to in their own language. Shouting features at them is not speaking their language. They want the benefits those features offer. (If they don't want the benefits from the features the product has, then the product needs work and no amount of gifted selling will help it.)

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