So What's In It For ME? - Marketing Article

Search:

Friday, 25 July 2008

Home / Business / Marketing

So What's In It For ME?

By:Gihan Perera

Make sure that the words you use on your Web site are

benefit-oriented rather than feature-oriented. Instead

of telling your potential customers what your product

can do (features), tell them what it can do for them

(benefits). In other words, describe the product in terms

of the result it offers rather than the product itself.

Here's a simple way of writing benefits, which I've used

very effectively for myself and for clients.

Whenever you write a benefit, you can test whether it's a

real benefit by imagining your reader asking the question,

"So what?" If it's a feature or a weak benefit,

answering that question can give you a stronger benefit.

Here's an example ... Suppose you're selling a digital

camera that has a resolution of 24 megapixels.

That's obviously a feature, not a benefit, but you'd

be surprised how many camera Web sites advertise their

products that way.

Imagine a conversation between you and a customer who has

only ever used non-digital cameras in the past:

YOU: This camera has a resolution of 24 megapixels.

CUSTOMER: So what?

YOU: Well, that's the highest resolution of any digital

camera available today.

CUSTOMER: Yeah, but so what?

YOU: It means your pictures have very little

loss of quality.

CUSTOMER: But what does that mean?

YOU: Your photos will be as bright and clear as if you

were using ordinary film.

CUSTOMER: Ah, now I understand!

Can you see how that process of asking the "So what?"

question leads to strong benefits? What we started with

("24 megapixels") is vastly different from the result

("as bright and clear as ordinary film").

Note that I framed the example in a particular way.

You were talking to a customer who had a history of using

traditional cameras, so the benefit was relevant to them.

If your customer was, say, a professional photographer,

then you might end up with a different benefit - e.g.

"This is the only camera resolution that is accepted

by National Geographic".

Here's a quick way to get the "So what?" answers ...

Start by listing all the features of your product

or service. Yes, that's right - start with the FEATURES,

which should be easy for you to do.

Then take each feature in turn, ask the "So what?"

question, find an appropriate answer, and add it to the end

of the feature with the words "... so that".

An example will help ...

In the example above, the feature:

* It has a resolution of 24 megapixels

becomes:

* It has a resolution of 24 megapixels ... so that your

photos are as clear and bright as with your old camera.

OK, now it's your turn ...

Look at the products and services you're advertising

on your Web site. Are you talking about benefits,

or only features?

Go through the process I've just described to (a)

list all your features, and (b) convert these

features into benefits.

Article Source: http://www.dailynewarticles.com

Gihan Perera is the author of "Make More Sales From Your Web Site".
Visit GihanPerera.com and get your free
e-book "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Almost Every Business
Owner Makes on Their Web Site" - PLUS free resale rights.