Struggling to tell the difference between features and benefits?
When your potential client is looking to buy, highlighting the features and benefits of your produce or service can be what will help them decide to buy from you, or not.
In this blog I show you how to get to grips with what features and benefits are, the differences between them (with examples) and how and where you can use them effectively in your marketing.
What is a feature?
A feature is a fact about your product or service and used to describe its appearance, its components and its capabilities.
How to identify the features of your product or service
If you can start a sentence with:
It is… it does… we have…. We are… etc it’s a feature.
Here’s some examples.
- Our bike repair tool-kit. It is 180g
- Our bread. It is baked here on the premises
- Our printer. It does 50 A4 colour prints a minute
- Our business. We are based in Newcastle
- Our chair is adjustable
- Our cakes are made with gluten free flour
- Our umbrella is 7″
Why you need to know the features of your product or service?
It could be information your potential client needs to help them decide to buy from you.
Remember – you’re in the business to help solve a problem or meet a need they have.
The more useful information you can give them to help them buy from you the better.
Using a few of the examples above:
- Knowing a bike repair kit is 180g is useful to a cyclist for when they’re out and about.
- Knowing how fast a printer can print can be handy to know when you work in a busy office.
- Knowing a chair can be adjustable is important to those looking for comfort.
- Knowing an umbrella is compact enough to fit into a small handbag can make all the difference to whether you buy or not.
Where would you use features of your product or service to help your audience decide to buy from you?
Include them in your:
- Sales page on your website
- Printed materials- Brochures and catalogues
- Social media posts
- Frequently asked questions page
- Product or service videos/audios
- Shop window
What is a benefit?
Benefits are the gorgeous, sparkly little gems that make your potential client sit up and take notice.
They’re what tells your buyer the advantage or value of what you’re offering.
It’s the benefits that will tell them the results they’re after.
Why do you need to know the benefits of your product or service?
They play an important part in helping your buyer decide to buy from you – or not.
Be sure that the benefits you’re sharing are the benefits your audience wants.
Get them wrong and off they’ll go to check someone else out. Not what you want
Get them right and they’ll believe you’re a mind-reader and wonder how you know them so well. All good when it comes to building trust with your audience.
Ever read a website page and noticed how you feel when the benefits are EXACTLY the ones you’re after? Feels good doesn’t it?
Doesn’t take you long to buy or to keep that business in mind for when you’re ready to buy.
And that’s what you’re aiming to do with the benefit of what you offer.
Benefits allow your buyer to imagine what their life could be like.
Powerful stuff, right?
How Do You Identify The Benefits of Your Product or Service?
List the features of your product or service and after each one write ‘WHICH MEANS’
- Our bikes have seats with additional padding WHICH MEANS you’ll have a more comfortable ride
- We provide access to online resources WHICH MEANS you can access them at a time that suits you
- Our toys come with batteries included WHICH MEANS your child can play as soon as you get it out the box
More Ways To Unearth Benefits of Your Product or Service
You can also use SO WHAT? Or WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? to help you unearth more benefits for your product or service.
Let’s go back to the bike seat.
Our bikes have seats with additional padding.
Ask:
SO WHAT?
or
WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
You’ll benefit from:
- A more comfortable ride on bumpier terrains
- You’ll be able to ride further
- The right seat means you can ride faster
- Less pressure on your delicate bits so less chaffing
Notice how one feature can have more than one benefit.
Create your list of Features and Benefits for Your Product or Service
Grab a cuppa, and get listing your features and benefits.
Download your worksheet (no email required) here >> Features-and-Benefits-for-Your-Product-or-Service.pdf
| Feature | …which means that…. | Benefit |
In summary:
You now know:
- What a feature is
- What a benefit is
- What the features are for your product or service
- What the benefits are for your product or service
- Where you can use your features and benefits
- How talking about them will help your potential client decide if your product or service is a fit for them, or not
THE MONDAY MORNING MARKETING MEMO
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