When you ask advertisers why people should purchase their products or services, invariably they will respond with a list of features those products/services offer:
- Free delivery & installation
- One-stop shopping
- Bakery on the premises
- Custom built
Here are some possible benefits of those features to the consumer.
We’ll deliver it right to your door, gently carry it inside, and install it exactly where you want it. And we won’t leave until it’s working perfectly for you.
Instead of going to one place for plants, another place for mulch, another place for tools and yet another place for easy-to-follow, how-to instruction books, we have everything you need right here.
How can you be sure your cakes and pies will be right-out-of-the-oven fresh when you pick them up? Because we bake everything ourselves, right here in our own bakery.
You tell us exactly what you want: the color, the size, the style, the texture, the finish…everything. And then we will build you a brand-new one, following your exact instructions….Guaranteed.
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Your examples point out that there is often a subtle difference between features and benefits. You’re still promoting the same items you first listed, but by expanding the description, you help the customer connect the dots to see why these features ARE a benefit.
I also like the guarantees (stated or implied) that take the risk of doing business off of the customer’s back. I’ve tried to teach this principle to clients and some get it right away. Others pull out their Objection Flashcards and start rattling off every reason why they can’t offer guarantees. But that’s a different topic…
Well put, Dan. Your “featured” articles are certainly a great “benefit” to advertising professionals and their clients. Thanks.
To many treat the ad as a disclaimer. You know, cram as much in with little detail. It’s all there you just can’t understand any of it. I would rather say a few things well (being more descriptive) rather than covering all the points in one commercial. I have often written another one and rotated them. While I’m on a roll it isn’t that hard to just do another one if time allows and it shows the client you’re working hard for their business.