The Benefits Overload Problem
“BENEFITS” is all the craze these days. I’m not going to try to explain the difference between benefits and features. As a matter of fact, if I see one more cheap, copy-cat marketer’s e-book act as though it’s a brand new idea, I’m going to get sick. Do a Google on “benefits, benefits, benefits”. Somehow, repeating it three times is the key to making it stick.
But here are a few secrets you WON’T learn from those ebooks and articles:
Secret #1 - “If your benefit isn’t focused, it’s not going to do you any good!”
You can’t make a horse drink water by telling him what a fine saddle you have. Your benefits should focus directly on what you’re trying to make the reader do…and nothing else.
Think of what you’re trying to accomplish. Steer the reader in that direction. For example, let’s say you sell hard drives. You want the window shopper to stop browsing and start buying. You’re not going to accomplish anything by telling them about the benefits of having a new hard drive. They already know…that’s why they’re looking at them.
What’s more, the shopper is specifically looking for certain features. They want to know the speed and the size. They’re not interested in you telling them that they’ll be able to store more pirated songs or rip movies faster.
BUT—you just might get somewhere by telling them the benefits of shopping with you instead of shopping elsewhere. So one of these just might do the job –
“Click here and unwrap your new hard drive tomorrow afternoon!”
On the other hand, if you’ve already got a bird in the hand, and you’re trying to get them to upgrade to a larger hard drive just before checking out, then the benefits on the larger model IS what you should be pushing.
“You’ll be surprised how fast that new drive space fills up…upgrade to the next model for ONLY $19.97!”
You see? To get the reader to go from browsing to buying (for retail products), you have to push your store. If you want them to purchase an upsell, then you push the product. But don’t ever point out the obvious, hoping to move your buyers…it won’t work.
Secret #2 – “Don’t try to turn industry standard features into benefits.”
This is very common for newbie copywriters. I think it comes from the fact that they know so little about an industry before writing for it, they automatically assume their target is on their same level.
If you’re selling inkjet printers with network cards, then trying to show the benefits of network connection is fruitless (except for a VERY small target). If the target doesn’t already know the benefits of a network printer, then they’d probably never figure out how to hook one up anyway. The majority of shoppers are simply looking for the words ‘network ready’. Anything more than that just takes away your white-space and makes your copy cluttered.
And don’t be afraid to put jargon in a spec list. The pro’s want to know if that product has what they need just by scanning the list. The jargon communicates that. Trying to make it readable for everyone just makes it harder for your real target.
On the flip side, you’ll see thousands of technical products and services that never list a single benefit. Give the reader a clear reason to choose you:
“Our printers come with a six month supply of ink refills…”
This tax season, when you’re printing out those receipts, you’ll be glad you went with us!
Secret #3 – “Weave your benefits into the copy. Don’t be so blunt!”
This is especially worn out in the ‘make money schemes’. Don’t spend an entire paragraph telling people how nice it would be to quit their day jobs, spend more time with their families, or buy a nice new car.
“Once you’re making enough money to say goodbye to your boss, you won’t feel the need to bla, bla, bla…”
“By that time, you’ll probably be spending more time with your family, so you’ll have bla, bla, bla…”
“When they see you in driving in THEIR dream car, then they’ll know you weren’t full of bla, bla, bla…”
When you spend too much time trying to convince your readers that a benefit is reachable, you lose them. They automatically equate your product to all the other poorly written sales letter products. Mention the benefits but rarely make it the entire point of a sentence. The less you point them out, the more the reader will see them—the more effect it will have on their minds. You want it to sink into their subconscious, so they automatically equate your product with what they want.
Practice Using These Secrets
It takes time to learn how to implement these secrets in your sales copy. It just doesn’t come easy. Write and rewrite. Then test and rewrite. Eventually, you’ll see your conversion rates soar.
Learn The Real Way To List Benefits |
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Benefits Overload 
