If you've been in the copywriting realm for very long at all, you've heard the phrase "features vs. benefits." It's a fundamental copywriting principle and driving force behind much of what we, as copywriters, create. But there's also another aspect to this equation.
What happens after customers buy your product or service? Once they've used what you have to offer, what will be different in their lives? What will the end results, of their buying decision, be? Getting your customers to look at the end results of their actions can be an extremely powerful persuasion tool that you'll want to incorporate into your copy.
Let's look at features, benefits and end results and see how all three work individually and collectively to create a targeted push to the point of purchase.
Features - The Basic Outline of Your Product or Service
Features, in copywriting, are a starting point. They provide a basic outline for what your customer needs to know. Features describe (most often) the attributes of a product or service. If we're using the example of a cordless, telephone-answering system, some features might be:
? 5.8GHz FHSS
? Talking caller ID
? Expandable to 4 handsets
? Selectable ring tones
? Speakerphones
For a person who knows nothing about cordless phones with answering machines, this list might not mean much. It's a basic blueprint of the telephone and nothing more.
Benefits - Make the Product or Service More Personal
Benefits enliven the features. Benefits make the features, and the product or service, more personal. They explain how the features will improve the customer's life in some way. Using the features list above, see what the benefits might be. (The list below was taken from Panasonic? marketing materials and relates directly to their KX-TG5230M model phone.)
· 5.8GHz digital system: The 5.8GHz frequency lets you go anywhere in your house and still have clear reception without interfering with your home network. The frequency-hopping digital technology keeps calls secure from outside sources.
· Talking caller ID: No need to be within visual distance of your phone. You can hear who's on the line before you pick up the phone. No more running to find the handset or base!
· Expandable: Keep a phone in any room-extra handsets cost less than other phones and don't need a phone jack. This base unit supports a total of four handsets. Add up to three handsets for a complete set.
· Selectable ring tones: Customize the sound of your phone by choosing from three ring tones.
· Dual speakerphones: Talk directly into the base with the base speakerphone, while the handset speakerphone provides convenient hands-free calling wherever you take your handset.
Benefits make the features personal. They explain how the features will be of use in the customer's life.
End Results - A Glimpse Into the Future
We can take this process one step further, however. After customers buy the phone, and after they use it, what end results will they experience? As asked before, how will their lives be improved? What will the effects of their buying decision be? Let's go back to our list and add end results as the last sentence in the benefits list.
· 5.8GHz digital system: The 5.8GHz frequency lets you go anywhere in your house and still have clear reception without disrupting your home network. The frequency-hopping digital technology keeps calls secure from outside sources. You'll have complete freedom to talk with no interference on one of the most advanced systems available.
· Talking caller ID: No need to be within visual distance of your phone. You can hear who's on the line before you pick up the phone. You'll enjoy the ultimate in convenience with this feature. No more running to view the handset or base!
· Expandable: Keep a phone in any room-extra handsets cost less than other phones and don't need a phone jack. This base unit supports a total of four handsets. Add up to three handsets for a complete set. Expandable phone systems are smart investments that save time and money.
· Selectable ring tones: Customize the sound of your phone by choosing from three ring tones. Make your phone an extension of yourself.
· Dual speakerphones: Talk directly into the base with the base speakerphone, while the handset speakerphone provides convenient hands-free calling wherever you take your handset. You'll have the flexibility of speakerphones wherever and whenever you talk.
Do you see what the end results have done? They've given the customer a glimpse into the future. The feature states that the phone offers 5.8GHz technology. The benefit goes on to explain that 5.8GHz technology is important because it offers clear reception and safety. The end result wraps things up by stating the customer will have a life filled with freedom and no interference from their highly advanced system.
Other end results point out how the phone system will make each user's life more convenient, how this smart investment will save time and money, how it will conform to one's personality and how the phone will lend flexibility to the customer's life.
When you create your copywriting plan, be sure to list the features and build your benefits as usual. But, for added power, don't forget to include end results that will help the customers visualize how your product or service will make their lives better.
© 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to check out Karon's latest e-report "How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)" at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword
Imagine tossing a pebble into a crystal clear pond on... Read More
"I wouldn't pay more than what I charge now."If you... Read More
Have you ever sat down to write a sales letter... Read More
"There is only one way to judge the effectiveness of... Read More
How to Create Strategies That Work In Today's Markets. Of... Read More
35 Ideas to Spark Your Creativity:There are 3 ways to... Read More
Unless you've been in a dimly lit cavern for the... Read More
Is your business growing, or are you on a plateau... Read More
1. Print your best small ad on a postcard and... Read More
In the past, purchasing ad space was the solution to... Read More
"Get your positioning and your programs implemented properly, and the... Read More
Certainly the newest earth quaking event in Internet Marketing insider... Read More
The Mail Order business is not a business of itself,... Read More
Remember the baseball cards kids traded while... Read More
Here's a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing... Read More
When commercials come on the television do you get up... Read More
Are you willing to fail your way to great marketing... Read More
Viral marketing involves the use of surf-exchanges, and if you... Read More
As a life-long dancer, I know a bit about the... Read More
Starting a new online business, developing a new product, launching... Read More
Bridging the Chasm from Lead to Loyal Customer: A Step... Read More
You want all of your marketing messages to have a... Read More
1. Focus your fax marketing on one objectiveFax is a... Read More
Owning a small business isn't easy, especially if you are... Read More
"What do you do?""I'm a CPA. What do you do?""I'm... Read More
Today, more than ever, the success of meetings relies heavily... Read More
"Instead Of Wasting Time Trying To Hit The Lottery Of... Read More
Peek a Boo - We See YouDoes your company have... Read More
We all know the value of writing articles for promoting... Read More
The customer is king/queen. We have all heard this mantra.... Read More
I met Sue at a recent networking event. She is... Read More
If you want to double your business, then you need... Read More
Apple Computer just announced that their earnings from the last... Read More
Business cards and greeting cards almost go hand in hand... Read More
One of the best ways to attract more clients is... Read More
The Building Blocks to Successful MarketingIt's More than Sales and... Read More
Having people go to your website is not always easy:... Read More
Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).Coupons... Read More
Each and every day those of us on the Internet... Read More
If you want to reduce waste and grow your business... Read More
Simply put the marketing people and the sales people depend... Read More
As Freud cautioned, it's insanity to keep doing the same... Read More
This really and truly is the easiest (and most profitable)... Read More
This past weekend I received a disturbing message from a... Read More
Are you market products and services using PPCs? PPC Advertising... Read More
Do you have Communication breakdown?How are you communicating with your... Read More
There's really only one thing that separates Image advertising from... Read More
How many times has your competitor gotten one over on... Read More
I'm a marketing consultant and at one of my client-companies,... Read More
Regardless how small or large your budget is, there are... Read More
Marketing Marketing |
|
| العاب | منتديات هيدى | الزاوية الحمراء | |
|
Pharaohs products egypt products Egypt shopping Shopping in Egypt sho Egypt Bazaar Pharaohs Shoping Center Egypt Pharaohs |