So many business owners and entrepreneurs confuse features vs. benefits.
It is a critical marketing concept so I’d like to give you a clear definition that will
always help you keep the two straight.
Let’s say that you are looking at a product to purchase… let’s say an automobile.
What are you looking for?
The color, horsepower, number of airbags, and stopping power of the brakes?
When you bought your last car, what did you look at?
See, everything above is a FEATURE of the car.
But, nobody actually buys FEATURES.
They buy BENEFITS
What is this new car going to do for me?
Will I feel more successful, more safe, more powerful, more fun loving?
Let’s look at each of those…
- Feel more successful – what do you think of? Mercedes Benz.
- Feel more safe – what do you think of? Volvo.
- Feel more powerful – what do you think of? Porsche.
- Feel more fun loving – what do you think of? Maybe a Mini Cooper or VW Bug.
So, what is a clear-cut definition of a feature vs. a benefit?
The feature would be 6 airbags in the car.
The benefit would be:
What this means to you is that you and your family are better protected
regardless of what type of accident you may find yourself in.
I like to say that a feature is about the product or service.
And a benefit is about what it does for YOU, the buyer.
The easiest way I’ve found to take a list of features and convert them into benefits is to add
those magic words on the end of every feature…
“What This Means To YOU Is…”
So, let’s say that you are looking to buy a silver car.
The feature would be – this car is painted in silver metallic paint with clear-coat on top.
What this means to you is… the car will retain its luster for years without needing regular waxing.
It is the most popular color car.
What this means to you is… you will not be pulled over by the police nearly as much as say a bright red car!
And, of course, what this silver car means to you is… the highest possible resale value
since most people favor silver cars over other color.
Oh, and in case you don’t like to wash your car – having a silver color car means that
you don’t have to wash it nearly as much and it will still look great.
Get the idea?
Having your “features” converted into “benefits” is a key, key component to any
successful marketing campaign so I highly recommend you take a look at your
product or service.
List off all of the features that you have.
Then, convert all of those into benefits by adding the magic words…
“What This Means To YOU Is…”
When you do that you’ll find people start connecting emotionally with your product
or service instead of just comparing features.
I wish you every success in your marketing adventures.
Henry Evans