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Features vs. Benefits vs. End Results |
By:
Karon Thackston |
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by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com
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.
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Article Source: http://www.powerdirectory.net/articles/article52463.html |
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