As a business owner, you may be wondering how to turn the features of your product or service into benefits that will appeal to your target market and help you close more sales. After all, people don’t buy products or services, they buy solutions to their problems.
In this article, we’ll show you how to convert features into benefits with a step-by-step guide and examples. By the end, you’ll know how to craft persuasive sales copy that speaks to your customers’ needs and motivates them to take action.
What are features and benefits?
Before we dive into how to convert features into benefits, let’s quickly review what they are.
Features are the characteristics or components of your product or service. For example, a feature of a new car might be its fuel efficiency. A benefit is the result of that feature – in this case, the benefit would be saving money on gasoline.
Keep in mind that not all features have an obvious benefit. You may need to get creative to find the benefit that will resonate most with your target market. In some cases, you may even need to create a new word or phrase to describe the benefit (more on this later).
Now that we’ve reviewed the basics, let’s look at how to convert features into benefits with a step-by-step guide.
How to convert features into benefits (with examples)
1. Start with a list of features
The first step is to make a list of all the features of your product or service. If you’re not sure what they are, ask yourself:
What can my product or service do?
What are its components?
What makes it unique?
For example, let’s say you’re selling a new type of toothbrush that has unique bristles that rotate in different directions. Some other features might be that it’s battery-operated and comes with a rechargeable base.
2. Identify the customer need for each feature
Next, for each feature on your list, identify the customer need it meets. In our toothbrush example, one need might be for a toothbrush that cleans teeth more effectively than a manual brush. Another might be for a toothbrush that’s easier to use for people with dexterity issues.
3.. Brainstorm potential benefits for each feature
Once you’ve identified the customer needs met by each feature, it’s time to brainstorm potential benefits for each one.. For our rotating toothbrush example, some potential benefits might be:
– whiter teeth within 2 weeks
– gingivitis reductions within 4 weeks
4.. Select the strongest benefit for each feature
Now it’s time to select the strongest benefit for each feature.. This is where you’ll need to get creative and think about what will resonate most with your target market.. For our rotating toothbrush example, we might choose “whiter teeth within 2 weeks” as our primary benefit because it’s an observable result that people care about..
5.. Write persuasive copy that highlights the selected benefit
The last step is to write persuasive copy (sales copy) that highlights the selected benefit.. Remember, people don’t buy products or services – they buy solutions to their problems.. So make sure your copy speaks directly to your target market’s needs and motivates them to take action.. Here’s an example of persuasive sales copy for our rotating toothbrush:
“Are you tired of using manual toothbrushes that don’t seem to do anything? Try our new rotating toothbrush! You’ll see a difference in just two weeks – whiter teeth guaranteed!”
