Benefits Vs Features

Do you know the difference between features and benefits? If you want your ad or website copy to be persuasive, you need to.

The benefits are more convincing than the features. Because? Because they appeal to the desires and emotions of your customers.

Here is a story that explains the difference between benefits and features.

Last year, I decided to buy an iPod. There was a $150 iPod with 2 gigabytes and a $199 iPod with 4 gigabytes. Initially I settled on the 2 gig iPod. Seemed like a lot of bytes, so why spend another $50? Then I found out that the 2 gig iPod could hold 500 songs (which seemed like enough), but the 4 gig iPod could hold 1000. That’s double for only $50 more.

As part of my job, I often save mp3 files of long talks or teleseminars. They often last 60 minutes or more. These would surely count as multiple songs. Suddenly 4 gigabytes didn’t seem like much and I bought the 4 gig iPod.

The characteristic was the number of gigabytes. The benefit was the amount of audio the iPod could hold. The feature meant nothing to me until I was able to translate it into benefits.

How do you use this lesson?

It’s okay to include features later in your copy. But you should always start with the benefits. So do you understand the difference between features and benefits? Take a look and find out: decide if I’m describing a benefit or a feature.

Benefits and Features Quiz

1. Our sheets have a thread count of 400.

2. These sheets are so comfortable and luxurious that you will never want to get out of bed.

3. SUBWAY® Chicken Teriyaki Sub has 6 grams of fat.

4. You’ll stay lean and handsome when you eat this sandwich, even though it’s filling and delicious (in fact, it’s my son’s favorite and mine, too).

5. We sell 4-3/8″ by 5-3/4″ envelopes.

6. If you or your kids make your own greeting cards, you know how frustrating it can be to find the right envelope. You cannot send a card without one. These are the perfect size. An 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet of paper, folded twice, will fit perfectly.

7. Microsoft Outlook includes a calendar with an alarm.

8. You don’t need to worry about missing important appointments. Outlook’s built-in alarm will remind you.

I bet you already know the answers. If not, just visit my website and write to me and I’ll tell you the answers.

And if you do Find out the answers, look at your marketing materials and see whether or not you are including benefits at the beginning of the copy. Remember, the features are fine, but the benefits must come first. Get your customers excited about what you offer!