Blogging Tricks–Marketing Features vs Benefits

What does features vs benefits mean?

How about show them don’t tell them?

What, really? Is there a difference with–marketing features vs benefits or with showing vs telling? And how can knowing the difference ‘benefit’ your posts?

Marketing Features vs Benefits

Imagine: You are marketing to sell #2 pencils.

Buy our wooden #2 pencils each surrounds a graphite core. Our pencils have an hexagonal shape and include an attached eraser. 7 ½ inches in length and ¼ inch diameter. Sold in box of 12 and can be bought in bulk for business and school supplies.

Hmmm, Is this description the Benefits or Features?

Again-Imagine: You are marketing to sell #2 pencils.

Buy our wooden #2 pencils each with a blended graphite core that gives clean crisp writing. Guaranteed to not roll off your desk with its hexagonal shape and includes a reliable snug fitting eraser. They are 7 ½ inches long and can be re-sharpened to the eraser promising a long writing life and its ¼ inch diameter is comfortable to write with even for long periods. Sold by the dozen to ensure enough pencils to last for months. Lower cost when bought in bulk for business and School supplies.

Okay, Now it is easier to see that the second one is showing the benefits. Another way to think of benefits is to ask yourself “What is in it for me?” or “What is in it for your target audience/buyer?”

Pencil example is paraphrased based out of examples given in Robert W. Bly’s The Copywriter’s Handbook -3rd edition.

So, now that we know the difference between giving your audience features and benefits what is next? Where do you put it? How do you introduce it?

You want the benefits right up front, right?

Or is there another way?

I just read this tip in Karl Dennis’ Killer Copywriting: Write Highly Profitable Sales Pages Better Than The Professionals. 

Dennis calls it giving them the experience. And points out that experience comes before the desire for benefits. I think of it as Showing vs Telling. With showing you want to get into the ‘experiences‘ people have that put snapshot memories into the mind to create a window moment.

Lemonade example. 

Imagine: It is a hot humid day and you have been stuck in traffic for 45 minutes. Your air-conditioner ran out last week and two of your power windows only go down a quarter before jamming. You see two lemonade stands with two young kids on the corner. Smiling to yourself you are thinking these kids are having a little “I can sell more than you” competition.

So, You pull out of traffic and look at the booths.

The first stand has an orange plastic pitcher. The kid, smiling broadly, has large paper cups and a sign that reads- .75¢ a cup.

The other stand has an ice chest below the table and a glass pitcher full of iced lemonade with two slices of lemon floating on top. The kid, also smiling broadly, has small cups and a sign that reads- $1 a cup.

Lemonade is lemonade and thirsty is thirsty. But if you are standing there in the heat with a couple crumpled dollar bills looking at these two stands–what you see and your past experience is what you are going to buy.  

Recapturing a Moment

• Start with your strong keyword headline.
• Begin your post using your keyword in the introduction.
• Recapture a moment that recalls a memory that irritates, like a poor product, a scam, or a warm glass of lemonade.
• Pick at it a little so they are reliving it.
• Then pull the switch.
• Tell them what you have to fix the problem they now have fresh in their mind.
• Show them the potential experience.
• Show them the benefits.
• Make it so they do not just consider but must have.

Show them the Potential Experience   –    Show them the Benefits

Marketing Features vs Benefits -&- Showing vs Telling

You now have a clear understanding of how knowing the difference between benefits and features can improve your blog posts. You also know how to create an experience by showing instead of just telling about what it is you have to offer that will benefit their life more then what they had access to before.

Questions and Comments are always Welcome. You can also contact me on my Wealthy Affiliate Profile here.