I am sure you have heard the old adage that benefits sell. But do they always?

Copywriters, advertising execs, and salespeople have all been taught to stress benefits, not features. This is done by showing the customer what they will gain by purchasing this product or service.

Here is a quick example to illustrate: I recently bought my first house. I was thinking about getting it insulated, but I knew absolutely nothing about insulation. So, I hopped on the Internet. I was wooed not the descriptions of R-values and fiberglass varieties, rather by how much money I would save on my winter oil bill. Knowing that I would feel warm and cozy in my newly insulated house, even when the wind was blowing at 70km/h and there was a wind chill factor of -35˚ C outside was definitely incentive for me to pick up the phone and call Insulators-R-Us. These were benefits that Emily Amos, first time home-owner, could relate to. I could clearly see how my life would be made better by insulating my house. For the average customer, benefits are paramount in making the sale.

So when is it appropriate to talk about R-values and fiberglass varieties? If your website is selling to insulation contractors and installers, then you need to explain all the features of your product, including the exact specifications. Is it an open cell semi-rigid spray-applied polyurethane foam or is it a fiberglass and cellulose loosefill insulation? These features and specifications are very important information for the expert target market!

What makes an expert target market? Perhaps your customers work or study in your field, or perhaps they are enthusiasts. At any rate, they are people with a great deal of knowledge on that particular product or service. It is essential to provide them with features and specifications, so that they have all the information they need to make an educated decision.

The same rules apply if you are selling equipment or electronics. You need to give your customers all of the features for that product. These features should explain how the product works and what it can do. For example, in order to buy an MP3 player, you need to know features such as the memory size, weight, and audio/video formats.

So what is the bottom line here? In most cases, benefits still rule supreme in selling your product or service. That is, of course, unless your audience is an expert or you are selling equipment or electronics. In this case, features would likely need to have equal billing with benefits.

Alright. Let's say you want to include some features and technical specifications in your next piece of copy. Bob Bly, one of America's top copywriters, lists several different ways to integrate technical information into a sales-oriented piece.

Features/Benefits Table: This is simply a two-column table or checklist. The left-hand column lists all the features of your product, while the right-hand column describes the benefits the customer gets as a result of each feature.

Cause and Effect Statement: "Because our product has Feature X, you get Benefit Y."

Spec Box: This is a separate box presenting all technical specifications and features of a product in list form.

Visuals: Use tables, graphs, charts, diagrams, illustrations, photos and other visuals to highlight features and technical information. Save your body copy for a discussion of the benefits.

I hope this article has been of some value to you, and I'm not talking R-value!

About the Author

Emily Amos is a freelance business writer specializing in web content and newsletters. She writes, edits, proofs, and otherwise enhances text on topics as wide ranging as international trade and alpaca festivals.

Are you uncomfortable writing the important marketing messages for your company? Do you have other projects that require your attention? Do you need a fresh, outside perspective? Contact emily@wordsavvy.ca or www.wordsavvy.ca