March 27, 2009

What's missing? Part 2



Following up on yesterday's blog post about what's missing in the paint commercial: Thanks to my readers for jumping in with your thoughts!

I wrote about benefits vs. features quite a while ago, and I thought it was time to approach this topic again.

A typical mistake that speakers make when promoting their service or product is to forget that the audience needs to know how it benefits them. Remember "What's in it for me?" That's what the audience is thinking while you're blabbing away about all the features of your business (how fresh your paint is, for example).

When I listen to this commercial, my first thought is, "Why do I need fresh paint?" There is nothing in this commercial to convince me that fresh paint is going to be better for me than paint that's been sitting on the shelf. As yesterday's commenters all mentioned, if you don't know why you should care, you're not likely to buy.

Your potential customers are not thinking the same way you are about your business. They're not interested in hearing about your "great customer service" (anyone can say that about their own busines; doesn't make it true...) or your choice of colors or your convenient location.

They want to know how they're going to feel when they use your product. They want to know how their life is going to improve if they hire you. They want to know how your business will help them become richer, thinner and better in bed!

Make it about your audience and not about yourself. Find out what's important to them and tell them how your business meets those needs. Appeal to their emotions, their concerns, their values, their lifestyle. It's okay to talk features, because sometimes we want those specs, but benefits have to come first.

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1 comments. Please add yours! :

multi monitor said...

very interesting...

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