In real estate they say the three most important things are "location, location, location." In marketing you could say its "benefits, benefits, benefits." Why? Because all your potential customer really wants to know is "what's in it for me?" You need to give a reason to buy that will make someone want to do business with you and not the competition. How will your product or service solve their problems, meet their needs or improve their life? Nothing else really matters.
Many business people make the mistake of focusing on their product's features instead of its benefits. What's the difference? A feature is a fact about the product, while a benefit explains or demonstrates how the product will benefit the customer. For example, "made of heavy-duty plastic" is a feature; "guaranteed unbreakable" is a benefit.
Every time I visit a website or pick up a flier whose headline reads "Welcome to XYZ Company" I cringe (well, actually, being a marketing copywriter, I see a sales opportunity). Why? Because "Welcome to XYZ Company" doesn't tell me anything about the company, what they're offering or why I might want to buy. Your company's benefits (or implied benefits) should be blaring from the headlines and subheads of all your marketing materials.
So take a good look at your marketing materials. If you're focusing on features instead of benefits, it might be time for an overhaul!
Patrick Neeman is Director of User Experience at Jobvite, a social recruiting platform and runs both the UX Drinking Game and Startup Drinking Game | More | Contact
