Writing Website Copy - Benefits versus Features

Yes, benefits versus features is a question as old as the hills in copy-writing and it’s no different with web copy-writing. But I still see so many websites full of features with no benefits that are aimed directly at the potential customer or client.

And I still get copy-writing clients who insist that I write all about their wonderful product or service rather than address the needs of the client. I try to explain to them that very few people out there give a hoot about their gadgets and gizmos and all the nifty things they do but they are so enamored with their whatzit that they believe that anyone who learns what it or they can do will bring bags of money to their door.

Nobody cares about you

What people care about is the final result. “What will I have when you get through with me?”

For instance, young guys don’t buy exercise equipment because it has the biggest weight stack or it’s easy to swap pulleys or it can do the most exercises.

And the benefit is not big muscles, washboard abs, or having a lean physique.

Young guys buy exercise equipment because they want to “get the girls.” They want to feel powerful, strong, masculine. They want to be “swinging a big club” like “Bob” in the commercials. And that’s what your web copy must communicate. That’s the benefit.

Yes, you still have to have pages listing all the great features of the equipment. I’m not saying that shouldn’t be there. I’m just saying that is not the under-riding motivation for anyone to buy exercise equipment. And unless you hit them square between the eyes by appealing to that motivation, no amount of fancy features or low-cost will get them to buy.

B to B versus B to C

You say that you sell to big corporations and that’s different. Not really. You don’t sell anything to big corporations. You sell to the one person on the other end of the Internet who is looking at your site.

Just like before the Internet, your sales people had to find that one person within the corporation who was willing to champion your product or service within their company. You knew if you sold them, they would sell the company. But to sell them, you had to find out what their underlying motivation was. What were they really looking for?

Your website is your 24/7 sales person

And most likely, it had nothing to do with your product or service. They were looking for the results it would get them. A promotion, a raise, more time at home with the family, a free trip…If you don’t know who your target market is (and by that I mean the buyer out there making the decision) and what is motivating them to search for your product or service, then there’s no way you can write copy that appeals to them.

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