
Answering the “So What?” – feature to benefits question
Remember sitting in your grade 5 class thinking you are smarter than any adult?
It didn’t matter if you were the popular kid, a regular Joe/Sally or the nerd.
You knew you were different in a positive mind expanding way.
If your teacher, Mom, or Dad said anything, you’d roll your eyes up and say, “So what.”
Meaning, what they said gave you no visualization of benefits coming your way, exciting your mind.
In return, the adult eyes would stare back at you as if lost in a fog. Then without an answer, sending you to the principle or your room for having an “attitude.”
“What, attitude?”
“All I’m asking is… So What? Why should I care?” You’d boldly question, stomping off in direction you are pointed.
Naturally their non-answer grew your frustration. And evaporated your all knowing teaching /parent into not so’s before your eyes, because they couldn’t answer your simple, So what question.
Now as you write your sales copy it’s important always to remember your frustrating early years. The prospect reading the sales copy will have the same “So what” voice in their head, as you did.
Ready at a moments notice to snap their “So what” question, if you fail to stimulate their mind. Helping them see what’s in it for them.
If you ignore blooming features into benefits, your reader screech to a halt.
Then bolt away with no intent reading further or consider to buy your product. No matter how great your product is.
The prospect will run away from your sales copy direct into the caring hands of your competitor. A competitor more than willing to turn features into mind imagining benefit after benefit.
For example.
Let’s say you write your prospect will lose weight, if they buy your weight loss product.
Your prospect will read those words and in frustration blurt out, “So What”.
While the inexperienced copywriter replies, in a lost hippie haze voice.
“Duh, that’s why they are reading the sales copy. They want to lose weight. It’s what the product does.”
Of course the prospect will blurt back “No” or “why” or “How”.
Lose weight is nothing but a feature
No different from the car salesman listing some of a cars features as…. car has 4 doors, and back seat heaters.
Naturally the car buyer will still say “so what”. Because the prospect isn’t really buying just a car, with 4 doors and backseat heaters.
Your prospect wants to know how will they benefit or…
“What’s in it for them.”
Meaning you must translate the feature into a benefit letting your prospect to know how they will benefit. To see how great the product is, without seeing the product.
Yes can be a bit confusing until your get what features to benefits all mean to the prospect. The reader of the sales copy.
Remember your prospect doesn’t know what the product can do for them.
It is your job as the copywriter to turn the light bulb on in their head to help the prospect see with images.
Images so strong they will see themselves using the product and the great things to come when they buy the product.
It could be as simple as looking rich like the neighbor. Or more sophisticated then neighbor when buying a car. .
All the car benefits
Let the prospect know, how the 4 doors on the new car will give them peace and save their body from injury when the kids get in or out. Having no more kids stomping and climbing over you before you get your seat belt undone. Or folding into a steering wheel sandwich as the kids scurry out.
Picture with benefits how the back seat heater now allows the backseat passenger to adjust their own temperature. They can set temperature how they want it, without arguing with the driver to turn up or down the heat.
Gone are the days having to bake or freeze in the front seat only to make your backseat passengers comfortable.
Feature…. (so what) = benefit… (so what?) … extended benefit… and on and on.
Let’s see how it works.
Keep in mind the old grade 5 question… “So What?”
Loose weight… to find benefit ask so what?….
Feel healthy… still not very exciting and may get a reply who cares… so keep asking so what?
Keep your blood pressure down… so what?…
keep your cholesterol levels normal…. so what?….
doctor won’t prescribe you drugs…. so what?
Save you money month after month instead of buying those expensive drugs…. so what…
saves you from being put on expensive drugs which leads to more expensive drugs to counter the side-effects….
you can use the money on other things…. buy wider variety of clothing then the limited xx sizes….. so what….
feel sexy with your new body size… so what ….
feel secure in your body not embarrassed or snickered at when walk down the street… so what…
have more self confidence… so what …
while on vacation or on business trips go swim in the pool and feel admired… so what…
meet the man / woman of your dreams…
Then continue on with the next feature… eat healthy… so what? ….
Then on and on with the feature and next.
When completed you will have a big list of Features to Benefits. Benefits ready to excite your reader to easily picture themselves losing weight to gain the benefit.
Next step is to decide what is the number one top feature to benefit.
Then the second top benefit until all benefits have been numbered in ranking.
A good idea is to use your best benefit at the start of the sales copy. Try to put it in the headline or opening sentences of your copy.
Your second top benefit can be used in the P.S..
This will hit your prospect hard after reading the sales letter. And will still hold their attention even if they jump from the headline to the P.S..
The top 2 benefits will force your prospect to keep reading or may give them instant satisfaction to make the purchase.
All of the remaining features to benefits are sprinkled throughout your sales copy as bullets or worked into sentences. This makes your copy come alive in your prospect head.
Benefits paint a new reality in the prospects head to easy see themselves using the product and see the benefits coming their way.
The product has morphed into something they want and can relate to. It is no longer just a weight loss product, it much more valuable.
Try for yourself.
Grab any sales copy and notice how the copywriter writes the benefits to shine in the copy. Note how you are taken into the copy without your mind asking “So what?”
Maybe even itched to buy the product.
Then study copy what list only the features
For example… 12 years in business.
Did your head voice say, So what?
You got it!
Now, go translate features into buying benefits allowing your prospect to picture, experience and become emotionally attached in them. To see what’s in it for them.
Check out Me connection to further discover what your prospect is tuned in to.
Next time I will explain why features are a must in your sales copy.
Leave a Reply