When Are Features More Important Than Benefits?

March 21^st 2017 Sally Ormond B2B and B2C writing, copywriter, features and benefits, Marketing

features and benefits

Every copywriter under the sun will tell you it’s vital your content focuses on the benefits your customers enjoy from your products or services.

It’s these that will make them want what you’re offering enough to buy.

But is that always the case?

Should benefits always take centre stage?

Getting into the B2B mind-set

I have often written about the differences between B2B and B2C writing. In my mind, there is no real difference between then two because you’re still writing for a person.

But there is one area where the two differ, and that is people buy because they want something, whereas businesses buy because they need something.

For argument’s sake, let’s say you sell a new wonder gizmo that’s going to revolutionise the tech industry.

Saying something like it offers ‘the latest artificial intelligence technology’ will pique a techie’s interest, but they are still going to want to know how it works and how it will help them.

In that sense, the ‘what’s in it for me’ test still works. The main difference here is that a business prospect is going to want to know the benefits from a bottom line perspective.

If you can show them your gizmo will save them £100,000 per year compared to their current gizmo, you’ll be in with a shot.

Backing up your claims

Change is scary, especially if you have stakeholders to satisfy. That’s why you still have to support the benefit by showing how the gizmo’s features will deliver it.

By rationalising the buying process with features and hard facts, you will provide a compelling reason why they should buy.

Remember, when writing for a personal audience keep your focus on the emotional root of the benefits (i.e. how it will make their life easier). However, when writing for a business audience, it’s OK to look at the features provided you also highlight what it will mean to their business.