Having critiqued several poorly written websites recently, it’s amazing how many copywriters continually fail to emphasize benefits. Benefits engage. They get people to act. Meanwhile, copywriters remain prone to pushing features.
As part of the web copywriting process, copywriters should list all the features of the company and its products or services, and then take the time to revert them into benefits for the customer.
A simple method that our website copywriters employ: look at each feature and ask yourself, “So what?”
Copywriters need to put themselves into the customers’ shoes. Why should I care about this feature? What will it do for me?
Don’t just state your product is durable (a feature). Explain to visitors it will last twice as long and keep them safe (benefits).
For more on web copywriting, check out: Web Writing: The Good, Bad and Ugly.
While this post discusses the value of benefits for website copywriters and web copywriting in general, it also applies to copywriters who write for print and traditional media. Let’s not forget that!
Copywriters don’t write about benefits because it’s more tedious and harder to write. Listing features is easy.
copywriters don’t know jack if they keep writing the spammy crap!
Among various items that can be mentioned in the list of benefits, we can refer to:
1) The problems it solves,
2) The procedures it eases,
3) The new horizons it opens,
4) The time it saves,
5) The money it saves,
6) and so on.
Features can simply follow down the page and below the benefits.
These points apply to any type of copy writing. If your copywriter looks at you funny when you insist on promoting benefits, fire him.