Quickly! Without Googling! Can you tell me how many GBs of storage the first iPod had?
How about this one: What’s the square footage of your car’s trunk space?
Last try. What is the maximum volume of your Bluetooth headphones?
Okay, enough of that. You probably want to know why I’m even asking all this.
Many businesses wonder why they don’t get noticed even though they are shouting as loud as they can.
The thing is, you’re shouting all the wrong things. You’re touting your features instead of your benefits. “And what’s the difference?” you might ask.
Features Are All About You
Features are simply the facts about your product or service. The literal definition of what you offer.
Your features can be broad: “We’re open 24 hours”
They can be specific: “All-wheel drive”
But in the end, they only talk about you and make no effort to connect with your customer. And that’s a major reason many small businesses suffer.
You’ll come across websites with lots of written content (enough to fill a small magazine) but all they do is talk about who they are and what they do.
If you only focus on features, this is essentially all you’re saying:
- Your store’s televisions display images
- Your shop services and repairs cars
- Your social media app hosts and plays back content
- Your hair salon cuts and styles hair
- Your coffee shop sells drinks and snacks
On the other hand…
Benefits Are About Your Customer
When you have a problem, you look for the best solution possible for your situation. The same is true for all the people you want to turn into customers.
Benefits are the key to connecting with people.
Benefits set you up as the solution to your customer’s problem. That’s your goal!
Let’s get back to those questions I asked at the beginning.
iPod Storage
Apple told customers the iPod meant “1,000 songs in your pocket.” People could now take entire music collections everywhere they went. They no longer had to pick and choose the CDs or tapes they would carry on a road trip.
Trunk Space
You may not know how much square footage you need in your next car. Now, pretend you’re an avid camper.
If you saw an ad for a car loaded with a tent, four sleeping bags, a large cooler, and three camping backpacks, you’d probably consider it.
Bluetooth Headphones
Unless you’re an audiophile, you probably don’t know how many decibels you’re headphones are pumping to your ears.
In fact, that’s probably not the reason you purchased Bluetooth headphones. You bought them because you were tired of tangled headphone cords.
It’s Not About You
That’s right. If you want your business to succeed, then it can’t be about your business. Show people who THEY will be after coming to you and you’ll build a real connection.
Oh, and that first iPod, it had 5 gigabytes of storage.
If you need additional content marketing help, contact me today to set up an introductory call.
Your friend,
Jose
