For All Those People Who Struggle With Benefits and Features

For Everyone Who Has Ever Struggled Sorting Out Benefits From Features - "SWAT Them!"

SWAT is not actually an acronym. It is a compaction of the question "so what?"

You see, one of the biggest problems that even experienced copywriters and marketers fall into is being clear on what benefits their product or service actually delivers to their customers.

SWAT provides the solution.

Here is how it works:

• Take a piece of paper. Divide it into columns one headed features and one headed benefits.

• Under the features column list all the features that come to mind.

• Under the benefits column list all the benefits you deliver. (Don't worry about neatness there will not be a one-to-one correspondence between features and benefits)

• Now, get yourself back in your customers' mindset. Take each feature in turn and ask yourself "SO WHAT?"

• And keep on asking the question until you can't think of any sensible, benefit oriented, answer.

• Do this for every feature in your list

• Now go back and repeat the process for every benefit you originally listed

It is pretty certain that the same benefits will occur many times over as you run through this exercise. That's fine. These are the ultimate benefits you have been looking for. These are the benefits you will 'sell' to your customer.

An example

I wear a pretty cheap and tacky diver's watch. Its features include:

• water proof to 50m (that's about 164 feet)

• accurate to 1 second per year

• tells the time in 2 time zones

• dual analogue and digital display

• shock proof

• stop watch

• back light

• day, month date function

• 5 year battery life

Now for certain prospects this list of features is pretty powerful on its own. Principally young men who like to dazzle their friends with the latest gadgets and gizmos.

But let's try to figure out some marketable benefits for a wider audience.

"Water proof to 50m"

So what?

You can wear the watch while diving

So what?

You can be sure it is waterproof enough for all day-to-day use

So what?

You can put the watch on and forget it - no matter what you are doing

So what?

Accurate time keeping -anytime, anyplace.

So what?

???

Your thought patterns would obviously be different to mine. But I am now stuck. The question "So What?" doesn't lead me to another statement. No matter. I am pretty happy with the last couple above. Either of them talks to me of the real benefits the watch could bring.

Now I would need to go away and do the same thing for all of the other features. When I first did this exercise I ended up with over 120 benefits (and this for something that is definitely pretty cheap and tacky). I am not going to do that here again.

The benefits that kept repeating were the go anywhere, do anything, super accurate timekeeping.

I was able to produce 30 plus benefit driven headlines. And I had no difficulty in sorting out the benefits from the features.

And all in a little over an hour.

Seems a pity that I don't actually sell watches.

About The Author

Keith Longmire is the owner of JKL Business Growth Solutions. JKL specialises in bringing main stream business improvement and marketing solutions into the reach of smaller businesses.

http://www.jkl-small-business-marketing-solutions.com/

---

The Benefits of Specific Advertising

The great Claude Hopkins (Author of Scientific Advertising) once said,... Read More

Marketing Tips For Small Business ? Advertising That Works, Part I

Have you ever seen an ad on television that was... Read More

Organizing Business Cards for Effective Contact Management

Now that you've had colorful new business cards printed, and... Read More

The TV Shoot, The Spoiled Brat, And A Painful Lesson

It was two days before our shoot. I was in... Read More

How To Make Your Advertising Work!

Many believe that when it comes to advertising, it's a... Read More

11 Ways To Make Your Business Cards Work For You

1. Spend money on decent quality business cards. Home made... Read More

Add More Pizzazz To Your Ad For More Profits

I recently completed a Marketing Makeover for an Ad that... Read More

How To Make Your Yellow Page Ads Work

I hear it often, "advertising in the Yellow Pages directory... Read More

Why Hire an Advertising/Marketing Consultant?

As a business owner, you have the option of taking... Read More

Is Your Yellow Pages Ad Putting Cash in Your Pocket... or Sucking Cash Out?

Any idea? It's a question that more than a few... Read More

Using Flyers to Advertise Your Online Business

Using flyers is one commonly overlooked method of advertising offline.... Read More

Advertising Primer for Fast Learners

Advertising, when done well is a very effective way to... Read More

Tips for Using Paid Advertising

Quite a few business out there can't survive without some... Read More

Customer-Involving Signage and Selling

Here's some easy ways to create signage that will attract,... Read More

How To Tell If An Advertisement Costs Too Much

People say it all the time: "This advertising costs too... Read More

Make Your Business Cards Work

What's the cheapest, most under-used marketing tool you have?The answer's... Read More

10 Tips For Writing A Profit Producing Ad

1. You can get ad copy ideas by studying similar... Read More

Graphical LED Display

Graphical LED Displays utilize high-resolution graphics and video to transmit... Read More

Advertising Through Moms

Moms have a very powerful influence on what their families... Read More

If You Lost 70% of Your New Customers, Would You Notice?

Buyers Don't Rely on the Yellow Pages Like They Used... Read More

Buying Radio? Read This and Dont Waste Your Money

Pay close attention and make it work the best for... Read More

Fax Advertising : Hitting Your Target Immediately

In the business of marketing and advertising, it used to... Read More

10 Tips to Use Giveaways Effectively

Walk around any trade or consumer show and you will... Read More

If You Want To Get More Customers, Heres 10 Powerful Stories To Improve Your Ads

Remember, as a child lying in bed and listening to... Read More

See How to Advertise and Gain More Money to Blast Another Project

We have a Great News that we think that may... Read More

How You Measure Yourself Is How You Motivate Yourself

One of the keys to strong positive mental attitude is... Read More

Does Your Brochure Pass the Test - Or is It Headed for the Trash? Part One

The decision on whether or not someone will read your... Read More

Advertising In The Local Press

There are three main reasons why I would hesitate when... Read More

The Power of...

You certainly must know that Many Big Marketers consider COPYWRITING... Read More

3 Simple Steps to Getting Thousands in Free Advertising

Many entrepreneurs believe that they understand what public relations is,... Read More

Brand Young and You Brand for Life; Why Cinema Advertising is an Effective Tools for Marketers

In the world of advertising there are many forms of... Read More

7 Tips for Better Ads

The content of advertising is basically the same no matter... Read More

Predictions for 2010

2005 puts us at the mid-point of the first decade... Read More