Features vs. Benefits: Crafting Marketing Messages That Truly Connect

By Téalin Robinson
Digital Marketing Coordinator, Lessiter Media
trobinson@lessitermedia.com
262-777-2430

Marketing copy aims to create a relationship with its target audience, not simply sell a product. Sharing the features or the benefits of your product or service helps customers understand what they need to know, but how and when to use them could impact the effectiveness of your messaging, according to HubSpot.  

But what’s the difference?

• Features detail the factual capabilities of a product or service. They describe what it is or does and how it differs from competitors.
• Benefits explain the value that users receive from those features. They answer the customer's question, "What's in it for me?"

In marketing, it is more effective to highlight benefits. While features are important, benefits are what create an emotional connection and provide a compelling reason for consumers to buy.

Let’s look at our National No-Tillage Conference, for instance.

While the features are the building blocks of the conference, the benefits are the lasting impact on a farmer's operation, profitability and professional network.

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We use both features and benefits to market our events differently, depending on the audience and timing.

• In the off-season (12+ months out), the focus is almost 100% benefits to build a community and generating early buzz.
• Pre-launch & early bird registration time (4-6 months out) is the time to lead with benefits, support with features to drive initial ticket sales with a strong value proposition.
• When you are in the mid-campaign push (2-4 months out), use features that deliver the benefits to convince prospects by detailing the value.
• Once you are in the final stretch (last month), create urgency and high value with features with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

Want us to take a look at your marketing message and provide some feedback on how to best incorporate features and/or benefits? Send me a note and example of what you're working on, I'd be happy to share with the team and provide some feedback.