To define a benefit, ask yourself “So What?” Read the article below to find the answer.
We are excited to continue a series of articles that we’re sure you will find informative. Here is the fourth of twelve. If you missed the previous articles, please visit our website at www.mailmgmtgroup.com and click on the Newsletter tab.
The 12 Most Common Direct Mail Mistakes… And How To Avoid Them
Mistake No. 4: Features vs Benefits.
Perhaps the oldest and most widely embraced rule for writing direct-mail copy is, “Stress benefits, not features.” But in business-to-business marketing, that doesn’t always hold true.
In certain situations, features must be given equal (if not top) billing over benefits. For example, if you’ve ever advertised semiconductors, you know that design engineers are hungry for specs. They want hard data on drain-source, voltage, power dissipation, input capacitance, and rise-and-fall time…not broad advertising claims about how the product helps save time and money or improves performance.
In the same way, I suspect that doctors are swayed more by hard medical data than by advertising claims, and that industrial chemists are eager to learn about complex formulations that the average advertising writer might reject as “too technical.”
In short, the copywriter’s real challenge is to find out what the customer wants to know about your product—and then tell him in your mailing. Robert Bly
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Note from Cindy: Direct mail is a powerful and dynamic marketing tool. It provides you the opportunity to continually improve and hone its effectiveness through your design, your message, your offers and your targeting. Even if you refine your campaign with just a few of our monthly tips with each mailing, you should see measurable results.
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