What Do You Try to Sell to Your Readers?

It is vital to realize that the features of a product do not sell as well as the benefits of those features. It is not difficult to deduce why this is so.

Why do people buy a product? They buy because they believe the product will benefit them.

Some may argue that there are buyers who buy based on the features of a product. This is so because the prospective buyers are already associating the features with the benefits.

For example, I bought a 24-inch LCD monitor for my computer. I bought it because the LCD monitor is 24-inch. In this case, I had already associated the 24-inch feature with the benefit of productivity because it enables me to view a few windows without having to pop one above the others. So, in this case, feature alone may work with me. However, most people do not buy 24-inch LCD monitors because they are not sold the benefits of a bigger LCD monitor.

Now, let’s suppose you specialize in 24-inch LCD monitors. If you emphasize that your LCD monitors are 24-inch, it works only with people like me – the prospective buyers who are already “converted”. It will not work with the majority of prospective customers. In this case, you need to sell the benefits of a 24-inch LCD monitor such as increased productivity, good for the eyes, can see pictures in greater definition, less strain to the neck, and so on. Now that I have high-lighted some benefits of a 24-inch computer monitor, ask yourself whether you are now more willing to consider buying a 24-inch LCD monitor.

Let me stress that even a convert needs reinforcement of his beliefs. Emphasizing the benefits will strengthen the resolve for a convinced customer to buy. I already had a 19-inch monitor, and so I need to justify buying a 24-inch LCD monitor to replace the 19-inch LCD monitor. The benefits provided the justification to my self and to my wife.

Conversely, we should not just emphasize the benefits but do not explain why the benefits exist. You need to explain how the product features make these benefits possible to provide credibility behind your benefit statements. Otherwise, the benefit claims sound like unjustified hype.

Jacob Gan

Ethical Marketing

When we attend an internet marketing training course, seminar or talk, or even reading about internet marketing, we are often told to apply the tactic of time urgency to influence our prospects to buy from us.

This advice comes from the fact that if the prospects do not buy immediately, the chances are they may not buy later. Therefore, this trick is to create the pressure on them to buy from you now, or they will miss the special offer.

Here are some examples of marketing pitches that use such limited time or limited quantity tricks. Note that in all the examples below, the products are all digital products.

“Click the Buy Now Button Now Below, Get it for $19.95 Before this Special Offer is Over”

“I am giving this bonus to the first 50 people who take action as a reward for fast response.”

“This special limited offer we are proud to present the introduction of our journals. We offer you: …”

“Only Today: 5 bonuses completely FREE to you!”

It is not difficult for one to realize the dishonesty in what the marketers claim. Perhaps, only the very inexperienced and the more gullible may fall prey to such trickery.

My belief is to stay clear of such unethical practice. Instead, focus on the benefits of your products and how they can help solve your prospects' problems. A good marketer is one who sells solutions to prospects whose problems your products solve and not selling products to people that do not really need them.