WebsiteAlways.com


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/


MORE RESOURCES:

Market Wire (press release)

Visible World and Ensequence Expand Advanced Advertising Solutions
MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
By leveraging the ETV/EBIF industry standard, interactive television advertising content can now be delivered to a specific target audience through ...
Vendors Team To Target Interactive Ads Multichannel News
Visible World and Ensequence Expand Advanced Advertising Solutions International Business Times
all 11 news articles


AORN Works Selects 90octane for Strategic Pay-Per-Click ...
MarketWatch - 15 hours ago
A pioneer in response- based online tactics such as search engine marketing, online advertising and microsite design, the firm integrates these with more ...
Agency Roster Lead - Monday, Dec. 1, 2008 MarketWatch
all 16 news articles


Healthline Networks Selected as the Exclusive Search and ...
CNNMoney.com - 11 hours ago
The Healthline Media Network will represent myOptumHealth.com in all advertising transactions including display ads, custom media solutions and network ...


Dial M For MySpace mobile advertising
Reuters - 2 hours ago
MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe is bullish on the mobile advertising market, but says ad agencies and corporate sponsors haven’t figured out to dial into ...
Reuters Summit-MySpace CEO cautiously optimistic on '09 guardian.co.uk
DeWolfe: 'Cautiously optimistic' about MySpace in recession CNET News
DeWolfe: Recession Hammering MySpace's Growth Silicon Alley Insider
Reuters
all 11 news articles


Titan Worldwide Shores Up Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey ...
MarketWatch - 10 hours ago
Titan Worldwide has signed an exclusive contract to manage the out-of-home advertising assets of the Delaware River Port Authority's subsidiary, ...


KELOLAND TV

SD lawmakers question no-bid tourism ad contracts
Forbes, NY - 4 hours ago
By CHET BROKAW , 12.01.08, 03:39 PM EST South Dakota lawmakers on Monday questioned no-bid contracts that pay a Sioux Falls advertising firm millions of ...
Retirement Laws Committee To Meet Dec. 3 Yankton Daily Press
all 12 news articles


Panasonic 'Links' with Quattro Wireless for Mobile Venture
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
The campaign, with both publishing services and advertising sales and operations handled by Quattro, is to promote the new Bluetooth-enabled device. ...


In-game advertising for THQ, SEGA, Eidos and Midway
Neoseeker - 7 hours ago
Last week THQ partnered with Massive for a global, multiyear, multi-title in-game advertising deal, and now have signed on with Double Fusion, ...
Double Fusion nets PS3 deals Develop
Double Fusion Partners With Four Publishers For In-Game PS3 Ads Gamasutra
Double Fusion Toggles Exclusive Ad Pacts MEDIAWEEK
Consumer Electronics Net
all 19 news articles


Lamont joins online advertising group after boardroom bloodletting
guardian.co.uk, UK - 1 hour ago
Former Tory chancellor Norman Lamont is joining the board of controversial online advertising group Phorm after a boardroom power struggle that led to the ...
Phorm says non-exec chairman, COO leave company Reuters
Lamont and ex-Ofcom exec join Phorm board PC Pro
Board room upheaval at Phorm ShareCast
Media Guardian - Brand Republic
all 13 news articles


Interpret LLC Names Elaine B. Coleman Vice President of Strategy ...
MarketWatch - 9 hours ago
In her role, Coleman focuses her efforts on understanding consumer behaviors and insights to build market research, brand advertising and product design ...

Advertising - Google News

Interesting articles | Home | site map | Link
© 2006
Thailand Tourism Breast enlargement Jobs Mahoubi.net Free Online Dating | Free personals | Married personals | Totally free personals | Dating online lakeland fl | Free dating sites | Travel Vacations | Multiple listing service real estate