Features tell and benefits sell. It’s an adage anyone working in sales or marketing can recite in their sleep.
But what if you’re talking to the wrong person? Or describing benefits he or she doesn’t care about?
You can’t be everything to everyone. Instead, focus on defining your audience and figuring out what’s important to them. Then, use powerful, descriptive words to bring home how your product meets their needs.
Specificity sells. Here are three ways to do it:
- Specifically define your target audience. Put the time into fully developing your target customer profile or persona. Demographics are a starting point, but understanding a customer’s behaviors, interests, passions, and media habits will make both your media buy and your message more relevant.
- Specifically target your buy. There’s a great deal of debate about online ad targeting versus consumer privacy rights. While research shows consumers like seeing relevant messages, they balk at ads that venture into “creepy” territory…and there’s a lot of creepy territory out there. Some of this can be offset with transparency about why the ad is being shown and putting control in consumers’ hands to stop sharing their information. However, there are other ways to target that don’t trigger privacy concerns. Identify sites and platforms your customers are likely to use, then explore partnerships, banner ads, and sponsored content opportunities. Track your ROI and test as much as possible–don’t assume what works for others will always work for you. And don’t throw out ideas without considering a small project to test the waters.
- Speak specifically to your target’s needs. In order to develop impactful campaigns, dig into the research and figure out what your target is looking for. You may discover insights through social listening, interacting with customers via your own channels, or using more traditional research methods such as surveys or focus groups. Follow up with customers after they shop to measure their satisfaction and see what triggered their purchases…or their decisions not to buy. Track re-buy and service records. Then make sure your advertising messages reflect what you’ve learned.
The more specific you are, the more powerful your campaigns. Find your potential customers, determine what they need, align your media buys…and employ the talents of a top-rate copywriter, because the right words are essential in closing the deal.