The Main Difference Between Features and Benefits

In order to dispel the confusion, I am going to go over what benefits are and what features are, for they are two different and yet equally important things when it comes to advertising your product or service.

A benefitis something that improves, enhances or promotes well-being.  It would be like saying, “The benefits of having your own business is you get to set your own schedule.”  Here are few more benefits to being a business owner:

-More time with your family
-Setting your own hours
-More freedom and work your business when you want to.
-Ability to travel when you want.
-Less stress because you are in charge and no one is breathing over you to complete a task or sale before a deadline!  (unless it’s a spouse or yourself).

All of these things promote well-being (benefits) and can ad to your ability to be more present with your life and family.

A feature, is what your products have.  For example, a feature that an audio program that promotes well-being while you sleep would have is a c.d, or a series of c.d’s.

A benefit is what a person intimately gains from a specific feature-it’s what’s on the INSIDE when you use that product that creates the benefit.

A benefit is the ultimate end result and what that result means to you.  For me, the benefits of being my own boss are huge, they include all of the things I mentioned above but more so it allows me to challenge myself every day to be the best I can be, and reap huge rewards because of it.  I am the only one in charge of my success and my failure-I can’t blame the economy, my boss or the people higher up on the ladder.

When it comes to advertising always focus on how the features of your product specifically benefit the individual purchasing it and what those benefits mean to that person.  Once you know the answer to these questions by asking your specific customer base what their thoughts and feelings are-you will be able to market your business to more qualified people who are looking for what you’ve got.

cheers,