Always Remember, Benefits Not Features

Benefits not features. Working with several clients this week, I found myself bringing up this same topic more than once. Though a basic building block for all effective content creation, it's a concept that too often gets overlooked.

Why?

Several reasons actually.

First, we are all by nature self centered. We care about us. What's in it for me? Unfortunately this spills over when we create content and we tend to want to talk about us. On a resume, we want to talk about all the great things we've done. On a product description, we want to highlight all the wonderful things it can do. On a business web site, we want to shout about how long we've been around, how many locations we have or how many awards we've won.

There's just one problem.

The prospective employer, consumer or customer you're trying to reach doesn't care about any of that. They want to know what you are going to do for them. They care about the benefits for them not about your features.

In football terms, flameout quarterback Ryan Leaf, selected second overall in the 1998 NFL draft, had the size, great arm, and all the physical tools (Features) to be a top QB. Tom Brady, a skinny kid out of Michigan who was a backup for most of his college career, was taken 199th overall in the sixth round of the 2000 draft, 199th overall. Brady's gone on to throw 334 touchdowns and counting. That's 320 more than Leaf so far. (Benefits)

A second reason you tend to see features instead of benefits is that it's difficult to write about how something affects the other person. Our first inclination is inward. To step out of our own skin and look at things from the other person's point of view takes discipline and imagination. It's hard but essential if we hope to get our message across to our target audience.

In my earlier post on Chevrolet's new tag line I wrote about how how Chevy shifted from a features slogan (Chevy Runs Deep) to one highlighting benefits (Find New Roads). The shift was from "we've been around a long time" to "we can help you discover new things."

There are other examples over the years of companies changing from a feature based slogan to one based on benefits. Budweiser shifted from "The King of Beers" (we're the best!) to "This Bud's for you!" (we brewed it for you). Coca Cola went from "Coke is it!" (we're great!) to "Enjoy a Coke" (you'll like it). Delta Airlines has morphed from "Fly the Best with Delta" (Us, us, us!) to "You'll love the way we fly" (you, you you!).

It's a simple concept but one which good content creators should never forget.

What does your marketing material look like? Are you highlighting Benefits or talking about Features?

Does Your Copywriter Have To Be A Know-it-all?

"How comfortable are you writing about.....?" "Do you have content development experience in ....?"

"What have you done in the xyz industry?

I receive some variation of that question from prospective clients nearly every week. While I have significant experience in certain areas, I am more of a generalist, able to create effective copy in just about any industry. There's no question that there are specific disciplines that require focused experience and a depth of knowledge. However most copywriters can do a solid job creating solid content in any field...as long as they follow the basic ABC's of copywriting.

A - Audience

Know your audience. For whom is the message intended? What's in it for them? The writer needs the answer to this first basic question before beginning any writing assignment. Once the target audience is established, the next step is defining the goal of the piece. Is it to entertain? Inform? Educate? Excite? The answers to these questions apply to every industry and every piece of content. Having a clear understanding of the goal and the audience are the first steps to creating any effective content.

B - Background

Here is where experience comes into play. Yes if a writer has done a good deal of work in a particular industry - as I have in business management, logistics, graphic arts, supply chain, quality, HR - there is clearly an advantage. However not having experience in a particular sector does not prevent a writer from producing quality content. A diligent researcher and interviewer with a healthy curiosity can get up to speed in any number of industries very quickly. Remember, it's more important to have the right questions than to have all the answers.

One of my prospective clients rightfully expressed concern about my lack of experience in a particular industry. Her main fear was that the engineers that I would be dealing with expected a deep understanding of the subject matter. That's a valid concern if the industry and the target audience are both highly technical. However in many cases, the fact that the writer is not deeply embedded in a particular discipline can actually be an advantage. Someone crafting a piece involving a technical subject for an audience that is not technical may find new ways to explain and describe the subject matter. This fresh approach could actually give the piece more life and make it more effective.

C - Clear, concise, compelling

Okay so that's three C's but they all fit, especially when it comes to writing. Regardless of the industry, all content must be well written. The writer needs to express industry terms and concepts in clear, concise and compelling language. The writer's ability to interest, explain and persuade hinges on his or her writing skill. And with a good writer, that skill will shine through regardless of the subject matter and will ultimately translate into effective content.

What do you think? Expertise or Experience?

More on Content Marketing: 7 Points to Ponder

Content Marketing. Content Marketing. Content Marketing. It's everywhere.

Are you using it? If not, you'd better start.

In one of my recent posts, I discussed the concepts of Content Strategy, Content Marketing and Content Management - the Why, What and How of content.

At the heart of it all is your content and what it needs to do for you.

Here are seven things to consider regarding the Content Marketing explosion and how it affects you.

1. More May Be Less - According to Doug Kessler (@dougkessler) of Velocity Partners, nine out of 10 B2B marketers will be producing more content this year than last year. The problem is a lack of talent out there to generate all the required material. That will undoubtedly result in an effluence of poor content muddying the waters for the truly helpful content that drives traffic and sales. Kessler says the key will be to find writers and creators that "get content, understand context and can actually produce things that audiences want to consume."

2. Lead On - A study by B2B Magazine found that inbound marketing - of which Content Marketing is a key component - produces 62% lower cost per sales lead. The study also noted that 51% of marketers found Content Marketing to be the most effective tool for generating leads better than Brand Awareness, Thought Leadership and Sales.

3. Content Still Rules - Ben Hollom (@benhollom), Marketing Director at M2Bespoke says that "content is now the single most important aspect of a business' website."

4. On Your Mark, Get Set, Blog -  Where to begin? "If you're insisting on a practical starting point, a blog should be your content cornerstone," says Barry Feldman (@feldmancreative) President of Feldman Creative. Organizations seem to be heeding that advice. According to Wordpress, 402 million people view more than 3.5 billion blog pages each month.

5. You Can Run, But You Can't Hide - If you're still trying to "hoard" your useful content so as not to "give it away" then just stop. Angie Sanders (@pronouncedALJ), partner at esolutions360, points out that "if your audience doesn't get information from you, then they'll perform a google search and find someone else who'll give them the answer."

6. Been Searching So Long - With the advances in Google and other search engines, emphasis continues to move away from standalone SEO. Content Marketer Marcus Sheridan (@TheSalesLion) predicts that "over half of the SEO companies that are around today will be gone within two years." He goes on to say that "Any SEO firm that cares about their clients and the future success of an organization is now starting to talk about and implement content marketing."

7. Building Your Foundation - Susan Gebauer (@dreckbaerfrau), founder of Explore B2B, says that "Content Marketing is about building a reputation by showing expertise, knowledge, moral character and demonstrating superior communicative skills through the content you provide."

Have you started your Content Marketing plan? Where will you begin?

Chevy's New Tagline: A Shift to WIIFM?

"Your market message should always be highlighting how your product will help your customer," says Nate Hirshberg, Marketing Manager for Harbortouch in this post from his blog {three60}Marketing.  "Although it should be obvious, this marketing fundamental often gets forgotten." Enter Chevrolet.

The iconic auto maker announced this month that it is changing its tagline from "Chevy Runs Deep" to "Find New Roads." As explained in this Wall Street Journal article, the General Motors division is tying the change to a massive rollout of 13 revamped Chevrolet models this year. One of the reasons CEO Dan Akerson gives for the shift is that "Chevy Runs Deep"  just "didn't translate well in some languages hindering the ability to build a global campaign."

More likely is that the tagline didn't translate into sales.

"Chevy Runs Deep" debuted in late 2010. In 2011, Chevrolet owned 13.9% of US auto sales market. In 2012, that fell to 12.8%. In 2000, Chevrolet had a 15% share.

How much of that was due to a tagline is debatable. You could, however, make a decent argument that the change to "Find New Roads" is a shift back to the basic question that customers ask: What's in it for me?

So how do the two slogans relate to WIIFM?

When "Chevy Runs Deep" was introduced, the ads featured nostalgic shots of assembly line workers in the 1940's, houses being built in the 1950's and a young couple in the 1960's. GM's Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick said at the time that "we are out to make people feel the depth of the Chevy brand in cars, especially cars, and trucks and its role in America." He also said they would be focusing on the Chevrolet "bow tie" logo as much as on the tagline.

Cut to audience waving widely and scratching their collective heads. Yes, Chevy has a long history and yes, Chevy is part of Americana and yes, Chevy has a great logo but....what's in it for me?

How about "Find New Roads?"

Instead of pontificating on the importance of Chevrolet, the new tagline focuses on what a Chevy might do for for the customer.

"It offers a challenge to people," Akerson explains in the WSJ article.

Interim marketing chief Alan Batey says the new slogan is meant to "inspire consumers to explore new destinations in life and to reach beyond the normal, whether it is taking a different route to work, trying something new or visiting a new destination."

Whether it sparks increased sales remains to be seen, but at least GM has turned the focus back on what its product can do for the customer. For Chevrolet, that looks like a turn back onto the right messaging road.

What do you think? Has Chevy inspired you?

Content is Still King: 5 SEO Experts Speak

In 1992, James Carville, a key advisor to presidential candidate Bill Clinton, came up with a memorable slogan for the campaign: It’s the economy, stupid. As the battle rages over how best to incorporate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) into website copywriting, more and more SEO experts are returning to a basic idea that can be similarly summed up: It’s the content, stupid.

The “stupid,” is probably harsh, but there is no doubt that the SEO discussion is shifting from a focus on “technology” to an emphasis on “content.”

Here is what five SEO experts have to say on the subject.

Paul Boag (@boagworld) co-founder of Headscape from his Smashing Magazine article,  “The Inconvenient Truth about SEO.”

- “We shouldn’t be optimizing for search engines at all. We should be optimizing content for people.”

- “Your primary objective should be better content, not higher rankings.”

- “In short, write useful content.”

He suggests you do this through white papers, blogs, research findings, case studies, user generated content and interviews among other things.

Gisele Navarro Mendez (@giselenmendez), Upstream Connections’ Social Community Manager in her In Social We Trust post  “The SEO Way of Thinking Needs to Go.”

- “Instead of building links, try building relationships.”

- “People don’t care about SERPs or the way Google works. They will click on the links they want, but if you have failed at delivering good content /products /services /support, they will leave your site and never look back.”

- “People will find your site if there’s a network of happy customers supporting your business.”

Jonathan Gebauer (@jobebauer), founder Explore B2B in B2B’s article, “Debunking SEO: Jonathan Gebauer.”

- “Good SEO is natural SEO.”

- “Provide strong, engaging content that people are interested to read.”

- “Focus on being an entertaining and reliable content provider.”

Lisa Barone (@LisaBarone), VP of Strategy at Overit in B2B’s article  “Debunking SEO: Lisa Barone”

- “Shift away from creating ‘unique content’ to ‘purposeful content.”

- “Content has always had the crown, but now it’s got the respect to go with it.”

- “Focus on the right party – customers, not the search engines.”

Melissa Fach (@SEOAware), CEO of SEO Aware and Managing Editor of Search Engine Journal in B2B’s article “Debunking SEO: Melissa Fach.”

“You cannot be successful without content and SEO combined. I know there are those that get a site at the top of page one with crappy content, but they have nothing in place for conversion and/or maintaining a solid audience. So even if you get to #1, without the right content, you fail anyway.”

What do you think? Technology or Content? How best to reach your prospect base?

7 Traits of a Valuable Freelance Copywriter

You’ve decided to hire a freelance copywriter. There are many reasons you’ve come to that decision:

• Your internal staff is swamped.

• You lack an in-house resource with experience on the topic.

• You're simply looking for a fresh voice and perspective.

What should you consider as you seek the person that is going to solve your problem quickly and effectively?

Here are seven key traits to look for as you conduct your search:

1. Writing Skill – This one seems obvious but you’d be surprised at the wide variety of writing skills that are out there. The person you hire needs to deliver compelling, consistent, and coherent copy that hits the mark with limited intervention from you.

2. Reliability and Dependability – Woody Allen once said that 80% of success is showing up.  No matter how good your writer is, if the copy isn't delivered on time, it's not going to be worth much to you. The person you hire will be a crucial member of your team. You have to be able to rely on him or her to be there when needed.

3. Flexibility – Your writer needs to be able to roll with the punches that inevitably come in the dynamic day to day business environment. That could take the form of last minute scheduling changes or requests for edits in the copy. You have enough problems without fighting your writer on changes you want to make or on deadlines that may shift.

4. Versatility – You likely have various writing needs ranging from editorial to technical to promotional. One writer may not have the background or experience to handle all of your requirements, but the more projects one writer can handle the easier your life will be. Once you develop a solid relationship, you'll be much more productive using that writer for as many of your needs as possible.

5. Strategic Thinking – You should be looking for more than a writer. You need someone with a broad business background who can understand the underlying issues you face and can offer ideas on how best to address them in your copy. You want someone with whom you can discuss ideas and concepts and who can help you develop the appropriate strategy to achieve the goals of each piece.

6. Natural Curiosity – Your writer should be genuinely interested in learning more about your business, product, and the project at hand without having to be led every step of the way. This trait becomes even more crucial if the project requires research or interviewing of an SME.

7. The Ability to Get “It” – You want a writer who is a quick study, knows who the target audience is, understands the goal for each piece, and delivers copy in the style and tone you require. And someone who can get it to you quickly without much hand holding on your part.

Do the copywriters you've been using match up?  What traits do you value most?