Have you ever wondered why a product has strong features but cannot convince customers? The reason may come from the fact that you have not translated those technical features into the language of benefits for customers. Very few customers care about product features, what they care about is the benefits these features bring and how it helps them and improves their lives.

In fact, many marketers often confuse Features and Benefits. And this can cause a marketing campaign to fail or even cause sales to decrease significantly. I also used to not be able to distinguish between these two concepts and am still trying every day not to confuse them.

So I wrote this article as a way for myself to “review” my understanding from the knowledge I have gathered as well as my own practical experiences.

1. Why do marketers need to distinguish between Features and Benefits?

Distinguishing between Features and Benefits, in my opinion, is important to create an attractive, understandable and clear message to potential customers. If a message is full of features without describing benefits to buyers, customers will feel unfamiliar with the product. Or conversely, if the benefits are exaggerated without any underlying features, the business will also lose trust with customers.

Of course, understanding the difference between these two concepts is only the first step and does not completely guarantee that we will create a successful message. But certainly a campaign will not be effective if the message we give is not clear and meets the psychology and needs of potential customers.

2. Difference between Features and Benefits

Features

Features are technical information and specific descriptions about your product or service. They represent fixed features, functions, or characteristics of the product. For example, if you sell a cell phone, features might include screen size, battery capacity, or high-resolution camera.

Benefits

Benefits are the values ​​and benefits that your product or service brings to customers. They focus on how the product helps users solve their problems or meet their needs. A focus on benefits helps customers see the real value they can get. For example, if your mobile phone features a high-resolution camera, the benefit will be the ability to take clear and sharp photos, helping you preserve memorable moments.

Distinguish between Features and Benefits

• Main goal in marketing
  • Features: Often used to introduce products or services and provide basic information about them.
  • Benefits: Is the main focus in marketing, because it shows the true value that the product or service brings to customers. Benefits are what you want customers to see and understand.
• Communicate value
  • Features: Helps customers know about specific features of a product or service.
  • Benefits: Show how the product or service can improve the customer’s life or solve a problem.
• Convince
  • Features: Usually not enough to convince customers to buy, because it doesn’t say why customers should care.
  • Benefits: Drive purchasing decisions by demonstrating the value and benefits customers can receive.
• Create emotions
  • Features: Usually does not create strong emotions in customers.
  • Benefits: Ability to stimulate emotions and create a mental bond with customers.
• Time of use
  • Features: Often used when you want to specifically introduce a product or service.
  • Benefits: Often used to persuade customers after they already know about the product or service through features.

3. Correlation between Features and Benefits

Features and Benefits are both parts of how we present our products or services to customers, but they serve different goals and roles:

• Features and Benefits have a close relationship: Features provide information about a product or service, while Benefits represent the value and benefits that customers receive when using them.
• Features support Benefits: Features often serve as the basis or foundation for Benefits. They provide specific technical and functional information about the product, helping to explain why Benefits are important.
• Benefits drive purchasing decisions: Benefits are often used to persuade customers to make a purchase. When customers see that a product or service has the ability to solve a problem or meet a customer need, they tend to make a purchase decision.
• Combine Features and Benefits to create a powerful message: This way, you create an easy-to-understand and convincing message that helps customers clearly see the value of your product or service.

In short, Features and Benefits have a close relationship in marketing. Features provide the basis for Benefits, and how we combine them can greatly influence how the value of a product or service is communicated to customers.

4. Illustrative example

Also in the mobile phone example above, Features can include screen size, battery capacity, or high-resolution camera. This information forms the basis for Benefits. Benefits will be the ability to take clear and sharp photos, helping you preserve memorable moments.

5. Conclusion

As I mentioned above, understanding the difference between these two definitions does not completely guarantee an effective message and campaign, but understanding how to distinguish these two categories also helps us A clearer picture of the products and services you are promoting, thereby getting closer to achieving the desired effects in marketing. Hope this article brings you a lot of useful information. If you have questions or want to discuss this topic further, please comment below!