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Headlines & Motorcycles
Hi
Fellow
Marketer,
Welcome
to my continuing in a series of marketing newsletters. Check
this out, there’s a great lesson about crafting headlines …
Last
week I ran into an old buddy of mine ... we used to take our
off-road motorcycles to the “middle-of-nowhere” and ride
trails for hours - through canyons, up hills. I had heard that
he had gotten a new dirt bike … an expensive new dirt
bike.
Curious
to hear what he thought of his recent investment, I asked, “Hey
Mike, how’s that new bike?” “Oh,
man, it’s great. I feel so confident on this bike …what an
experience to know I can now handle any terrain comfortably”.
He then later went on to tell me how incredibly fast the
sophisticated engine was and how the state-of-the-art suspension
soaked up even the biggest ruts.
Ok,
you’re thinking, nice story, but what does riding off-road
motorcycles have to do with marketing?
Everything!
Let’s
break down my short conversation with my friend into a most
fundamental marketing concept: Remember,
your product or service has features, advantages of those
features and benefits to those advantages. According to
my friend Mike, they are:
- Features
– sophisticated engine and state-of-the-art suspension
- Advantages
– fast and nimble handling
- Benefits
– Confidence in his riding ability
Now,
here’s the real important stuff
… remember what Mike mentioned first when I asked him
what he thought of his new bike? That’s right, he was most
excited about the benefit … how
he felt, his newborn confidence, and the experience. He
then afterwards told me about the advantages of the features.
So,
What really sold Mike on this motorcycle? Easy, right … well
ponder this:
People
buy products to solve a problem.
If you’re tempted to say Mike emptied his savings account
because he wanted a bike with a high-tech engine and suspension
(features), or to be able to go fast and soak up the big ruts
(advantages), you’re not twisting that throttle enough.
Ultimately the problem Mike was looking to solve was to feel
more confident and comfortable in his riding over rough terrain.
And
you want to know the kicker? The benefit was a feeling … an
emotion.
Now
this is not an isolated incident.
The ultimate feeling, experience or emotion of using your
product or service is usually the solution to a problem
your customers are seeking. Talk with your customers. Ask them why
they purchased your product.
So,
What problem does your product solve? Dig deep enough to
answer the why’s and craft a strong headline exclaiming that
benefit. Of course, features and advantages are also very
important and you need to fully cover those in compelling copy
and subheads.
Remember
– craft your headline on benefits, appeal to your prospects’
emotions, and you’ll reap the benefits of experiencing
the growth in your business you’ve been dreaming about.
Cheers,
and hoping you Realize Your Market PotentialTM.
Brian
Lewis
Solutions
Insight
www.solutions-insight.com
4919
Colusa Drive
Oceanside,
CA 92056
760
207.3101
P.S.
To see how well your new headline pulls, make sure you test it
against your current efforts. Not sure how to go about doing
that? No problem, give me a call at 760 207.3101 and I’ll show
you how easy it is to test, measure and boost your response!
©
2004 Solutions Insight, All Rights Reserved
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