Why Customers “WANT” Your Products – Products Descriptions Part 2

After months, sometimes years of perfecting your craft you can’t help but become an absolute expert at it. Often times we become so involved with our products we get obsessed with the technical aspects like the materials we use and how we make our products.

These things become so important to us but are our customers too bothered about the SAP values of oils , how much pigment we used or the ins-and outs of a preservative?

To be honest most of our customers and potential buyers are not interested and don’t care.

What’s in it for me?

The best product descriptions tell the potential buyer exactly how they will benefit from buying your product. Features are all of the factual things about your product. They describe exactly what your product is made of, it’s size, it’s function, how it smells…

Benefits show what your product does for your customer. How does it solve their problems and how does it make them feel?

“People don’t buy Christian Louboutin Hot Chick Sling 100 Leather courts because they are high quality and cover their feet. They buy them because they make them feel sexy and special.”

“Rolex lovers don’t collect these watches because they simply tell the time. Rolex watches scream status and exclusivity.“

So what is wrong with this description of a coffee table?

“It’s hand made, 50x90cm, light beige, made of oak and will probably last until the next century. “

It’s all factual. That is what is wrong here. Does this description make you want to get your wallet out and buy it?

Benefits Over Features!

What has been listed are features and not really any benefits. And features are fine because we need to know what the ingredients are and we need to know what the product does.

But remember the vast majority of our purchases are mostly driven by emotion so we need to engage our customers on a deeper level. This is not some form of trickery. We cannot and would not want to fool our customers into buying something.

The truth is that people are too smart for that anyway. In today’s world you cannot trick people, they are just too clever for that and can spot a hard sell or slick talk a long way off. But customers need to understand how your products will fit into their lives and solve their problems.

Extracting the benefits from the features does not have to be confusing or complicated.

Discover the hidden benefits of your products by following these 5 simple steps.

STEP 1. Know who your ideal customer is and some of the things that are important to them.

STEP 2. Make a list of your products features

STEP 3. Ask why did we make a product with these features? What is important about them?

STEP 4. How do these features fit with our customers needs and desires?

STEP 5. Show the customer what’s in it for them if they buy your product.

Last week we covered how to identify your ideal customer and came up with a profile. So let’s recap and look at our ideal customer again.

STEP 1 Identify your ideal customer

• She’s mid 30s, a mother, runs a household and works. So this is a very busy woman with a lot to do.

• She has a dog and a cat.

• She cares about ethical issues, the environment and sustainability.

• She lives just outside a city in a town which is semi rural.

• She prefers natural products with locally sourced ingredients and materials if possible.

STEP 2 Make a list of our products features

The features of our coffee table are

• It’s hand made,
• 50x90cm,
• light beige,
• made of oak
• has rounded corners
• and will probably last until the next century

STEP 3 What is Important about these features?

Onto step 3…. Here goes. Why did we make our coffee table with all those features.

• Well we made the table ourselves because we like making furniture by hand. So many things these days are mass produced and do not have a personal touch and are not so well made. So it was important for us to make something that was one-of-a-kind.

• We made it 50 x 90 cm because that is the standard size of a coffee table. It will fit into the average sized living room.

• We kept the colour of the oak natural because we really liked the colour. It is contemporary and neutral and will fit in with the décor in most homes.

• We made it from oak because this is a very hard wearing, strong timber and will survive lots of knocks and bangs. It looks great and is associated with quality.

• We sanded down the corners of the table for safety reasons. Practically everyone has bashed their shin or leg on a hard, pointy table corner or edge at some time in their lives and it is excruciating. So we wanted to avoid that happening with our coffee table. We don’t need to inflict pain on our customers.

• Okay and the “it will last until the next century” statement has kind of been covered before but we really wanted to build a table that would last for a looooong time. Maybe the customer might keep that table for the next 20 years. It might get passed down to the kids! Who knows?

STEP 4 and 5 How do the features meet our customers needs and what’s in it for them?

So now we know what is so important about the features of our product we can present them to our ideal customer in a way that will meet her needs and make it clear what benefits she will get from having our oak coffee table right in her living room, right now (well maybe tomorrow) if she hits the “buy now” button.

Okay let’s bring it all together and turn the features into benefits in our new cool and sexy description.

“Lovingly constructed with durable and locally reclaimed English oak this contemporary coffee table is designed to withstand the rigours of every day use.

This classic centre piece has a natural finish and is ergonomically crafted with smooth planes and edges. It will effortlessly integrate into any space fully complying with British FS6677 safety standards.

A protective waxy finish made from non-toxic natural plant esters ensures this table will easily resist coffee stains, crayon marks and scratches and retain its natural beauty for years to come. Simply wipe clean with a damp cloth and gentle detergent to restore your Eco Earth table.

Every table from Eco Earth Furniture is slightly different and no two tables are the same. This means that you will own an inimitable and special piece of furniture crafted only for you.

Eco Earth Furniture is passionate about protecting and restoring our natural habitats. When a table is purchased from us we make a donation to “Rewild the Forest” a charity who plant 1000 native British trees a year.

Dimensions – 50x90cm

Flat pack delivery – simply attach legs

made from reclaimed English Oak

£300”

Much better don’t you think? Now let’s do a quick analysis of our description.

In paragraph 1 we covered potential concerns about if this table will be durable enough to survive family usage, including the kids. We also appealed to our customers desire for locally made and sourced materials and items.

In paragraph 2 we highlighted that this product is safe for the children and the pets and we managed to boast about how good our table looks at the same time.

In paragraph 3 we emphasized safety again by using words such as protective and non-toxic. We talked about durability by highlighting that the table can withstand normal daily usage and even children’s activities. We even told mum how to clean it!

In paragraph 4 we are letting our customer know that this table is exclusive and no one else will have it which boosts it’s perceived value and gives it status.

In paragraph 5 we are letting our customer know that we too care about the environment, sustainability and share her values which is so important in this day and age.

What’s not to love about our table and our company?

By following our 5 simple steps you can easily unlock the benefits of your products for your customers and create engaging descriptions that sell. Have a go and let us know how it went.

We really value feedback and hearing from you. It would be great if you would just drop us a quick line at info@micamoma.com and let us know what you think and what you would like to see more of.