Is your business offering features or benefits?
Once or twice a week I go to an aqua-dance class at my local indoor pool. I guess it's a sign of my age, but I love exercising in the warm water without any joint pain!
Between songs, I get time to look at the various business signs displayed on the wall. And every week I think the same thing:
Stop listing your features - customers buy benefits
People buy results or benefits. Instead of saying 'our irrigation system uses variable speed pumps' try 'save up to 30% on water bills and keep your garden lush even in dry spells.' The benefit is a lush garden in dry spells. The feature is a variable speed pump. If you're not sure what benefit your business or brand offers, think about the problem your products or services solve, from the customer perspective.
Problem Solving Examples
Online grocery shopping: reduces stress 😥
Mortgage broker: provides peace of mind 😀
Pilates studio: improves self-esteem 🚶
How to create benefit-focused messages
✔️Audit your current assets: List all features you tout and map them to concrete outcomes your customers care about. Ask: “What change will this deliver in their day-to-day life?”
✔️Create a one-page outcomes matrix: For each product or service, write the top 2–3 outcomes, the proof points, and a local-friendly call to action.
✔️Refresh LinkedIn and local materials with outcomes-first copy: Replace feature-forward lines with benefit-driven statements tailored to local industries (agriculture, trades, hospitality, tourism, etc.).
✔️Use visuals that reinforce outcomes: Before/after scenarios, simple charts, or photos of real people achieving results in your community.
✔️Measure and iterate: Track engagement on posts that emphasize outcomes versus features. Use what resonates locally to refine.
Leading with benefits is a proven approach that has been around for a long time and is based in cognitive science. If you're interested in diving a little deeper, check out How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market by Gerald Zaltman or Storybrand: Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller.
If you are contemplating creating signage for your business, please, for the love of God, lead with your benefit, keep it short and make sure it stands out from its surrounds (or just give me a call).
