The Dangers of Featureland

The Dangers of Featureland (1)

In product marketing, you need to sell benefits. But what does that actually entail?

You know your product inside and out, which is a blessing… and a curse. While you have something really unique and beneficial to offer, you’ll end up losing your customers when you wander into the dangerous territory we call “Featureland.”

Getting stuck in "Featureland" is one of the biggest challenges companies face when creating the 4 Assets You Need To Build a Solid Marketing Foundation.

Here's what this means...

What’s “Featureland?”

It’s where you describe all the cool stuff your product does and how it works. And then you wonder why your customers’ eyes are glazing over.

I’ll tell you why that’s happening... Featureland is full of WEEDS. And your customers are getting caught in them. 

Tech start-ups, in particular, have a tendency to get caught up describing the (admittedly cool) features of their product. And we understand why… You’ve been thinking about this stuff 24/7. You are really excited to talk about this awesome thing you’ve spent months (or years) developing. 

But here’s the problem: Your customers haven’t been thinking about it 24/7. They’ve been thinking about their own challenges that need solving. When you wander into the weeds of feature description, you risk losing their attention.

That’s why at Decoded Strategies we say, “Sell the benefits, not the features.”

People are only interested in a feature when it clearly gives them some benefit - when it makes their life better. Don’t make them wonder what that benefit is. Tell them. 

Benefits are the value you offer. 

Does the feature you want to describe…

Save time? Save money? Reduce effort? Improve reputation? Simplify life?

Tell them. 

Every time you launch a new feature, take the time to identify the benefit of that feature. Lead with that in your sales conversations and marketing. Then remind them of those benefits in their onboarding and renewals. 

Features only exist because they provide benefits. Don’t make your customer figure out what those benefits are. Tell them. All the time.

Customers get lost in Featureland. But they thrive in Benefitland. Product marketing needs to sell the benefits of using your product. And when it does, your customers will know why they need to invest in you. And you'll have a blast hanging out together in Benefitland. 

DECODED STRATEGIES
Making Tech Sound Simple

We help tech-focused companies implement the StoryBrand framework in simple, powerful marketing and retention.

Storybrand Certified Guide Badge
Storybrand Facilitator Badge
Want to learn more marketing best practices?

Sign up for our weekly emails to become a master of clear marketing.

Please enter your name.
Please enter a valid email address.
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.
What is Customer Success? Start at the Beginning
What is Customer Success? Start at the Beginning Customer success- it's one of those titles, departments, functions that ...
Read More
Why Your Marketing Should Be Boots on the Ground (And Out of the Clouds)
Why Your Product Marketing Should Be Boots on the Ground (And Out of the Clouds) This might sound ...
Read More
About Annie And Kristin of Decoded Strategies
Decoded Strategies

A Fresh Perspective

Brands with incredible products get beat by the competition every day. Confusing messaging will cost you on every critical front of your business. Decoded Strategies delivers messing strategy & marketing services to communicate about your business in the way your audience actually wants to hear it.