As a copywriter, to create truly effective copy, you know you have to lead with the benefit to consumer (what’s in it for them), but what else can you do to make your audience take action?
You already know to lead with the benefit, give a strong call to action, and keep your copy within your brand/company’s tone. However, there is something else you could be utilizing—a “magic bullet,” if you will, to make your copy even more effective. That magic bullet is called the “deep benefit.” It’s what makes copy powerful.
What Is a Deep Benefit?
The “deep benefit” brings the consumer’s benefit into real-life scenarios. You have to be sure that you really understand your consumer. So, rely on your market research but also be sure that you spend some serious time putting yourself in your customer’s shoes.
To identify the deep benefit, begin by identifying the benefit. Say, for example, that you’re marketing a smartphone app. Let’s call it the “Activity Alert” app. This app syncs all of someone’s kids’ activities, pickup times, drop-off times, driving distances to activities, and to-do notes with alarms and alerts.
The target audience is busy parents who are trying to juggle their jobs and errands with their children’s many afterschool and weekend activities. The benefit of this app is that parents can easily and conveniently keep their kids’ schedules straight without forgetting a thing (or a child!).
How To Find the Deep Benefit
Now, to find the deep benefit, take the benefit and identify how this will help them in the real world. What needs does this fulfill, what worries or concerns does this assuage, and what emotions can this change and how?
For our example, these parents are under a lot of pressure. They want to make sure that everything runs smoothly and well for their children. Every parent feels like they’re not doing a good enough job at one point or another. And the crazy activity schedule is often a situation that brings these feelings up. So, the deep benefit of our app could be that it allows them to be the perfect parent. They never forget an activity, a snack-duty day, or a pickup or drop-off. They’ll never disappoint themselves and, even more importantly, they’ll never disappoint their children.
What sounds more powerful to you? The benefit of keeping your kids’ schedules straight…or the benefit of never disappointing your children?
Can you see how the deep benefit has an even stronger emotional pull? If you can write copy that contains or even alludes to your deep benefit, it instantly becomes much more compelling. It takes your consumer’s personal understanding of the benefit to a whole new level.
Now, deep benefits may not always be appropriate to use (it depends on the product, the purpose of the message, and the medium), but when you can use them, you take your copy to a whole new level of effectiveness.
Listen to More
Nicki and Kate catch up with Jason Schneider, a copywriter with a decade of experience writing for a variety of brands. Hear how he writes successful copy for his clients >>
Your Turn!
How have you used “deep benefits” to make your copy more effective? Let us know in the comments below!
Last Updated on October 25, 2023
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