Many times you will be writing copy for products that have flaws. These flaws could potentially repeal people from buying it. As a copywriter, it’s your duty to redefine these flaws to remove the resistance.
There are usually 3 drawback categories :
- The product looks or “sounds” too hard to use.
- No broad appeal, Not an important product.
- The price is too high compared to Alternatives.
Most of the time, you will not be able to change these things because it costs too much money or is just not possible, but we can use redefine these flaws to remove the drawbacks that a potential customer might have.
A classic case of redefinition is LifeBouy Soap in the 1930s, LifeBouy did a good job cleaning but it had one overwhelming drawback: A strong medicinal odor.
Since the odor could not be removed because that was one of the main ingredients that made the soap so good. So, How do we turn this liability into an asset? – A case for redefinition.
This was done with a popular Body Odor campaign, where prospects’ attention was focused on their own B.O, which drives people away ( which is true).
The solution was not any ordinary soap but this strong mighty LifeBouy Soap that started working as soon as you put it on your body. The medicinal scent meant that the soap was working to remove the odor. A lot of other soaps had to add the medical scent just to get people to buy/use their product.
So, How do we fix the 3 major drawbacks?
Simplification
The first drawback most people have is how difficult a product is to use. Even if the product is very easy to use, if it “looks” or “sounds” like a hassle, people will assume that this is going to be an issue. This issue will cause people to not even give the product a try.
So, you need to REDEFINE how easy it is to use the product.
So, What you need to do is simplify the process to show either that it’s very easy to use, or if it is really difficult, show how worthwhile it’s going to be after it’s used or compare it with something that people already to show that it’s as easy as 1-2-3.
Let’s say we are selling a telescope that has to be assembled, now most people will assume that it’s a hassle because of many parts the ad shows, but we could show that it can be assembled in ” 10 Minutes with 3 Easy Steps” or even show elderly adults assembling it to show that “even a grandma can do it”. If you are selling software or application, What you could do is compare it to another easy product that they already use. ” If you can use FaceBook, you can use our XYZ Application”
Importance
Now, we are dealing with a product that is easy to use but doesn’t have a broad appeal. “It’s no use to me”
Your duty here is to make the product more important than it is. You can do this by broadening the benefits of the product.
The goal is to redefine the product’s benefit from less desirable to one that will bring in more sales.
Most of the products fall into 3 categories: They help people save/make more money or save time, or raise their “perceived” status.
Look at these scenarios:
- A certain product helps you save more time than you can spend that time with your family, which matters to you.
- This book will make you the smartest guy in the room and everyone will respect you.
- Drinking this coffee made by veterans means that you are paying your dues to the service men and women who fought for your freedom.
You can always find other benefits of using a certain product, you just need to show that to the potential customer.
Price Reduction
The final drawback people will have for a product is how much it costs. The first reaction businesses have is to “lower the price” but that’s not always the best thing to do.
You see when people think that something costs too much, they have not realized the perceived value of the product.
You can employ 4 Methods to make the product worthwhile:
- Relate Product To Something Even More Expensive
You could have a pricing tier on your product, that’s substantially more with a “gimmick” feature that you know people will not desire. You could also compare it to another more expensive product like how Walmart, Kroger do by comparing products to “Branded” items. - Add Bonuses ( and tell them what’s the cost of it)
Another tactic to add “Bonuses” that they get if they make the purchase, but do it by telling them how much the bonus would have cost them if they bought it independently. This will make it seem like they are getting more than what they are paying for. - Divide the price to “cost per day”
You could offer payment plans or even show people how much they would be spending per day if they bought your $5,000 product which lasts in average 10 years. Tell them it’s only $1.36 per day, Is $1.36 worth it for their well-being or their health? - Show “behind the scene ” manufacturing
You can even show that it’s a “woman” or “minority” owned company or even post videos about how much hard work goes behind the scene to make that product. A lot of photographers are asked why their price is so expensive, In this case, a photographer should show their expensive equipment, time/money it takes to learn the skill and to edit the photos.
If you can remove these 3 objections, you will remove almost 90% of the drawbacks and objections that a prospect might have.
