• people running in a race

    Don’t compete on features – do this instead

    SaaS companies – don’t use copy that only focuses on your product features. You need to go a different route. Away from the well-trodden “what we do” path. Towards the greener “why we do it.”

    “B-b-but what about our features?”

    Of course, you still need to say what you do. However, focusing on features won’t win you customers in the long-term. Probably not in the short-term either. Here’s why.

    Your best features can and will be copied

    You spend your resources developing, testing and launching your idea. Sure, that gives you a headstart over the competition. Until they reverse-engineer what you did and release something similar. Tripping you up just as you were hitting top speed:

    google home page from 1999 looking old and blocky

    Here’s a company that wasn’t the first but hoovered up their competitors’ customers

    There’s no best feature

    Compete on features and you have to show why your version of a feature is better than a competitor’s. The thing is, everyone has different definitions of what’s best for them. Does best mean Gartner Magic Quadrant-rated? Award-winning? Support available on the phone?

    Feature fatigue

    Listing your features alongside a competitor can work well. As long as you have a superior feature set, of course. However, they’re no good when you’re talking to people who are still deciding if they actually need what you offer.

    “New features” don’t scale

    New can attract early adopters when you’re launching. However, this stops working when you grow and start targeting audiences who already have a solution. To those audiences, “new” means, “You’ll have to stop using the product you’ve already invested in.”

    Feature pressure

    You don’t really want to make your team come up with new features every few months. Expecting them to keep inventing the next iPod, iPad, or iPhone. Just to keep you ahead of the competition.

    “No one ever got fired for choosing IBM”

    The market leaders don’t always have the best features. They’re just the safest bet. Whether that’s because they’ve been around the longest, or gobbled up all the innovative companies. Your features aren’t going to dislodge them any time soon.

    “Ok, so tell me more about this narrative”

    This isn’t about your mission, values or brand. The narrative includes four main areas:

    • What’s changing in the world
    • Why it’s relevant to your target audience
    • What this means for your target audience if they don’t adapt
    • Introduce the solution

    Yours has to be positioned as the definitive narrative. Note “the”, not “a” narrative. Check out how these companies do it:

    What’s changing in the world

    World is moving beyond fossil fuels

    People want to shop online

    More and more people are spending money digitally

    Why it’s relevant to your target audience

    Businesses need new sources of energy

    Setting up an ecommerce store means competing with Amazon

    People are seeing savings wiped out by inflation and banks printing money

    What this means for your target audience if they don’t adapt

    Higher taxes on gas and oil, people seeing you as a polluter

    It’s not enough to launch a standard website and hope people will buy from you

    The government and banks will continue to control your money

    Introduce the solution

    BP is investing in low-carbon technology, giving you cleaner energy for your business

    Shopify gives you everything you need to sell, make money and provide great customer experience (like Amazon does)

    Digital currencies give you back control of your money

    Why narrative works

    Emotion over logic

    You’re not doing the hard-sell. Naturally, that makes people more defensive. You’re appealing to emotions. And we know that’s what motivates people to choose you over features.

    Otherwise all those perfume/after shave ads would talk about all the chemicals that makes them smell nice. Rather than use ads that say “wear our fragrance and attract people who look like this”.

    two young good looking people

    Build brand identity

    This helps you rise above the biggest problem facing you as you grow. Sameness. You can’t afford to play it safe. Wind in those loud colours. Tone down the copy. File down those sharp edge logos.

    Matches today’s consumers

    Everyone has their own Netflix series they prefer to watch. Their personalised Amazon home page. Their favourite TikTok or YouTube channels. Nobody’s sitting down together to watch one thing at one time on one screen anymore. It’s all about seeking out a niche that appeals to some people.
    Better for your SaaS to be someone’s shot of whisky than trying to be everyone’s cup of tea

    It’s not just about cost

    Take away the story and you’re competing on cold, hard logic. That usually ends up on price. Build your narrative and you avoid getting caught up in that race to the bottom.

    “So… how do we write about our features?”

    Sure, you still make a big thing about them. However, the features need to be positioned with your narrative in mind. Showing how your features help you adapt to the changing world. Not just how your features are better. Even if they are.

    Using this approach means your target audience buys into your vision. And that’s more powerful – and sustainable – than getting buy-in that’s based on features alone. Particularly when it comes to talking subscription renewal or upgrades.

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  • Ebook: Free 49-page guide to conversion copywriting & website optimisation

    Conversion copywriting & and website optimisation for the “start-up to scale-up” journey


    This ebook is for founders, CEOs, business leaders, marketers, content managers, website editors, and anyone else who works on websites, landing pages or digital campaigns


    Particularly those at the scale-up stage of growth, seeking investment, or targeting new markets. Because words that work as a start-up can seem out of-date when you’re scaling. Services may have expanded and aren’t reflected on your website pages. Maybe you’ve got funding and want to optimise your campaigns and ROI.

    This guide will help you solve all that. It’s based on 10+ years of frontline experience in growing websites and campaigns. Grab it free today for:

    Part 1: Words that get conversions (page 4)

    • how to get people to actually read your words, so you connect and convert them (page 5)
    • how to use the 7 sins in your copy to convert your audience (page 7)
    • 15 ways to get people to open and act on your emails (page 10)

    Part 2: Optimising for conversions (page 13)

    • how to make your first impression the right impression (page 15)
    • the 3 questions you must answer if you want conversions (page 15–16)
    • tips for optimising forms for sales, sign-ups & enquiries (page 17)

    Part 3: Landing page optimisation (page 21)

    • anatomy of a landing page that converts (page 23)
    • how to A/B test the right way – and the best alternatives (page 25)
    • template questions to save you time & convert faster (page 27, 28)

    Part 4: Getting strategic (page 29)

    • how to audit your website so you keep what works (page 30)
    • how to decide if/when you need new sections (page 32)
    • how to track & measure goals (for free) so you know how you’re performing (page 33)

    Part 5: SEO dos & don’ts (page 37)

    • a non-technical way to make your pages load faster so people don’t exit (page 39)
    • how to get your emails into inboxes not spam folders (page 41)

    Bonus: How to never have to do any of this stuff (page 45)

    • find out the shortcut used by many highly clued-up people such as yourself
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  • There’s no point doing anything with your business – unless you do this first

    I’ve something very important to tell you.

    There’s no point in you launching any campaign. Because it’ll fail. You’ll lose time, money, and sleep.

    Unless… you do this one thing first.

    You’d be amazed at how many people don’t. They throw money on expensive marketing campaigns, fire out emails, pump out stuff on social media.

    Only for people to ignore it completely. Or they see it and think ‘that brand is way too pushy, get out of my inbox, social feed, and my life.’

    It’s something straight from an ancient (well, 1960s) book: Breakthrough Advertising, by Gene Schwartz. Reportedly the most stolen book from libraries.

    You could buy it on places like Amazon for a few hundred of your pounds. Or, you could save your money and use what I’m going to tell you.

    Here’s the thing: To make your campaign a success, you need to know your audience’s level of awareness.

    Awareness about the following:

    • your product
    • the problem it solves
    • your company

    There are 5 stages of awareness.

    The goal is to move your audience to Stage 1. However, to get them there, you have to know where they’re at. And then tailor your messaging to match. Because they may already be at Stage 3, for example.

    “Stages? What the hell are you on about?”

    Let me explain.

    When Listerine was first launched in the late 1800s, it was marketed as an antiseptic.

    It did ok, but was never going to become the world-famous brand it is now. Then, in the 1920s, the company rebranded Listerine as a cure for bad breath.

    However, at that time people didn’t really see bad breath as a major problem. So, before trying to sell the product, Listerine focused on raising awareness of halitosis:

    people in chemical suits

    Listerine was all about using fear (of having bad breath) – one of the strongest emotions to sell things

    After people became aware bad breath was a problem, they started looking for a cure. And that’s when Listerine started to sell. All because Listerine educated their target audience about halitosis, before trying to sell.

    A different, but just as crucial, example is Lynx. When this deodorant came about, people didn’t need to be made aware of the problems with body odour. There were already plenty of products on the market that masked the smell of sweaty bodies.

    Instead, the target audience needed to be made aware why they should choose Lynx over the competition. That’s why the company chose not to highlight generic features like ‘protects you for 24 hours’. Instead Lynx went all-out on branding which said ‘Wearing Lynx turns you into an irresistible magnet to women, who will be compelled to throw themselves at you.’

    Ok, enough examples. Here are the 5 stages:

    The 5 stages of awareness

    Stage 5 – Completely unaware

    (where Listerine’s target audience were at)

    Your target audience  has no idea they have a problem. So of course that means they’re unaware of your solution. Even if they were, why would they care? They don’t feel they need it.

    Messaging approach: Education. Educate your readers about the problem you’re solving. ‘Did you know that people suffer with…’

    If you educate them, and they still feel they don’t need what you offer, it may be time to rethink. Maybe you have a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist.

    If you’ve ever seen Dragons’ Den you’ll have seen a few people learn this the hard way.

    Someone comes on with an invention that solves (what they see) as a big problem. Say a machine that peels bananas for you. The inventor proudly explains how they’ve solved an age-old problem! What to do with the peel. How to avoid getting banana on your clothes. How to avoid it snapping in two when you peel beyond halfway.

    A Dragon then pulls a face, and says, ‘Actually, that’s never bothered me. I use a bin for getting rid of the peel. I wipe my hands after eating. And I just peel as I go, so it never breaks off.’

    The inventor goes away, having a learnt a valuable lesson. Always check if the target audience sees a new product or service as the solution to their problem.

    Stage 4 – Aware they have a problem

    Now we’re cooking. Your target audience is aware of a vaguely uncomfortable feeling. Like you get when sitting on a toilet seat that’s still warm from the previous occupant.

    It’s time to expand on that feeling. Your messaging need to let them know they’re not alone in feeling this way. Everything you create here should be about building a rapport.

    Messaging approach: Describe the problem. ‘Your problem is real. Here’s why. And don’t worry – it can be fixed in this way…’

    Stage 3: solution aware

    Your target audience is aware of how to fix their problem; they just haven’t decided where to start.

    Now your messaging needs to get specific. Show how you fix their problem. Use case studies and testimonials. People need to see what you’ve done for others so they start to believe in you.

    Stage 2: product aware

    Your target audience is aware of what they need, and who offers it.

    It’s time to make them aware of why you’re the best choice. Work out how best to help them decide. Maybe they need a free trial, a guarantee, or a discount.

    Stage 1: Most aware

    Your audience is ready to buy. They just want to be aware of what they get from you. Just give it to them straight, in clear, upfront and honest language.

    Example: iPad copy.

    ad saying 'this is 7'

    Apple doesn’t need to mention standard features or use clever wordplay

    You can’t get much simpler than that.

    Anytime you’re introducing a new campaign, always work out whether your audience needs educating first.

    Then work out to what extent.

    People are always wary of something new or different. Even when the iPad launched, media reaction was harsh. Phrases like ‘over-hyped, under delivered’ and ‘it’s just a big iPod’ were common.

    Once they became aware of its potential and how it could be used, well, you know the rest.

    Of course, unless your product is up there at Apple-level, you’re going to need to educate people. However, to make them open to being educated, you have to know where they’re at.

    So you can get them to where you want them to be. Stage 1, queuing up overnight to buy whatever it is you’re offering, or even getting your logo as a tattoo.

    Want to get your target audience to Stage 1?

    Let’s make it happen

     

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