It's straight out of Sales 101. When you want to capture your customer's interest and speak to their felt need (the thing that makes them want to buy), you sell the benefits, not the features of your product or service. A classic example? Take the electric drill. Nobody is going to buy one just so they can have an electric drill. They buy one because they want holes. Clean holes, deep holes, accurate holes, fast holes, holes of many sizes, holes in different materials. Most folks don't care what the drill is made from or how the circuitry is toggled - they care that it makes holes. They might also care that the drill is light-weight (but spare them a discussion of the space-age aluminum alloy casing), maneuverable, UL approved, has a super-long cord and comes in its own carrying case. But they only care about those things because they add to performance, convenience or safety - benefits, not features, and they appeal at an emotional level.

Or take lipstick. A woman (not that I know any personally) does not care that a tube of lipstick contains tetroboxomanganite hypoperoxidase (I'm making this up as I go) - not unless the ingredient, by itself, is a major selling point (think Lycra™ - OK, not for lipstick, but you get the point. Jeez!). What is going to grab her interest is that the lipstick makes her look more attractive. And it stays put longer so she doesn't have to keep reapplying it. And it doesn't smear or "kiss off", so she doesn't have to worry about curling up against someone else's shirt. Less fuss, fewer worries, great look - these are the benefits of this lipstick.

How do you convey benefits most effectively? With great copy. (True - a great picture can help, but it can’t do the job alone, ever. And it better not be so big it slows the download, right? Right.) So look at your copy. Are you selling features or benefits? Are you talking about what the product or service is or how it can make your prospect’s life better? If you find you're focusing on features, rewrite your copy to reflect how great that item is going to make your customer feel. Even price matters only when put in the right context. Consider the value of the product or service to your customer's life, then write killer copy that sells that!