Brian Casel - What’s the (actual) benefit?

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The “headline benefit” of a product or practice (i.e. the thing most people think is the main reason to use something) often isn’t the benefit that everyday users actually love the most.

A few examples:

TailwindCSS:

• Headline benefit: Fast to build new websites.
• Most loved benefit: Ease of long-term project maintenance, design updates, refactorings.

Asynchronous messaging (like using ZipMessage 😉):

• Headline benefit: Eliminate scheduled meetings.
• Most loved benefit: Space to think, prep and and add clarity in your next response.

Remote work:

• Headline benefits: Lower costs, more flexible work schedules.
• Most loved benefit: Opportunity to work with the best possible people, no matter where they live.

Daily exercise:

• Headline benefit: Get fit.
• Most loved benefit: Get fit mentally.

Conferences:

• Headline benefit: Great speakers.
• Most loved benefit: Hallway conversations and dinners.

Podcasting:

• Headline benefit: Reach a large audience.
• Most loved benefit: Enjoyable conversations that are strangely fun because we’re on air.

There’s some kind of marketing lesson in here somewhere, but I’m still unsure what it is.

But I think it’s OK to lead with a simple, obvious benefit in your main headline, while still leaning into the “stickiest” benefit that your customers actually love the most.

-Brian
@casjam

My team and I launched video editing in ZipMessage last week!  It took a while to work out all the complexities but I find it's a game-changer in how I prep and send my "ZM"s.

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