When you look at any printed material, what catches your attention first? Often, it's the bullet points. These concise and impactful lists naturally draw the eye, making them a key element in any layout.
Given the strong influence of bullet points, it's easy to want to use them to highlight your product's benefits right away. However, research from MECLABS suggests that, especially in categories where customers may feel uncertain or anxious (for example, products that might be highly technical or unfamiliar), it can be more effective to use bullet points to address their fears and objections first.
MECLABS, which studies consumer behavior, provides an example of a tech company that successfully applied this strategy. The company aimed to ease potential customers' worries about purchasing a service (web hosting) often seen as complicated and intimidating. Instead of leading with benefits, MECLABS recommended that the company use bullet points to tackle buyer discomfort or uncertainty first. So, the web hosting company crafted the following set of bullet points to highlight key offerings, including:
- 24/7 technical and customer support
- Top global accreditations
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Comprehensive security solutions
- Recognition as a trusted provider
While the company could have started with the features and benefits, these wouldn't have resonated if potential customers felt insecure about buying these types of services in the first place. Once buyers' concerns about the larger category were addressed, the audience became more willing to consider the specific benefits of the web hosting services offered. The result? A remarkable 188% increase in response rates compared to a traditional approach.
This example illustrates just one effective way to use bullet points, but it underscores a vital principle for any business in its marketing communications, whether in print or online. If your audience has worries about your product category, leverage the attention-grabbing nature of bullet points to address those concerns upfront. Doing so will make your audience more open to the rest of your message.
