Do you call it your 'cell phone' or 'mobile phone'?

Do you call it your 'cell phone' or 'mobile phone'?

They're the same thing. But there's a crucial difference in business terms.

I use these two names when illustrating a crucial aspect of marketing. Because they are perfect examples of how to describe a product - and how not to.

Steve Jobs introduced Apple's original iPod as "one thousand songs in your pocket". A brilliant example of marketing.

He didn't say HOW it worked.

He described WHAT IT DOES FOR YOU.

Because customers want to know: "What's in it for me?"

Obviously. It's common sense.

And yet, we don't always say what's in it for them.

Sometimes we fall into the trap of describing a product on our own terms. About what it means to us. Not what's in it for the customer.

It's an easy mistake to make. Especially when we are enthusiastic about our business, our products, our services.

When we know all about the processes, materials or technology.

We can drown in the details of our own businesses. Sometimes we can't see the wood for the trees. We know too much detail.

Effective marketing is all about looking at things from the customer's point of view. Not the perspective of the owner.

I admit I've been guilty of this mistake myself. And one occasion stands out in particular. But I'll save that story for another day...

Back to Apple:

One of their engineers could have described the iPod in their own terms. For example as a "miniature, high-capacity MP3 player with earphones".

Technically accurate. But boring.

The engineer would be describing its hi-tech FEATURES.

But not its customer BENEFITS.

If the customer asks (or even thinks) "So What?" when you describe your product, you've likely talked about features. And failed to convey the benefits.

I call it the "So What?" Test.

Lots of things fail the So What Test.

Pitches for investment that are more about what the owner wants, than what the investor gets.

Brand names that are meaningful only to the owners.

Technical descriptions that are only useful to someone in the know.

I remember the So What Test when people talk about their phones.

I'm British, so I call mine a 'mobile phone'.

My American friends, and others, call theirs a 'cell phone'.

In marketing terms, one name is far better than the other.

'Cell phone' is an engineer's description. Because of the clever technology that makes phones work as the user moves from one area to another. These areas of signal are 'cells'.

'Mobile phone' conveys a benefit. It allows me to be mobile as a phone user.

Describing the user benefit wins every time.

Even though he was American, I'm sure Steve Jobs would agree.