FAB stands for Features, Advantages and Benefits. It helps marketers focus on the benefits as perceived by their audience rather than on features of their product. This “outward” focus makes communication more effective. Consider this example.
You are trying on an outdoors jacket and the sales person tells you it has a “Supertech” insulation layer. They are talking about a feature. While useful, this does little to make the sale happen. Some salespeople would elaborate and say that Supertech is a breathable membrane that keeps you dry. This is an advantage. Ideally, the salesperson could say “It keeps you healthy and comfortable by keeping you dry while not letting you sweat”. Being healthy and comfortable are obvious benefits.
Let's apply this approach to how we communicate with our learners.
Instead of describing a feature like “This course has responsive design” you could say “This course is accessible on any device”. Ability to access a course is a benefit.
This goes for course naming, too. Instead of saying “Time management for executives” you could say “How to do more in less time”. Such promise sounds like a benefit to your learner.
Even when talking about your e-learning offering as a whole, you should focus less on features (such as number of courses, range of topics, social networking functionality, access options etc) but rather on benefits that your learners will get if they join, learn and contribute.
It is very easy to start describing features of a product or service that you have designed. But focusing on your product does little to persuade others to take advantage of it. By re-phrasing your offering to emphasize its benefits, you focus on the learner – and people love that. Don't rely on their ability to quickly decode your message – do it for them. This way you will see more learning uptake, especially in non-mandatory courses.
