The Importance of Having a Strong Marketing Value Proposition

Have you ever wondered how businesses like Apple can launch new products and services successfully even if their prices seem relatively high for their target market? It’s because they have been able to consistently establish their marketing value over time without compromising the quality of the overall customer experience. Even when people have perfectly usable devices, many will still make efforts to order the latest Apple product because of the perceived value brought to them by Apple.

People want to work with businesses that make them feel valued as customers. People buy an iPhone because of it’s perceived value and because they’re a supporter of innovation. The same innovation that inspired Apple's slogan- "Think different." These words and claims by businesses are a significant factor in a customer’s willingness to pay for a product or service. In today’s highly competitive world, your company needs to strongly consider establishing a compelling marketing value proposition to stand out from the crowd.

What is a Marketing Value Proposition?

A marketing value proposition is a value the company promises to deliver to its customers. This phrase represents your organization's unique offerings and the quality of service that your brand represents. This message is generally addressed to target customers to help them understand what your brand stands for and how your product or service will fulfill a need or want. In short, a value proposition specifies what makes your offer attractive and conveys why customers should buy from you and not from your competitors.

According to Investopedia, a marketing value proposition stands out if it has a strong and clear headline that conveys a clear benefit to potential customers followed by clear and concise information rather than vague or lengthy messages. Keep your marketing value proposition short, clear, creative, informative, and most of all, realistic.

Brand Advocates

Companies have different techniques for growing their business and establishing a clear marketing value proposition. One strategy is using brand advocates to help market their products and drive consumer interest. Brand advocates are loyal customers and can provide real-world testimonials on the effectiveness of your product or service. This can then help influence other people to try out your company's wares. To better understand how your business can acquire brand advocates to support your company, listen to our interview with marketing expert- Andrew Deutsch on The Virtual CMO Podcast.

Characteristics of a Good Marketing Value Proposition

It is not enough to have a brand proposition; you must have a good marketing value proposition. B2B Sells identifies the four essential components every business should consider applying when constructing their proposition:

• It needs to be short- An excellent value proposition needs to be read in under 5 seconds. Keep your message quick, reliable, and understandable. People tend to get bored when reading longer texts; this is why it is essential to get straight to the point when conveying your message.
• Use simple language- The best way to make your value proposition marketable and attractive is to make it clear and easy to understand. Using complicated words can confuse your readers and ruin the essence of your business’s goals.
• Make it specific- You should communicate concrete results a customer will get from purchasing your product or service. Don't give false information that will taint your business's credibility. Be transparent with what you can and what you can't.
• Reason to believe- Trust is the core of all business relationships. Once trust is broken, people will find a hard time working with you. Give the people a solid reason to trust in the business by supporting your claims with credible reviews and customer testimonials. The market is highly dependent on feedback; this is why you should ensure that your company can gather as much of these as possible.

Unique Marketing Value Proposition Samples

Value Proposition is the most important means of relaying your pitch to your target market. Wordstream lists some of the best value propositions in the market today:

• Uber, The Smartest Way to Get Around- Tap the App, Get A Ride. Uber is the smartest way to get around. One tap and the car comes directly to you. Your driver knows exactly where to go. And the payment is completely cashless. In their value proposition, Uber highlights their advantage over traditional taxis.
• Why there's nothing quite like iPhone- Every iPhone we've made- and we mean every single one - was built on the same belief. That a phone should be more than a collection of features, that, above all, a phone should be straightforward, beautiful, and magical to use. Instead of highlighting specific features, Apple focuses on the experience of using an iPhone.
• Slack- A messaging app for teams who put robots on Mars! NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is one of tens of thousands of teams worldwide using Slack to make their working lives simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. Slack is a workplace productivity and messaging app. They've creative enough to explain that the app is good enough for anyone.

Importance of Brand Value to Your Business

Your company may be doing well even if you haven't established a strong proposition for your business. But if you want to succeed in the long term, you need to ensure that your brand continually gives its customers value. Research has shown that 32% of companies don't know how to value their business. While patents, innovative products, recurring revenues streams all add value to a company, building a strong brand has a halo affect across all aspects of your business. As a business owner, if you every decide to sell your company, having a strong brand can significantly increase the overall value to potential investors.

Brand value should be seen and felt in your marketing value proposition. Invesp lists the importance of having a good marketing value proposition:

• Target market and potential customers can quickly understand what your business has to offer- With one look at your website, clients should be able to determine what good or service you are selling. Don't lead with clues or make assumptions. If you can't clearly communicate to them how your business can solve their problems or satisfy their wants, they will look to businesses that can.
• Attracts the right prospects and increases the quantity and quality of prospective leads- Your company's marketing value proposition should be directed toward your ideal target customer by explaining to them why your company provides the best option. Doing this can consistently increase your chances of attracting high-quality leads that can convert into customers. If you want to know more about generating leads, you can look at our interview with Chief Rainmaker- Matt Clark.
• Improves customer engagement and understanding- Customers often have many questions in mind. Your job is to satisfy these questions and communicate why you have the right product or service for a prospect's needs. Having a strong marketing value proposition helps reduce their hesitation. It can clear them off their doubts about your business and promote deeper engagement and understanding.
• Provides clarity of messaging- A good marketing value proposition is clear and understandable. Always ensure that your messages are clearly expressed and consistent on your website and on social media posts.
• Differentiates your business from competitors- A strong marketing value proposition relays to the customers why your business is better than your competitors. This increases your chances of attracting the right prospects for your business over the long-term.

Online Reviews

Establishing a market presence should be the aim of every organization. Having a strong market presence equates to higher sales, wider visibility, and a better brand reputation. According to Reputation X, 3 out of 4 customers trust a business if it has positive online reviews. Reputation management is all about understanding how customers view your brand and how their input can be used to make the brand better. It’s important to actively monitor reviews and respond to comments and feedback.

Writing a Marketing Value Proposition

Writing your marketing value proposition can take many forms. There is no one single best way to write out your value proposition because the style depends on your industry and target customer. Before you start your value proposition, you must identify the major elements you have to work on. Small Business identifies the three parts of your value proposition:

• Service-  It’s important to be specific and not be too broad in who you target.
• The problem you solve- What are the issues that you can solve? Tell your
• What sets you apart- Your product must be different and have unique and meaningful differentiators. There may be many competitors out there marketing their respective products or services, but you have to find an aspect that would make your offering distinguished in the market.

Once you have these elements defined, CXL gives us a guide that can help you out in building your marketing value proposition:

1. Headline- Make your headline an attention grabber by stating the benefit that your business can give to your clients in a single phrase or sentence. You need to make your statement catchy and as straightforward as possible.
2. Sub-Headline- The sub-headline should support your headline in a clearer tone and measured length. This is a short explanation of what you offer, for whom, and why it helps your target market.
3. Bullet-Points- This part expounds on the statements you have made in the headline and sub-headline. You should identify other benefits and features that your product or service could offer at the moment. Remember to list everything essential, and don't claim things that you can't achieve at the moment.
4. Visual- According to Shift ELearning, 65% of the online community are visual learners. Having an image, video, or audio file in your marketing value proposition can help you reinforce your message to your web visitors. An adequately presented infographic can compare the benefits they can gain from you compared to other local competitors.

There are five questions that you have to ask yourself in building a compelling marketing value proposition:

1. Is it relevant?
2. Is it believable?
3. Can you defend it?
4. Is it flexible?
5. Is it emotional?

Process of Creating a Marketing Value Proposition

A value proposition may be a short statement, but it needs to be clear and impactful. ImpactPlus lists three steps in the creation process of a value proposition:

1. Identify Customer Benefits- The first step is to identify all the benefits of your offer. List down your target customer needs that your company has, then describe the value of each service. Identifying your customer benefits allows you to work on the aspects that your business is strong at.
2. Link Benefits to Value Offering- The next step is to identify your client's main problem. Outline each target customer by role and capture their needs or challenges. Connect them to the value of your offering. The value must not end after the transaction. Even after you deal with customers, they should still feel your product or service's worth and value in the long-term.
3. Differentiate and Position Yourself- The third step is to identify your competitors' offerings. Try to differentiate yourself as the best provider of such value—experiment on individual propositions for each customer role or value offering. Do not generalize your customers, and create customized proposals and techniques for each group. Make your customers feel special and valued when they are with your company!

Conclusion

There is no single way to write a value proposition- it varies from one industry to the next. A strong marketing value proposition is crucial for every business. A good product or service deserves a compelling marketing value proposition that clearly communicates to potential customers how your product or services solves a problem and why your company’s offer is better than the competition. 

A well-constructed value proposition can help cut through the noise in the marketplace and focus your prospect’s attention on why your offering should be considered. Their attention might be fleeting so make sure your messages are clear and compelling. May the best value proposition win!