An Easy Guide to Value Propositions: Hook Customers and Drive Sales

You finally started the business of your dreams. You spent hours on the business name generators searching for the perfect brand name that really encapsulates everything you want to do.

Weeks later, your website is up and running, but after a few months, you realize that most of your visitors just don’t stay long enough to drive sales.

You take a good long look at your website, compare it with other sites in your niche, and realize that it’s lacking one huge key ingredient: a value proposition.

A true revelation! But then it hits you. Although you know what a value proposition looks like, you don’t know how to write one.

Keep reading to learn how to write a great value proposition and improve your existing strategy.

Now, let’s discover what it’s all about, and how you can live up to your value proposition.

What Is a Value Proposition?

Your value proposition is the first marketing tool customers see when they visit your homepage. It gives your customers a true feel of what they stand to gain if they choose your brand over your competition. And without it, trust us, you’ll find it really difficult convincing customers to do business with you.

The best value propositions clearly define your value to the customer while specifically highlighting the edge you hold over your competitors.

Although it might appear tricky, getting your value proposition right ensures the overall safety and security of your brand.

How to Craft Your Unique Value Proposition

One reason it can be tricky creating a value proposition is that there’s no clear-cut definition of what makes a value proposition good.

A value proposition is much more than a slogan, and shouldn’t be treated like one. Make your value proposition unique and it’ll stand a greater chance of resonating with the customer.

To do this, include these in your proposition:

• A bold headline that grabs customers’ attention and clearly tells them why you stand out from other competitors
• One or more short paragraphs that explains what you do, and why it’d be useful to your customers
• A list of benefits or key features your customers stand to gain
• An image that displays or supports the product or idea you’re offering

One way to spice up your value proposition and give it an edge is to make it clear that the customer stands to gain something. This could be free/fast shipping, discounted prices, licenses for multiple users, free coupons – the list is endless.

How to Know You Got Your Value Proposition Right

If you follow the pattern listed above, you’ll get a value proposition that’s tailored to your brand.

Make sure that what you’ve created isn’t some fancy poetry but a true proposition that’ll actually make sense to potential customers. You also want to create an open line of communication between your brand and the people you are trying to reach.

The best way to guarantee that you’re doing this is by asking yourself these questions:

• What product or service is your brand offering?
• Who are your target customers?
• What legitimate results do the customers stand to gain from using your product or service?
• How does it stand out from your nearest competitor’s offer?
• Can you read and understand your value proposition instantly?

Edit Your Value Proposition

Complex language, clichés, and sticky sentences don’t belong in value propositions. Use ProWritingAid to make sure that your writing is as clear and concise as possible. The Sticky Sentences Report will tell you when you’ve used too many glue words that don’t pull their weight. You should reword sticky sentences to communicate your meaning directly.

Your value proposition performs a key role on your homepage, and that’s communicating the purpose of your website. After successfully crafting your value proposition, make sure it’s properly positioned on your homepage so that viewers don’t need to scroll to see it, in a position where it gathers the most attention.

Some Great Examples of Value Propositions

Let’s do a quick analysis of the value propositions for Slack, Bane, and Cloudfare to see what we can learn.

Slack

• The headline of the value proposition passes a clear message to its customers
• The short paragraph offers a list of features and benefits customers stand to gain
• The image complements the value proposition

Bane

• You can easily spot the value proposition since it takes up more real estate on the homepage
• Clear details about what the company does
• The minimalist background image allows clients to focus on the proposition

Cloudflare

• Great heading
• The paragraph’s engaging
• The image clearly supports the value proposition

Test Your Proposition

Now you know that your value proposition needs an image, a bold heading, and a short explanatory paragraph that captures a list of what your customers stand to gain with you.

Go ahead and test how effective your proposition is by trying to convince a friend, in a dozen words, why they should use your product instead of a competitor’s. If they keep listening, your customers will keep reading.

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