A prospective customer just landed on your website.
Great stuff. But now what?
Why should they stick around, read on, and click on your order / book a demo / schedule a call / get in touch / [insert call to action] button, instead of surfing away into a competitor's arms?
Well, they won't know the answer unless you tell them. And that's why you need to put your best foot forward by nailing your value proposition.
Leading with a strong value proposition helps you grab prospective customers' interest right off the bat by explaining exactly what it's in it for them if they do business with you.
But let's back up a few steps.
What's a value proposition?
And how do you write one that draws people in and makes them reach for their wallet for fear of missing out?
What's a value proposition?
The value proposition is the short chunk of copy that sits at the top of a webpage, just before the first call-to-action button. It's a brief statement — typically one to two sentences long — that tells the reader what the product or service is and why they should buy it.
For example, when you go to business messaging app Slack's website, you see this:
An effective value proposition should do three things. Let's break those elements down:
Briefly summarise what you do
Slack does this by comparing their app to a virtual HQ. A place where people go to work. It's worth noting that this is effective because Slack is a well-known, relatively straightforward product. If you aren't well known, or your product is niche or technical. you may need to spell things out more clearly
Explain who you do it for
Looking at Slack's value proposition, it's clear that this is designed for teams who work together. This helps qualify leads. If you work as a team, you'll want to read on. But if you always work alone, the copy makes it clear that Slack probably isn't for you
Highlight your most compelling benefit
In Slack's case, the benefit is "get work done, together". In other words, you can collaborate easily and cross tasks off your to-do list
It's useful to think of your value proposition as your unique selling point, or elevator pitch. If it hits the mark, the reader should be able to understand what you offer, it's key benefit, and whether it's right for them in a matter of seconds.
Sounds hard?
It is.
The value proposition does a lot of heavy lifting. Which is why you need to approach it with care.
So how do you go about crafting one that delivers results?
Laying the foundations
As with any other copywriting task, the cornerstone of a strong value proposition is research. Before you write a single word, you need to understand:
How does the product or service work?
If you're writing for your own business, you probably already know your product or service inside out. But there are still pitfalls you should be careful to avoid.
In particular, watch out for:
The curse of knowledge
Things that might seem basic to you may go over the average customer's head, so you need to be careful. A trick you can use is to imagine you're speaking to a friend or relative who has never heard of the product or service before.
How would you explain it to them?
This is helpful even if your target customers have specialist knowledge. In one study, 80% of people prefered sentences written in plain English when given a choice, regardless of their level of expertise in the subject
Homing in on the benefits
In copywriting, we say that "features tell, benefits sell". But sorting features from benefits isn't always easy or straightforward, especially if you're close to your business.
One simple way to zero in on the benefits of what you sell is to use the "So what?" test. Jot down a feature and ask "So what?" Keep asking it until you have a final answer.
Another alternative is what direct response copywriter Clayton Makepeace calls "the forehead slap" test.
Let's say your product is software that can parse large amounts of data in a short time. You decide that its key benefit is that it provides customers with "data at your fingertips."
Looks good at first glance, right?
Now imagine a customer abruptly standing up from their desk, slapping their forehead, and saying "Good god, I really need some data at my fingertips!"
Does that make sense? Or does it sound utterly ridiculous?
If you answer the latter, it's not a real benefit and you need to keep going.
Who is the target customer?
It's worth gathering demographic information such as age, gender, educational level, and so forth. This helps you paint a picture of your typical customer's background and how they might think.
More importantly, though, you need to understand why they'd be drawn to your product or service. What keeps them up at night? What do they hope to achieve by buying your product?
An easy way to find out is to interview some of your past clients about what they like most about you.
Alternatively, if you're new on the market, try studying competitors' customers. What are they like and why do they buy from them? More to the point, how do you fulfill that need better?
What does the customer want?
This is where you connect the dots between your product or service and the customer.
How does your product or service solve a specific problem, deliver a benefit, or help the customer reach a desired outcome?
Nailing down your value proposition
Once you've done your research, it's time to put down the basics of your value proposition and start giving it shape.
The simplest way to go about this is to fill in the blanks of the following sentence:
I help (x) do (y) by doing (z)
This is known as the Blank formula, not because it's a fill in the blanks exercise, but because it was popularised by entrepreneur Steve Blank.
Using the Blank formula forces you to zoom in on the three key elements of a strong value proposition straight away, and it can deliver excellent results. Many established brands have used it to build out their value proposition.
Trello's for instance, is clearly modelled on this formula:
But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to stop there.
Which brings us to the next point.
Iterate and experiment
Want to give your value proposition a bit more zing? Once you have the basic elements down, it may be worth having a think about how you can put more of your personality into it.
To do this, let it sit for a while, then try coming up with a few different options. See what your value proposition would look like if you substituted certain words, switch up your phrasing, or experiment with different moods or feelings.
Many won't work, but you might unearth a few gems along the way.
Your value proposition can make or break your website
Get it right, and you're one step closer to a sale (or enquiry). Get it wrong, and the customer's back to google and on the fast track to taking their business elsewhere. So it pays to put in the effort.
If you follow our tips, you'll be well on your way to crafting a winning value proposition.
That said, don't consider it a once and done deal. Test different versions to see what performs best. And don't forget to tweak it as you grow and evolve. That way, it'll always be the best reflection of what you do.
Need help crafting a winning value proposition for your website?
