You know your brand is valuable—but does your customer? A compelling value proposition statement can help you quickly engage customers by conveying your brand promise in just a few words.
This five-minute guide will give you everything you need to craft a value proposition to help you capture more attention and ultimately convert more window shoppers into loyal customers.
Value proposition statements are often confused with a few other marketing terms. Let’s quickly compare and contrast value propositions with two other common marketing terms so you also know what a value prop isn’t.
A mission statement focuses on the larger intention and impact of your organization rather than the specific value you bring to individual customers.
For example, Nike’s mission statement is “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” This clearly illustrates Nike’s commitment to improving life for athletes around the globe and clarifies the brand’s intention to make an impact that goes far beyond shoes and athletic gear.
A positioning statement differentiates your brand from your competitors to clarify where you stand in the market. It often gives insight into the broader approaches that drive your organization.
Let’s look at Nike again. Its positioning statement is “We’re committed to creating a better, more sustainable future for our people, planet, and communities through the power of sport.” Nike’s positioning sets it apart from the many brands that aren’t centered on a commitment to sustainability and a sense of community so Nike can attract customers with shared values.
In comparison to its mission and positioning statements, Nike’s value propositions are less overarching and, instead, laser-focused on the direct benefit the customer can expect: Nike Membership often uses the phrase “Where all athletes belong,” highlighting the brand’s commitment to inclusivity. An ad for trail running shoes simply says “Run anywhere,” highlighting the adaptability and ruggedness of the shoes.
Now that we’ve covered the what, let’s dig into the how. As in, how you can write your own value proposition statement. The good news: It’s much easier than you think.
Josh Gallant, founder of Backstage SEO, has some expert advice for getting started: “To create value propositions that inspire your audience, start by identifying the ideal outcome they’re after. You need to first deeply understand what they want before you can communicate how your product or service can help them get there.” Highlighting an ideal outcome your customers care deeply about can help your value proposition capture their attention and ultimately convince them to buy.
Look at your brand through the eyes of your customer and think about the benefits they’ll find most appealing. What pressing pain points do you solve? How is your solution better than others? What’s unique about your brand or approach?
If you need a little help, consider some common categories of value proposition benefits:
Convenience
Customization
Time or cost savings
Accessibility or exclusivity
Improved experience
Higher performance
Risk reduction
Less is often more when it comes to value proposition statements, so keep yours concise and conversational. Throwing in too many specs or details can overwhelm customers and dilute the overall impact of your statement. Save the full list of benefits for your product or service descriptions.
Finally, remember that you may need to refine your value proposition as you learn more about your customers and your business evolves—and that’s okay. Veteran content strategy pro Vivek Shankar notes that a lot of modern marketing advice overlooks the iterative process of marketing messaging, which is often the result of ample customer feedback and continuous improvement. “Craft a value proposition and see if it resonates, then observe customer reactions and tweak as needed. Your goal is to learn more through each experiment.”
If you’re not a natural writer, don’t worry—simple formatting is often best. Some of the world’s biggest brands have value propositions that are just a few words.
Here are three format options you can use to craft a value proposition statement:
1. “We solve [problem] for [ideal customer].”
“We help first-time dog owners train the basics in just two weeks.”
2. “For [ideal customers] who want/need [ideal outcome].”
“For golfers who want the perfect swing every time.”
3. “Our [product/service] helps [ideal customers] to [ideal outcome].
“Our reservation app helps family-owned restaurants say goodbye to empty tables.”
Want a little more inspiration? Let's look at value proposition statements from some popular brands…
We’ve got to kick off this conversation with Apple’s legendary introduction of the iPod in 2001. Although it dropped more than two decades ago, marketers are still applauding the ad campaign because it’s a downright phenomenal example of a value proposition statement.
A little context: When the iPod was introduced, compact discs (CDs) were the only way to play music on the go—which meant GenXers and Elder Millennials were forced to lug around clunky CD players and stacks of CDs. The iPod weighed less than seven ounces, measured in at the size of a deck of playing cards, and had enough hard drive to hold the equivalent of up to 100 CDs.
But Apple didn’t get caught up on specs or features and instead focused on the mind-blowing outcome the iPod offered customers: “1,000 songs in your pocket.”
All those CD-toting saps suddenly had a way to take their favorite music with them wherever they went, with no hassle. And it all fit in their pockets.
Since the iPod introduction, many popular brands have taken their cue from Apple, opting for short value proposition statements that showcase the customer’s ideal outcome in just a few words.
For example, internet browser DuckDuckGo’s value proposition is “A search engine that doesn’t track you.” This simple statement focuses on the brand’s solution to one of the most common gripes amongst internet users, which is the ability for browsing data to be tracked and sold. Assuring complete privacy and security is what DuckDuckGo is all about.
A few more value proposition statements:
“Design anything. Publish anywhere.” for the DIY graphic design platform Canva
“Save money, without thinking about it” for the money-saving app Digit
“Great Writing, Simplified” for the writing tool Grammarly
“Set your own hours. Earn on your own terms” for Lyft’s driver program
“Build an online business, no matter what business you’re in” for ecommerce website builder Shopify
“Connect the right people, find anything that you need, and automate the rest” for workplace communication platform Slack
You’ll notice some common threads here: Even brands with highly technical digital tools are using plain language that anyone can understand and they’re showcasing the ideal outcome they provide. This approach is so common because it works. Be sure to follow suit with your own value proposition.
Value proposition statements are probably just one of your many marketing needs. We know the to-do list can be long—which is why we’ve built a tool that can help you tackle a lot of that list.
Our value proposition statement: SendGrid’s email marketing platform helps you send at scale with a 99% deliverability rate. (Yeah, we’re pretty proud of it.)
We help you create signup pages and forms, build and segment email marketing lists, design professional-looking emails, and implement automations so you can scale your marketing program without scaling your hours.
