Before purchasing any product, 85% of potential customers conduct online research as their first step. So, obviously, your content should always highlight what makes your company’s product the best option. To do this, you need to incorporate the core concepts of your value proposition into the content you share across channels.
However, if your value proposition isn’t compelling, or your team doesn’t understand how it relates to the content they create and distribute, you risk muddling your message. When prospects don’t see the value you deliver, they will continue their search, landing on another company for their purchases.
Let’s make sure you have a solid value proposition and ideas for conveying it in your content across channels. With this information on hand, your team will be primed to deliver consistent, clear messaging about the value your brand provides.
Crafting a Solid Value Proposition (VP)
Even if you already have a value proposition, it’s a good idea to revisit it before you incorporate it into your content. Crafting an effective proposition isn’t easy; research indicates that only about 14% of them work.
You need a VP that compels your target audience to take action. It should speak directly to prospects, giving them reasons to choose your product or services over any other company offering them.
Common Value Proposition Mistakes
One of the biggest mistakes we see companies make is conflating or confusing their value proposition with another brand message, often the slogan or tagline. Both of these serve their purpose, but they don’t necessarily move the decision-making needle in your favor for a prospect researching products.
Another common issue is ambiguity. Your audience should have no doubt about what you offer and why it’s the best choice out there.
Fundamental Features of a VP
A value proposition is longer than your slogan or tagline, but you still want to keep it short. That said, effective VPs contain the following features:
- Headline: Create an attention-grabbing headline that identifies your audience’s problem or summarizes your solution.
- Short paragraph or sub-headline: Follow up with a short section that drives home the benefits of choosing your company over others, including what you have to offer and for whom. If you can accomplish this in one sentence, a sub-headline can work as well as a paragraph.
- Visual Element: An image, infographic, or video may enhance your text features. Visual elements are also a great way to capture your audience’s attention, as 91% of consumers prefer them over text.
Another option that some brands include is a bullet list of key features or benefits of your product or service. If you go this route, stick to three bullet points. Finally, add a call-to-action button.
Image Source: GoToMarketers.com
Critical Characteristics of a Value Proposition
A value proposition speaks directly to your target audience’s pain points and identifies the advantages of choosing your brand as the solution. What gives your products or services a competitive edge, and how can you link those unique characteristics to solving a problem?
Craft your message using your target audience’s language, not industry jargon. Put yourself in their shoes and join their conversations. Simplify your message like Divvy simplifies content operations: keep it clear, straightforward, and easy to understand.
Develop Content Strategies That Include Your VP
As you develop your strategies and plan your content, include your value proposition. Your brand’s VP should be at the forefront of your team’s mind as they collaborate to ideate, create, and publish content.
Even when your team doesn’t include the message verbatim, they can weave the essence of it into every asset they produce. Infusing your VP into your content helps you maintain a customer-centric focus.
Weave the Message Into Your Content
When you craft a comprehensive value proposition that outlines your company’s strengths and solutions, it can drive your content in topics and messaging, ensuring they address audience pain points and convey the value you offer as a solution. Take a look at where you can weave your VP into your content.
Your Website
The value proposition should be front and center on your home page, providing the initial impression visitors get of your company. When you have all the ingredients of an effective VP, your target audience knows within seconds that you provide just the thing they need or want. The entire message should appear above the fold; don’t make viewers work for it!
Landing Pages
The entire purpose of a landing page is to convert prospects into customers or at least move them along in the buyer’s journey. You don’t necessarily need to replicate the value proposition as presented on your home page. Feel free to experiment with different visuals or modified text on various landing pages.
Social Media Posts
If your team struggles to find content for daily social media posts, your brand’s value proposition can provide guidance. They can craft messages that reinforce the VP, highlight various aspects, or share proof of how you solve customer problems. Social media posts are also a great place to experiment with different visuals that support and enhance the value proposition.
Case Studies and Testimonials
What better way to validate your VP than through case studies and user-generated content? Any content you create that shows off your brand’s value through the eyes of customers supports your messaging and boosts customer trust.
Image Source: Hubspot
Blog
Your blog is another great space to reinforce the message of your unique value proposition. In the content planning stage for your blog, your team can identify topics that address target audience pain points, develop product-led posts, and create educational posts related to viewer experiences or needs.
Analyze the Results and Revise
Your value proposition doesn’t need to remain the same across channels or over time but should deliver consistent messaging. You’ll want to analyze how well each version performs to determine which ones deliver the best results. Conducting A/B tests can help determine which headers, sub-headers, visual elements, and combinations are most effective.
Use a Content Operations Platform to Simplify the Process
Ensuring your content consistently and effectively conveys your value proposition is a team effort. When your team needs to utilize multiple tools and technologies to communicate, collaborate, plan, publish, and analyze, however, the process can quickly devolve into chaos.
Let Divvy simplify your content marketing efforts. Our platform provides a central operations hub with all the tools at your team’s fingertips. Request a demo to see how we eliminate the content chaos.
