How to Write a Value Proposition (+ 6 Modern Examples)

6 value proposition examples · 1. Slack · 2. Bloom & Wild · 3. Airbnb · 4. Fjällräven · 5. Juniper Print Shop · 6. Found My Animal. Growth&CultureLatestArticlesCustomerServiceGrowth&CultureInsideHelpScoutSearchIconIllustrationbyMeredithMiotkeHowtoWriteaValueProposition(+6ModernExamples)Writtenby ElizabethWellingtonLeadersoftenworktirelesslytoimprovetheircompany’sproductorservice,thinkingthatit’sthemostvaluableroletheycanplay.Butforyourbusinessto“click”withyourtargetaudience,youneedtostayjustasclosetoyourcustomersasyoudotoyourofferings.Thedetailsofcustomers’needsandwantsshouldbejustasfamiliartoyouasthefeaturesofyourproductorthedetailsoftheservicethatyouprovide.Avaluepropositionservesasthebridgebetweenthesetwoaspectsofyourwork.It’samantrathatunitesthetwohalvesofthewholebusiness.We’vedemystifiedthenutsandboltsofhowtowriteavalueproposition,completewithexamples,soyoucanensurethatallyourhardworkmanifestsinvalueforyourcustomerseveryday.Whatisavalueproposition?Avaluepropositionisasimplestatementthatsummarizeswhyacustomerwouldchooseyourproductorservice.Itcommunicatestheclearestbenefitthatcustomersreceivebygivingyoutheirbusiness.Everyvaluepropositionshouldspeaktoacustomer’schallengeandmakethecaseforyourcompanyastheproblem-solver.Agreatvaluepropositionmayhighlightwhatmakesyoudifferentfromcompetitors,butitshouldalwaysfocusonhowcustomersdefineyourvalue.Likewise,conversationsaroundbrandstrategyandtaglinesshouldstemfromavalueproposition,buttheyaren’toneandthesame.Youmaybewondering:Whybotherlearninghowtowriteavalueproposition?It’slikeinvestinginthefoundationofahouse.Youmaynotseethefoundation,buteverythingyoudosee—andthelong-termsafetyandsecurityofyourhome—restonithavingastrongplacetostartfrom.Howtowriteavalueproposition:3optionsIfyou’reintentionalaboutcreatingavalueproposition,itcanhelpclarifythewayforwardforyourentirecompany.However,includingtoomanyvoicesearlyoncanwaterdownyourintentinanefforttomakeeveryonehappy,and,ironically,theresultswon’tworkforanyone.Ratherthangeteveryoneinvolved,startwithasmallgroupofpeople(nomorethanthree)whocansetasidethetimetohoneafewcompellingoptions.Here’showtowriteavaluepropositionthreedifferentways,fromcomplexmappingtoasimpleformula.Startwithoneortryallthreeinaworkshoptorefineyourideaswithgreaterprecision.1.MapoutavaluepropositioncanvasPeterThomson’svaluepropositioncanvasexploresthedifferentcomponentsofacompanythatcontributetoastrongvalueproposition.Thomsonbelievesthataprocesslikethiscanhelpteammembersgetto“minimumviableclarity,”whichcanbewhittleddownintoaone-sentencevalueproposition.Thomsoncallsavalueproposition“acrunchpointbetweenbusinessstrategyandbrandstrategy,”andhecreatedamodelthatsyncsthetwostrategies.Therearesevenareastoexplore,eachofwhichtakesupasectioninthemap:Source:PeterThomsonWhenyouexploreeachsectionofthecanvas,dosofromtheperspectiveofthecustomer.Whilewritingoutthebenefitsofyourproduct,imaginehowitincreasespleasureordecreasespainforthepersonusingit.Approachthefeaturesandtheexperiencethatway,too:Howdothefeaturesmakethecustomer’slifebetter?Howdoestheproductexperiencemakeacustomerfeel?Next,you’lldiveintothecustomer’swants(emotionaldrivers),needs(rationalmotivators),andfears(undesiredoutcomes).Rememberthatevenwhenconsumersaremakingpurchasesorinvestmentsonbehalfofacompany,theycanstillbeguidedbyemotions.Inparticular,trytounderstandwhetheraproductorserviceaffectsabuyer’sperceivedlikelihoodoffailure,theiranxiety,ortheirreputationatwork.YoucanuseBain&Company’s30“ElementsofValue”anditsB2Bcounterpartsasaroadmapforarticulatingthewaysyourcompanygivesthecustomervaluewithinthiscontext.2.AskHarvardBusinessSchool’sessentialquestionsHarvardBusinessSchool’sInstituteforStrategy&Competitivenesssimplifiedhowtowriteavaluepropositionwithjustthreeprompts.JustasThomsondoes,Harvardarguesthatavaluepropositionservesastheconnectionbetweenacompanyanditscustomers: “Whilethevaluechainfocusesinternallyonoperations,thevaluepropositionistheelementofstrategythatlooksoutwardatcustomers,atthedemandsideofthebusiness.Strategyisfundamentallyintegrative,bringingthedemandandsupplysidestogether.” Tocreateanintegrated,cohesivevalueproposition,startbybrainstormingasagrouparoundthesethreequestions: Whichcustomersareyougoingtoserve? Whichneedsareyougoingtomeet? Whatrelativepricewillprovideacceptablevalueforcustomersandacceptableprofitabilityforthecustomer? Dependingonyourproductandservice,itmaymakesenseforyoutostartwiththefirstorsecondquestioninthelist.Together,allthreecreateatrianglethatcanleadyouclosertoasuccinctvalueproposition.Source:HarvardBusinessSchool’sInstituteforStrategy&CompetitivenessAsyoumovethroughtheexercise,considerwhichoneistheprimary“leg”ofthetriangle.Forexample,isthegreatestvaluethatyouofferincostsavings?Orisitthatyou’reofferingabetterproductorexperienceatapremium?Also,thinkaboutwhetheryourcompanyisexpandingthemarketbymeetinganeedthathasn’tbeenrealized.Harvard’sexpertsuseagreatexample—theiPad.Applecreatedanewdemandthathadn’texistedbeforethetechnologyhitthemarket.3.TrytheSteveBlankformulatodistillyourinsightsSteveBlank,aformerGoogleemployeewhorunstheLeanStartupCircle,noticedthatmanystartupfoundersemphasizefeaturesinsteadofbenefitswhentheytrytotransformmoredetailedinsightsintoasuccinctvalueproposition.Insteadofsummarizinghowacompanyoffersvaluetocustomers,leadersoftengetstuckintheweeds.Blanksawtheneedforasimpleformulatotransformabrainstormintoasimplesentence.Welovedistillingmoredetailedinsightswithhismethod: Wehelp(X)do(Y)bydoing(Z). UseBlank’sintuitivetemplatetocomeupwithyourownvalueproposition.Rememberthatthefirstthingthatcomestomindmaybethebest.Yourgutinstinctcouldbespotonhere,andthat’swhatmakesthissimplesolutionsovaluable.Here’smyvaluepropositionformycopywritingbusiness,forexample: Ihelpmarketingteamstoresonatewiththeirtargetaudiencesbycommunicatingwithclarityandcompassion. Yourlocalcoffeeshopmayhaveavaluepropositionthat’ssimilartothisone: Wehelpourlocalcustomerstofeelgoodanddogoodbyfuelingthemupwithartisanalcoffeeinacommunity-focusedspace. Althoughyoumayhavebrainstormedasagroupwiththeothertwomethods,thistime,askteammemberstocompletethisexerciseindividually.Comparingandcontrastinganswersafterwardcanyieldhelpfulinsightsabouteachperson’spriorities.Mostimportantly,asyoudraftyourvalueproposition,usethelanguageyourcustomersuse.AtHelpScout,wesaythingslike“emailsslippingthroughthecracks,”becausethat’swhatourcustomerssayabouttheproblemwehelpsolve.Ifyoudon’twriteyourvaluepropositionthewayyourcustomerswouldwriteit,therewillbeabiggapbetweenwhatyousayandwhattheyhear.Whenyouusetheirvoice,youcutthroughthenoise.Thecustomersupportplatformforgrowingteams12,000+supportteamsin70+countriesuseHelpScouttodeliveroutstandingmulti-channelsupporttotheircustomers.Startinminuteswithafreetrial.Tryforfree6valuepropositionexamplesBeyondgraspinghowtowriteavalueproposition,ithelpstoseehowastrongstatementinfluencesandinfusesacompany’sstrategy.Becausevaluepropositionexamplesaren’tnecessarilythesamethingasbrandcopywriting,wedon’thaveaccesstotheexactwordsacompanyusesinternally.However,ifacompanydoesagreatjobsituatingtheirvaluepropositionwithinthemarket,youcantellbecausetheirmessageresonatesfarandwide.Herearesixmodernvaluepropositionexamplesthatwillhelpyoutounderstandhowvaluepropositionscanhelpyoubreakintoamarketorcreateanewone.1.SlackSlackisacollaborationtoolforteamswithasimple,easy-to-useplatformandinstantmessagecapability.Theplatformisequallybelovedbyenterpriseteamsandscrappystartupsforitsabilitytokeepworkflowing,nomattertheeverydaybarriersorthecomplexityofaproject.Everythingthatthecompanydoeshingesontheirvalueproposition:Slacksavestimebytearingdowncommunicationandsystemssilos.Theirproductaspirestotakethepainoutofworkingtogetheronline—andmaybeevenmakeitfun.That’ssomethingnootherproducthastriedorclaimedtodo.Becausethey’vebuiltsuchapowerfulvalueproposition,Slackisperceivedasanenjoyablealternativetothedreadedemailinboxandothertools.Theirapproachworks.Slackisthefastest-growingSaaSstartupever,andit’susedby77%ofFortune500companies.Despitethislegendarygrowth,Slackfamouslysaiditwasabusinesswithapared-downsalesteam,whichisonlypossiblebecauseofthefoundationtheysetwithaformidablevalueproposition.2.Bloom&WildBloom&Wildisanonlineflowerdeliverycompanythatsimplifiestheprocessoforderingandreceivingluxuryflowers.AronGelbard,founderandCEO,explainedtheirvaluepropositionintheir2017fundingannouncement:“We’reenabling[ourcustomers]toorderflowersandgiftsfromthepalmoftheirhandwithbetterproduct,designsandpayments.”Bloom&Wildmakesitpossibleforcustomerstodeliverflowersinunderaminuteusingtheirsmartphoneorcomputer;goingfromthoughttoactionisalmostinstantaneous.AsGelbardsays,“Ourmissionistomakesendingandreceivingflowersajoy,usingtechnologytoturnemotionsintoanactioninthesimplestandmostbeautifulwaypossible.”Theflowersarejustassimpletoreceive.They’repackedinflatboxessotheycanbedeliveredthroughletterboxes(ormailboxes)sothere’snoneedforsomeonetobeonhandtoreceivethem,andthey’resentasclosedflowerbudsforalongerbloom.Whilemanycompaniesdeliverflowers,Bloom&Wilddifferentiatesitselfbyofferingasmoothcustomerexperienceforeveryone,aswellascompetitivepricing,withsignificantlycheaperbloomsthanaverage.Bloom&Wildcommunicatesitsvaluepropositionsoclearlythatitscustomersperformmuchofthehardtaskofmarketingforthemthroughword-of-mouthreferrals.3.AirbnbWhenAirbnbbegantodisruptthehospitalityindustry,itneededtomarkettotwoseparategroups:guestswhowantedaplacetostayandhostswhowantedtorentouttheirspaces.Theirtwo-in-onevalueproposition:Travelersbenefitfromatrulylocalexperienceandhostsbenefitfromextraincome.Intheirownwords,“Airbnbexiststocreateaworldwhereanyonecanbelonganywhere,providinghealthytravelthatislocal,authentic,diverse,inclusiveandsustainable.”Theirroomsoftenhavemorecharacterthanhotels,andthey’reusuallylocatedinneighborhoodspeoplelivein.Guestslearnfromlocalknowledgesharedbyhostsandfeelathomewherevertheygo.ThesedifferentsourcesofvaluewraptogetherintoAirbnb’stagline:BelongAnywhere.Asabusinessgoesthroughdifferentstagesofgrowth,itsvaluepropositionislikelytochange,too.Originallymarketedasmuchcheaperthanstayinginahotel,Airbnbhasnowbecomeanexperience-driven,mainstreamstaplewithapremiumwingcalled“AirbnbPlus,”withitsownvalueproposition.4.FjällrävenTheclassicSwedishoutdoorclothingandequipmentcompanyFjällrävenwasfoundedbyÅkeNordinin1960.Hedesignedfunctional(andwarm)productsforprofessionalresearcherstakingexpeditionsintonorthernScandinavia.Now,the60-year-oldbrandisexperiencingaresurgenceamongstyoungergenerationsacrossEuropeandNorthAmerica.Theircorepropositionisthattheysellhigh-quality,sustainablymadeproductsthatbalanceformandfunction.Yes,customerslookgreatwearingtheirbackpacksandtheycanstillhikeupamountaininthemiddleofwinter.Theircommitmenttosustainablebusinesspracticesappealstothesameconsciousconsumerswhovaluetheoutdoors,whichfortifiestheirvalueproposition.FjällrävenmanufacturesmanyofitsownproductsusingitsownG-1000material,aswellasitsownGreenlandWax,contributingtoitsvaluepropositionofofferingqualityanddurability.Becausethey“craftproductsforalifetimeofmemories,”customersaremorethanwillingtopaytheirpremiumprices.5.JuniperPrintShopWhenJennyKomendalaunchedherfirstblog,LittleGreenNotebook,in2007,shewasayoungdesignersharingherDIYprojectswiththeworld.Anentrepreneuratheart,Komendaevolvedherskillsetandonlinefollowingintoanotheraward-winningblog,JuniperHome,anditsbelovedcounterpart,JuniperPrintShop.Komendabuiltacohesivebrandthatchampionedaffordabledesignandspoketoakeyvaluepropositionthatmotivatedhercustomers:helpingnon-designerscreateabeautifulhomewithoutbreakingthebank.Hercontentanswersthisquestioninthousandsofdifferentways,andthenewarmofherbusinessoffersasimplefixforfindingaffordableart—oneofthemostdifficultchallengesalongtheway.Shelaunchedaprintshopfeaturingtheworkofwomenartistsandphotographerswithsimpledigitaldownloadsandphysicalprintsthatarecost-effectiveandeasytoinstall.Juniper’svaluepropositioncomestolifeinthedetailsoftheprintshop—fromlinkstoaffordableIKEAframes—andJenny’sone-of-a-kindsuggestions(buyavintageframe,investinacustommat).6.FoundMyAnimalFoundMyAnimalisacompanyforrescuedogsandtheirowners.In2006,BethanyObrechtandAnnaConwaymetbycoincidence—theybothhadrescuedogsnamedWalter,andtheyquicklybecamefriends.Theirsharedinterestincrafts(andafishermanrelative)ledthetwodogmomstodesignandcreateleashesfromnauticalropethatwithstandhundredsofpoundsofpull.Eachleashhasabrasstagwiththeword“FOUND”writtenonitinsimplefont.Thecompanyhassinceexpandedtheirproductlinestoincludeotherdogaccessoriesandsupplieslikedogbeds,totes,andtoys.FoundMyAnimal’svaluepropositionissimple:Supportacompanythatdonatesaportionofitsprofitstoanimalrescuegroupsbyoutfittingyourownrescueinqualityproducts.Thecompanyhasgivenmoney(andleashes)toover64nonprofitorganizationsthathelpabandonedorneglectedpets,socustomersknowtheirpurchasesaremakingadifference.ThisvaluepropositionisbakedintoeveryaspectofFoundMyAnimal,especiallytheirmarketing.Theirteamfeaturesrescuedogsinneedofhomesfrontandcenterontheirwebsiteandtheirsocialmediaaccounts.Plus,theirsocialmediatag#foundmyanimalbringsawarenesstoanimaladoption.TheyevenlaunchedTheRescueOrangeProject:Abuy-one-donate-oneleashprogram.Fordogownerswhoareasdevotedtorescuingotherpupsastheyaretotheirown,buyingfromthiscompanyisano-brainer.ThebestvaluepropositionsevolvewithyourcustomersNowthatyoucananswerthequestion“Whatisavalueproposition?”afewdifferentways,you’rereadytogettowork.Evenifyoualreadyhaveavaluepropositioninplace,considercarvingoutthetimetorevisitit.Ascustomersandmarketschangeovertime,yourcompanyshouldevolveaswell.Ratherthanmakeassumptionsaboutyourcommunitybasedontheirpastneedsandbuyingbehaviors,createfeedbackloopssoyou’realwaysintheknow.Bylisteningtocustomersinrealtime,yousetyourcompanyuptoevolveitsvaluepropositionandmeettheneedsofyourcommunityasitgrows.ElizabethWellingtonLizwritesaboutbusiness,creativityandmakingmeaningfulwork.SayhelloonTwitterorthroughherwebsite.Join251,101readerswhoareobsessedwith deliveringgreatcustomerserviceExpertlycuratedemailsthat’llhelpyoudeliveranexceptionalcustomerexperience.