In our opinion, trying to win against your competition without good business discrimination is like trying to sail with no wind. Nothing is more important for your business than competitive advantages … the more you have, the stronger your business.
So pay close attention to these business value proposition examples … they will show you ideas to build a winning value proposition.
I argue your business’s best value proposition ideas are the most important elements of your overall marketing messaging. A value proposition tells prospects why they should do business with you rather than your competitors, and makes the benefits of your products or services crystal clear from the outset.
Here is a short 4-minute video to refresh on the subject:
Unfortunately, many businesses either bury their value proposition in buzzwords or trite, meaningless slogans. They don’t bother highlighting it on their site and in their marketing campaigns – or they don’t figure out what it is at all!
Check out these awesome examples for some of the best ideas for you thinking.
In today’s post, we’ll be looking at XXX of the best unique value proposition examples we’ve come across. We’ll go over what makes them so compelling and some ideas for developing or refining your value proposition. You should bear in mind when incorporating your value proposition into your website and marketing materials.
There’s a fair bit to cover, so let’s dive right in.
Uber … message simplicity
State your message as simply as you can. Explicitly highlight everything that sucks about your competitor and point out how your product or service is superior.
Let’s use Uber as an example. It’s simple, yet highly effective copy which excellently conveys the simplicity and ease that lies at the heart of what makes it such a tempting service:
One tap and a car comes directly to you
Your driver knows exactly where to go
Payment is completely cashless
Everything about this directly contrasts the typical experience of getting a taxi – no phone calls to disinterested dispatchers and no painful conversations trying to explain to a stressed-out cabbie about where you need to be
It’s worth comparing Uber’s value proposition with that of rival company Lyft. The two companies’ offerings are virtually identical, which is what makes a direct comparison of the two so interesting.
Lyft’s homepage is very similar to Uber’s. However, there are some key differences here that highlight how Uber’s value proposition is more clearly positioned.
Firstly, Lyft does score some points for including several step-by-step images of the Lyft experience, helping visitors visualize what taking a ride with Lyft is like
Also, while clearly explaining the final stage of its process – paying and rating the driver – this information implies that there is a final definitive action required by the user, something Uber does not.
Apple … product design aesthetic
If you are in the product business, consider the design aesthetic of your products.
In this regard, consider Apple products as an example. As you’d probably expect from Apple, they firmly reiterate its value proposition in the copy about its iPhone range of products. Specifically, the design of the device itself, the ease of use, and the aspirational qualities that an iPhone supposedly offers the user.
This aspirational messaging is Apple’s value proposition.
I-Phone … user experience
In considering your product, think about your user experience.
Let’s continue with the Apple example. Apple knows how crowded and competitive the smart device market is, so rather than focus on a specific feature; the company instead opts to focus on the experience of using an iPhone.
Most companies couldn’t pull off using words such as “magical” to describe using a smartphone, but Apple can.
Apple understands that even focusing on the unique features of iPhone wouldn’t be enough to distinguish the device in such a crowded market. By emphasizing the overall experience of using the device, however, Apple’s value proposition is as unique as its approach to product design and aesthetics.
Unbounce … limited technical overhead
The limited technical overhead value proposition ideas come from the landing page optimization platform Unbounce.
As you might expect from a company specializing in conversion rate optimization, Unbounce’s value proposition is abundantly clear from the moment you arrive on the homepage. It is all about the ability to build, publish, and test landing pages without any I.T. support.
For many businesses, the perceived technical overhead of A/B testing is a major barrier to entry, making Unbounce’s value proposition particularly appealing.
Value statement examples … Slack, subtle and yet robust
Subtle but robust refers to an ability to be deceptively simple to use but with robust functionality.
Consider the example of the Slack product. The world seems to be divided into two types of people; those who love Slack, and those who haven’t tried it yet.
For the uninitiated, Slack is a workplace productivity and messaging app. It’s deceptively simple to use, yet robust enough for large teams working on complex projects. This is evidenced by Slack’s very clever inclusion of the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab example.
So what sets Slack apart from the thousands of other messaging and productivity apps? Essentially, Slack distils its value proposition in the example above – it makes users’ “working lives simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.”
Slack’s mantra of “Be Less Busy” isn’t just a catchy slogan – it’s the company’s value proposition neatly summarized into three beautifully simple words.
The NASA JPL example is also very clever in that it subtly implies that if it’s good enough for large teams of scientists at NASA – the kind of people who put robots on other planets – then it’s good enough for anyone.
The world of personal finance is another ruthlessly competitive space. However, few have as good a value proposition as Digit, a relatively new service that helps users “save money, without thinking about it.”
Digit allows users to securely connect their bank accounts to the Digit service, which then algorithmically examines users’ spending habits and regular expenses.
It then begins to “optimize” users’ accounts to squirrel a little money away here and there into a savings account, from which users can withdraw their savings at any time.
The key differentiator of Digit from other savings apps is that the process is entirely automated.
LessAccounting … ease of use
For most people, bookkeeping is a pain. It’s confusing, time-consuming, and an utterly miserable experience, even if your business’ books are relatively simple. That’s what makes LessAccounting’s value proposition so compelling.
LessAccounting’s entire premise is built upon simplifying accounting and bookkeeping, and its value proposition is reinforced throughout the site.
The homepage’s tagline – “Make your life easier with our accounting software” – makes this immediately apparent, and as you navigate through the site, you’re constantly reminded of the product’s value proposition.
CrazyEgg … functionality and insight
Figuring out precisely how people are using your website is a major challenge for many businesses. You might think you have a good idea about your users’ behavior, but without hard, actionable data, you can’t know for certain. That’s where CrazyEgg comes in.
CrazyEgg is an analytical tool that allows users to view heat maps of how people are interacting with a website. Users can see cursor movements, scroll depth, and all sorts of other cool behavioral tracking features that let them understand how people are interacting with their website.
However, CrazyEgg is far from the only player in the behavioral tracking space – so what’s the value proposition?
That no other service provides more functionality and insight for a better price, with as little hassle, as CrazyEgg does.
CrazyEgg realizes that not everyone who visits their site will be familiar with the concept of heat maps or behavioral tracking, so they provide visitors with a friendly, accessible overview of their features to simplify what the product does.
We are a big follower of WordPress … wouldn’t consider anyone else. What is the company selling? A free website.
Target customers are people who want a personal blog or a business site. Their value proposition is a clear call-to-action offer to create a website for free.
Mint … focus on improving performance
We are always looking for valuable performance tools. That is what Mint sells … one that manages your money. The benefit is to make it simple enough for everyone. Their target customer then is obviously people who are seeking help in financial matters.
What makes the offering different from competitors? Instead of using one tool to manage the budget and another to manage bills, you can do all of that in one tool.
Stripe … the flexibility of use
Do you have software development skills? The issue with this question is the degree of skill required. Stripe uses this issue to their benefit.
Since they are in the business of the web and mobile payment software, they seek a benefit of ease of use and flexibility for developers to integrate it into a business.
They target developers who want a customizable payment system. This is clear because you likely won’t know what an API is unless if you’re a developer or work in the software industry.
What makes the offering different from competitors? It’s easy to set up and made for developers. The target audience will know of other services like PayPal which doesn’t offer nearly as much flexibility for developers.
Trello … employ visual design
Are you looking for an organizational tool? If so, then Trello is looking for you.
Their tool can help you visually organize anything. Its biggest advantage is to remove a lot of random ways to keep track of information and condense it all into one place.
What makes the offering different from competitors? It takes tasks and info and makes it visual. While Trello forgoes the colorful background and images altogether, they’re very clear about what they’ll help you do: visually organize anything.
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
