Win the 10-Second Challenge: Craft a Unique Value Proposition That Converts

By Jacqueline Ball, Yo Marketing Agency Content and Copywriting Lead

At roughly 30 seconds, or the span of an elevator ride, the eponymous pitch once defined the quickest, most concise sales spiel. But “quick” in digital is about 10 seconds–3 times as fast. That’s how long web visitors give a page before deciding to stay or move on. Luckily, that’s time enough to pull prospects in with a compelling Unique Value Proposition (UVP).

A UVP is a succinct statement that sums up what sets your brand apart. In simple, clear language, it explains who your product or service is for, what it does and what specific, unique benefits it offers its target audience. A powerful UVP at the heart of your marketing strategy can pay off in a slew of ways: inspiring trust, communicating reliability, driving authentic, customer-centric messaging, and ensuring consistent messaging across channels.

The number one question: Why should they buy from you?

Gather your team and begin by inviting and recording answers to these questions:

𝗼 What product or service do you offer?

𝗼 What is your product name and category?

𝗼 Who is your current customer, ideal customer or target audience?

𝗼 What value do you offer the customer (satisfying a need, providing an opportunity)?

𝗼 What features and benefits distinguish your product or service from the competition?

Next, you want to do a deep dive into the customer experience. Collect information through research:

Analyze customer and target audience data (such as leads in your pipeline), by segment if possible, and study reviews, social media and feedback from customer care agents and salespeople. Make special note of testimonials, because there’s nothing more effective and relatable than a customer’s own words. Identify pain points, priorities and aspirations.

Visit competitors’ websites to see how they’re positioning themselves. Read reviews and social media to learn how their approach is landing with customers, and where they may be falling flat (opening up a possible opportunity for you.)

Brainstorm what your product does and the specific, unique features and benefits it offers. For instance, do you aim to save money, time, physical or mental effort? Are you making life or work safer, easier, more comfortable, less stressful? Create a once-in-a-lifetime experience or valuable emotional connection?

Streamline the writing with fill-in-the-blank frameworks

You can create multiple UVPs to use in different campaigns, or you can highlight different benefits in the same UVP. Amazon’s value statement, for example, mentions convenient service, lower prices, better selection and customer-centricity. When you’re ready to write, a UVP framework can help organize your thoughts. Here are two widely used frameworks–just fill in the blanks.

1 Simple Product-Solution framework

We help [target customer] to [achieve desired outcome] by [unique solution].

Example: We help [busy health care providers] to [comply with changing regulations] by [automated alerts and updates].

2 Pain Point framework (From organizational theorist Geoffrey Moore.)

For [target audience] who [key customer need], our [product or service] is [product category] that [key benefit.]

Example: For [omnichannel marketers] who [struggle with inventory control], [our product] is [a mobile and web platform] that [centralizes order management].

Asana, Hubspot, MailChimp and other organizations offer other popular frameworks free of charge, as well as tools for value mapping and customer profiles, and lots of examples of successful UVPs. Download for use anytime.

To make your straightforward statements grab attention faster (remember that 10-second stopwatch), companies often use the value statement, or a variation, as a subhead following a short, punchy headline. See some examples below.

Hubspot

You can have it all together. HubSpot’s AI-powered customer platform is easy to use, provides value fast, and gives all your teams a unified view of your customers at every stage of the journey.

MailChimp

Turn Emails & SMS into Revenue. Get more opens, clicks, and sales with the #1 email marketing and automations platform*—now with SMS.

Asana

Work works better with Asana. Asana helps cross-functional teams overcome their organizational growing pains and ensures that goals, processes, and collaboration can continue to scale.

Lyft

Let’s Ride No matter where you’re headed, we’ll help you get there. On-demand, scheduled ahead, late night, or morning commute. Plus, get rewards on every ride.

Slack

Make work life simpler, more pleasant and more productive. Slack is the AI-powered platform for work bringing all of your conversations, apps, and customers together in one place. Around the world, Slack is helping businesses of all sizes grow and send productivity through the roof.

Revisit often, because things–and customer perceptions–change To validate your messaging, solicit customer feedback. If you have several top messaging choices, you might also want to conduct A/B testing. After finalizing, integrate and implement your UVP across channels and campaigns.

Actually, your Unique Value Proposition should be considered a fluid document rather than a final one. Revisit the statement at least once a year, and whenever there’s a significant change in your industry, market, product, target audience or competition. Make sure your UVP stays relevant, fresh, competitive and most of all, customer-centric. That’s the way to ensure authentic, high-quality content–the kind that can drive conversions and send your SEO rankings soaring.

Yo Marketing Agency specializes in creating customized digital marketing solutions to help businesses of every size grow. For help with drafting, implementing and integrating your Unique Value Proposition as well as any other parts of a winning digital marketing strategy, contact us. Let us help you get noticed by the right people–your target audience.