It seems value propositions are the most misunderstood aspects of Landing Page Optimization. Usually, when we here at MarketingExperiments ask a company to provide a value proposition for a webpage that we are trying to help them optimize, the responses are all over the place. Some companies will give us a couple bulleted points; others submit a couple paragraphs.
So which is it?
This led me to my third question in this blogging series on Value Propositions
Question 3: Exactly how long should a good value proposition be?
The answer: One short, to the point, sentence.
I think some people here would say 10 words or less, but the main point is just to keep value propositions short and clear.
Remember, a value proposition is not a mission statement or a historical account of your company. A value proposition states WHY your prospective costumer should buy from you instead of your competitors. So keep it short, specific, and simple and make sure you answer the right question.
Easy?
What if you are a company that has multiple products with multiple uniquely valuable aspects to them? How can a company with many reasons that a specific consumer should purchase from them state a value proposition in one short and specific sentence?
This seems to be the issue that a lot of companies face when forming value propositions. They have too much to say (albeit legitimately) about their company’s value, and instead of a short, clear, and instantly viable value proposition, you get an unending tiresome list of products and offers.
So where is the misunderstanding here?
Companies are not constrained to one value proposition.
For some reason, I had been under the impression (along with what seems to be many others) that a company needed to have only one value proposition. But this is not the case. Really, in Internet marketing, it seems less likely that you would need to have one value proposition for your entire company more than you would need multiple value propositions to suite multiple marketing campaigns.
A company with a good Internet marketing strategy should formulate specific value propositions for each of its landing pages. Factors like the specific offer of a page, the particular audience being targeted, or even in something like the season could be equated into a value proposition. If you think about it, one product could have multiple value propositions depending on the specific audience or the specific timing of the offer.
Doesn’t this change the way you look at value propositions?
Once again, remember, you are answering the question WHY should your target costumer buy from you instead of your competitors.
So, with all that said, value propositions should still be expressed in one short, to-the-point sentence. Whether you are talking about a company or an offer on a landing page, keep the value proposition short and sweet.
I hope that helps. I appreciate all the value propositions sent to me via email. And I plan on responding to them all. As my delayed blog posting might suggest, I have busier than normal the past few weeks working on the upcoming Multivariable Testing Certification Course from MarketingExperiments, but I am still engaged in this topic. Two more questions remain unconquered.