What Makes a Good Value Proposition?

Your business is as unique as you are, and you know you can do incredible things with your tech-powered solutions. How do you channel that into messages that attract investors, leads, and partners?

The answer is by turning your differentiators into clear, comprehensive statements that immediately deliver what it is your company does and why: Your unique value propositions. 

What is a Value Proposition?

A value proposition represents a unique way to identify your business. It carries more information than a slogan or tagline, but perhaps less than a complete elevator pitch. 

Your value proposition is a way to connect your business to your clients or customers. It creates engagement, builds a desire to find out more, and conveys critical information about the problem you’re solving. 

Examples of great value propositions include:

• HubSpot: An easy-to-use CRM.

• Samsung: Unfold your world.

• Slack: Made for people. Built for productivity.

These are short, snappy, and importantly, leave you wanting to know more.

Elements of Effective Value Propositions

There are a number of different methods for building a strong value proposition. Harvard Business School suggests following the “jobs to be done” theory. This requires thinking of your tech solution as something a client hires to get a job done. What job will that be? Who’s already available to do this job (competitors)? What makes my tool better for the job?

An older model is the one created by Alexander Osterwalder and promoted by Lean Startup expert, Steve Blank. This suggests a single sentence which says who you help, what you help them do, and how.

Whichever value proposition model or template you utilize, they all have common elements:

• An understanding of your ideal customer profile (ICP).

• Recognition of a pain point.

• A benefit to the client—what do they gain from you or your brand?

• Features that matter to your ideal client.

• Clear language and visual elements where appropriate.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it gives you the best starting point ot start brainstorming your value propositions and make sure they deliver genuine impact.

Final Word

Crafting value propositions that connect to your brand and your solutions is an essential aspect of your tech startup’s marketing strategy. Book a free 15-minute introductory call to find out how Arch Collective can help support every facet of your marketing efforts.

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