A value proposition is a critical statement of why someone should buy from you.
Crafting a reason why someone should purchase from you in one to five sentences is an art.
Whether it’s for a website, landing page, or brochure, the time spent crafting an effective statement can make an impact in swaying your customer.
Which is why I decided to find some value propositions I like. Even better, that I would like to steal and use as my own. Let’s take a look at some value propositions and see if we can get some inspiration from them.
But first, let’s look at a few elements that are going to guide our comments.
What Makes a Good Value Proposition?
To look at value propositions, we should understand what makes a good one.
A value proposition needs to convey to a prospective customer that you can solve their problem. Then, it should tell them why you are going to solve it better than anyone else.
It’s a statement that conveys to a prospective customer that you understand their problem. You have a great solution to their problem. And you have the best product to solve that problem with. Then, you might want to add a little flair to the statement. Make the statement on brand. This way the messaging is consistent with your company as a whole.
This is essentially the core of what makes a great value proposition. This is the consideration used in selecting some of the value propositions below. Let’s begin with our first, Campaign Monitor.
Campaign Monitor
We are going to take a look at Campaign Monitor’s value proposition. They are an email marketing and automation company.
Their value proposition is:
Analysis
I think Campaign Monitor does well identifying with their customers problem. They hit on the constant email marketing problem of measuring campaign impact. Doing this conveys they understand the problem.
I think there are a lot of positives with Campaign Monitor’s value proposition. If you’re looking for inspiration, this would not be a bad one to steal some from.
Procter & Gamble
Proctor & Gamble are no strangers to being featured in marketing case studies. As one of the top marketing organizations, it’s no doubt we want to look at how they craft a value proposition. For their value statement, we are going to look at how they describe the value of their organization.
Their statement is:
Analysis
There are two key pieces to this statement that are great. The first is, validating their success by their tenure as a company. Using the historical context, that they have been at for 181 years is a bold statement.
The second is, reinforcing the innovation they have produced as a consumer products company. This reinforces that many of the household brands we know come from them.
If you are looking for a statement to describe your company, as opposed to just a product, this is a good example to follow. Using time, the number of clients, and an ability to innovate.
Stripe
Stripe is a new-ish, developer friendly payments platform. It is offering companies a lot more flexibility in being able to accept online payments. They also have a pretty good marketing squad. Which is why we are going to look at their value proposition.
Their statement is:
Analysis
Stripe has three great elements to their value proposition. The first is that it is identifying a problem. Taking online payments as an internet company is difficult. And business who do this know that. Acknowledging this pain point is showing prospective customers you understand their problem.
The second key element is stating they are the new standard, and the best, for accepting online payments as an internet business. This is a key element to a great value proposition we discussed in the opening. The last thing we could take as inspiration is the social proof. Stripe is announcing that they are currently processing a lot of money, which is proof the solution is working.
This is a great example that hits on all the elements of a great value statement.
MailChimp
MailChimp is an email marketing software. They focus on entrepreneurs and small and medium sized businesses. Their value proposition reflects the sentiments of their target market, which is why we want to use it as inspiration.
Their statement is:
Analysis
There are two things MailChimp is doing really well with this statement. First, they are talking to a business owner. The first statement is speaking to the owner of a business, which if their market is an entrepreneur or small business, this is who would be deciding on using MailChimp.
The second piece, is talking to the owner about building their business. This is helping the owner, who may struggle with marketing, create big marketing campaigns with an easy to use software.
This is a great example in teaching us how to directly, and effectively, speak to our target audience, with a little bit of humor.
Lyft
The ride-sharing company Lyft makes our list of value propositions to look at. We are going to look at the rider focused statement. If you went to their website as a rider, here is what you would see:
Analysis
For this value proposition, it relies on two elements. The first is branding. There is an expectation that you already know who Lyft is prior to coming to the site. The second element is to provide a phone number and download the app.
For products where strong branding is necessary, this is a great strategy. It also shows us how to incorporate a mobile app into your website.
Dollar Shave Club
Although Dollar Shave Club is now owned by Gillette, they still have great copy to learn from. Being a subscription service, the key is getting prospective customers to begin. We see this element in their statement below.
Analysis
There are two key elements to this statement worth noting. This first is, speaking to men who shave. Understanding you want a great shave with products that smell great. This is all about understanding the problem your client faces. The second element is the call to action. It’s subscription, so getting started is key. That is where the starter kit call to action excels.
We can use Dollar Shave Club as a great example of how to subtly acknowledge the problem faced by our target audience.
Pagely
A bit of a tech product, Pagely is assisting large companies with their WorPress hosting. They are speaking to developers and engineers with their messaging. Even more specific, they are trying to speak to those who are developers and operations.
What we get is the following statement:
Analysis
There is a lot going on with this value statement. Two great things about it are the speaking to big brands. Calling out immediately who the target audience is. Second, is clearly identifying the problems high traffic websites and big brands run into. Pricing tiers and customization.
This is a great example of being targeted in your messaging and not trying to appeal to everyone.
Bitly
Bitly, the link shortening and tracking app, is a great tool. Not only that, they do a great job getting us to get started with their product. That gives us the following value proposition.
Analysis
For Bitly, they hit on all the elements of a good value proposition. There are two that they execute exceptionally well here. The first is the social proof element. Being the “world’s leading link management platform” and using it to their advantage in the value proposition. The second, their call to action is to let you actually use their product. This is no barriers to action.
If there is a way in your product to decrease a barrier to using, Bitly is a great example to use as inspiration.
Unbounce
Unbounce, the landing page builder, is all about improving conversion. Through their blog, podcast, and other content, they continually talk about A/B testing and conversion optimization. Which is why we consider their value proposition. Chances are high they tested their way to its current format.
The resulting statement is:
Analysis
There are two key points I think this value proposition is doing well. The first is identifying what the platform or product does. They state they are a platform to improve conversion. The second key take away, their problem identification. They identify a very specific problem for marketers. The problem they identify is post click conversion rates.
Unbounce provides us a great example of identifying who we are and how to identify with your target audiences’ problems.
Vimeo
Vimeo, which does just about everything for online video, provides a value statement example that’s good and a bit witty. Laying on a plain background, we get the following statement.
Analysis
Since Vimeo does everything video, they have to attack a general problem. Almost a mass market value proposition. They do this by leading with helping. Then, listing the key problems people have with video. This is a clever way to address all the ways they can help their prospective customers.
If your company or product solves many problems, Vimeo provides a great example of how to address this.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks provides us a great example of how to craft a value proposition when you are an all-in-one solution. Like Vimeo, FreshBooks offers everything a small business needs for invoicing and accounting. We are left with the following.
Analysis
FreshBooks takes a second approach to being the singular solution for clients. They do a great job identifying the problem small business owners have when it comes to accounting. Then, they explain they are the only solution they need.
This gives us great inspiration for explaining an all-in-one solution.
Mint
Mint is how a lot of consumers stay on top of their bills. They are also a great value proposition example we can learn from.
Analysis
Managing finances is never easy. Mint clearly identifies this problem. Then, explains when you have this under control, life is good. They provide a great example of how to paint a before and after picture when using their service.
Weebly
Weebly is a website building application. They cater to a market that is looking to grow their business. Which is reflected in their value statement and we get the following result:
Analysis
There are two great things this statement does. The first, it directly speaks to who their target audience is. Speaking to people who are looking to grow their business. The second is the call-to-action. Driving people to start creating their website. Taking the barrier out of what might be complex.
Weebly gives us a great example of speaking to our audience and asking them to act now.
Tortuga
Tortuga, a backpack company that caters to consumers who travel frequently. Specifically, urban travelers, and by looking at their company, the digital nomad traveler. With that audience, we get the following statement:
Analysis
Three great aspects of this statement, which we find in each line, is identifying what the backpacks are for. The problem they solve. And the action we want to take, which is not singular. These three points follow our criteria of a good value proposition, so it gives us inspiration for a consumer product.
Opera
Opera is an internet browser. With the browser market being competitive with Chrome and Firefox, they need to understand who would want to use their browser. They do exactly this with the following statement.
Analysis
What the Opera statement does really well is identify with the crowd who wants a different type of browser. Focusing on people who do not want ads and want the security and privacy of a VPN, they differentiate themselves. Which, is a key aspect of a good value proposition.
Pinterest, the idea sharing social network, gives us a good example of a value proposition. Also, it is one that relies heavily on branding. What we get is the following.
Analysis
What Pinterest does well here is conveying what Pinterest is for. With so many social networks, it is key that Pinterest identifies what they are for specifically. Which is ideas.
They are a good example of simply explaining what the specific use case for a product is.
Salesforce
Salesforce, the leader in customer relationship management (CRM) software, tells prospects who are interested in their software they are a leader. This tactic holds a lot of weight for clients looking at a CRM. We end up with the following proposition.
Analysis
Salesforce is capitalizing on the social proof tactic with their value proposition. When you are the top product in a space, it is a great tactic to use. Typically, you are the top product for a reason.
Salesforce provides us some inspiration of how to incorporate social proof into our statements.
Square
Square makes it easier for businesses to accept credit card payments. It helps build businesses. Which we see in the following value proposition.
Analysis
Square provides inspiration on how to leverage branding, simple copy, and an image carousel to convey our value proposition. We put it on the list as an alternative way to address a value proposition on our home page.
Evernote
Evernote is a note app for any kinds of notes. Allowing you to take notes, add web pages, images, and organize it all. It makes note organization easy. Which, they convey with the following value statement.
Analysis
The statement here has a few good elements of inspiration. The first is painting the picture of how you would feel after using the product. The answer is organized. The second is, explaining all that can be done with it in a few words.
With Evernote, we get a good example what can be done with a product and the result of doing that.
Hubspot
HubSpot, a marketing, sales, and customer support platform, talks to clients who are looking to grow their business. They convey this in the following statement:
Analysis
With the value proposition that HubSpot is using, there is a key element to note. That is the alignment of business growth goals and doing what is right for the client. This speaks to a target audience who is looking to grow and scale. Which, is the right time to select a CRM and marketing automation system.
Skype
Skype is the online calling and chat software. Which, made it popular. Skype is about communication, which is what they convey in their value proposition below.
Analysis
What Skype does well in this value statement, which is worth inspiration, is taking what they are used for and combining it with the human desire to stay connected. This is pulling at human heart strings to stay connected with those we care about.
Skype is a great example of how to incorporate emotion into our value statements.
Spotify
Spotify, the world-famous music service, provides a great value proposition copywriting example. They speak to music lovers and let prospective customers know there is music for them. The result is the following:
Analysis
The key take-away from the Spotify value proposition is removing barriers to act. They convey there is something for you with Spotify, you don’t need a credit card, and it’s free. So, get started. It is all about getting the reader to act and convert.
Plated
Plated is for those who like to cook, without the hassle of meal planning. The plated value proposition is directed at people who want a cooking experience. With great meals. The result is the following statement.
Analysis
The Plated value proposition has great execution on two of the value proposition criteria we discussed earlier. The first is conveying an understanding of the customers problem. Here, that is getting all the ingredients for an amazing meal. The second, is conveying what the solution to that problem is. Here, it’s addressing the experience.
Plated offers inspiration of a statement conveying problem and solution.
InVision
InVision is an application that helps designers create a better user experience when building products. Giving product designers the ability to create a great digital product quickly is what InVision speaks to. They get the following statement:
Analysis
InVision excels at two of the value proposition components. The first is the solution and the second is social proof. We get both in the statement above, which we can use as inspiration in crafting our own statements.
DeskBeers
DeskBeers is a craft drink delivery service for offices, primarily focused on craft beers. Appealing to businesses and offices that want a craft beer selection. To appeal to this market, we get the following statement:
Analysis
What DeskBeers does well with their value proposition is getting to the point and describing exactly what it is they do. Ultimately, they use their product to hook you and compel you to act.
DeskBeers is a great example for us to be succinct and use our value proposition to say exactly what our product does.
Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot makes the need for creating screenshots, organizing them, storing them, and marking them up easy. They also understand what screenshots are most commonly used for. Which is communication. The result is the following statement:
Analysis
Awesome Screenshot does a great job here of identifying with the problem that customers have. They use this as the center piece of their value proposition. Then, use that understanding to compel you to get started with their tool.
Updatey
Updatey is a project management solution. This is evident in their value proposition. We get the following:
Analysis
Updatey hits on a key aspect of a good value proposition. Why they are the best solution. They do this by taking a complex thing, project management, and describe how they make it simple.
In few words, Updatey is a great example of how to convey why you are the best option.
UberConference
UberConference is a great browser-based phone conferencing solution. With all the problems phone and video conferencing has, they try to address this concern in their value proposition. Their result is below.
Analysis
UberConference hits on two key aspects of a good value proposition. One, addressing the problem. Here, they address the fact that conferencing tends to be difficult. The second is, describing how they are better. They understand the competition and that they typically need to download something or use a PIN to dial in. Thus, UberConference is letting you know you do not use those things.
UberConference is a great example of identifying a customer’s problem and describing why your solution is the best.
Moz
Moz, the SEO tool with the popular Rogerbot crawler, gives us a slightly different example of a value proposition. With their statement, we get a two for one deal. They appeal to two types of clients when you hit their home page. The result is the following:
Analysis
Moz hits two key elements of a good value proposition. The first is social proof. They emphasize that industry leading experts have built the Moz products. The second is hitting on what their prospective clients want more of. That is for prospects to find them. They want web traffic clients and the local SEO clients.
Moz provides a great example and does so by structuring their statement slightly differently.
Drip
Drip is an eCommerce marketing automation solution. They are about allowing marketers to effectively build relationships with customers at scale. To convey this message, Drip uses the following value proposition.
Analysis
Drip addresses two of our good value proposition points here. They hit on understanding your prospects problems. And, they address why your service is the best option. They do this with a taste of branding, which gives nice execution.
If you are looking for inspiration, Drip provides a great example, I may want to use myself.
Marketo
Marketo is a leading marketing automation solution. They are a leader and the Account Based Marketing market leaders. If you visit their website, they are regularly rotating their home page headlines and the value proposition they are displaying. The one we are going to look at is the following.
Analysis
Marketo is doing two key things with their value proposition. They are capitalizing on social proof and innovation to prove they can solve their customers problems better than the competition. It is these two well executed aspects that provide a good value proposition example.
Slack
Slack is the business chat software everyone loves. Fresh off a logo redesign and small rebrand, we have a new value proposition to take a look at. Slack’s rebrand is taking them from team communication to a platform for collaboration. That provides us the following statement.
Analysis
Slack does a great job identifying customers problems. The problem is effective collaboration to get work done. They hit on this effectively. What also makes this a nice statement is the imaginative headline and a little branding flair.
Slack gives us a good example of hitting on a principle of a good value proposition and adding some flair.
Intercom
Intercom is a leading website chat software. They offer a place for all teams who would need to chat with clients a place to communicate. Intercom conveys this in the following value proposition.
Analysis
Intercom gives us a good example of two elements, which is identifying with a customer’s problem and explaining why their solution is the best option. They do this with identifying the client engagement problem. Then, they address that they are a new approach to engagement and retention. The “new” part is how they address doing it better.
Intercom is known for their writing prowess and they give us nice inspiration here.
Drift
Drift is a website chat application, which focuses on giving sales teams the ability to chat and engage with website visitors. They convey this website chat niche with the following statement.
Analysis
Drift provides us some nice inspiration on how to convey problem identification in a single statement. Connection rates with sales reps and prospects is increasingly difficult. Which is why the Drift statement works so well.
Drift is a great example in simply identifying with your prospective client’s problems.
Growbots
Growbots is an outbound sales platform. Providing prospect identification and an email sending client, they help companies scale their outbound efforts. This is the exact point they convey in their value proposition below.
Analysis
The Growbots statement does an excellent job hitting problem identification. Needing to scale and automate outbound sales is the problem, which plagues teams. They solve this by understanding the problem and being the only solution you need to solve it.
We can use their statement as an example of how to present a problem and a solution simply.
Segment
Segment is a behavioral event-based data collection and distribution platform. It allows you to collect application data and send it to your various applications. With that, we get the following statement.
Analysis
Segment gives us good examples of two of our value proposition principles. The first is focusing on what Segment is for. Which is customer data management. Then, they identify the key problem. Which is getting reliable data that you can act on in various applications.
Segment gives a nice example of a value proposition that is worth stealing.
99designs
99designs is a global creative platform where you can design or get design work done. This is accomplished with a flair and passion for design. The result is the following statement:
Analysis
The value proposition here does a great job hitting on the solution aspect of our good value propositions. Identifying that people need a place to find work and they need to get design work done, the statement offers up the solution. Then, there is the added piece that identifies with customers that want to grow their businesses.
99designs gives us a great example of presenting a solution in our value statement.
Upwork
Upwork is one the world’s top freelance marketplaces. You can use them to get just about any work done. They use both of these things in their value proposition. We get the following:
Analysis
There are two key examples we can use from the Upwork value proposition. We can use the problem identification, which they are looking at people who want to get work done. Then, they hit on the social proof aspect. Letting prospective clients know they are a top freelance marketplace means they will have the ability to recruit top talent.
These two points are a reason to emulate the Upwork proposition.
New Relic
New Relic is a product for developers to have insight into their entire tech stack. Then, act on its performance. The value proposition effectively talks to these solutions. We get the following statement:
Analysis
The New Relic statement gives us a great example of speaking to the problems their clients have. Their clients need insights into their technology stack. We can use this as inspiration for how to speak to our client’s problems.
Grammarly
Grammarly is the spell check software needed for those who compose on the web. It’s a Chrome plugin that helps you not publish typos. To convey this, Grammarly has the following value proposition:
Analysis
The Grammarly statement gives us two great examples of problem identification and describing our solution. The first, our problem, is the fact that we write online with typos and mistakes. The second, is spell checkers are not always great. Grammarly excellently gives us an example addressing these items.
We can use this example as inspiration. Or, just model ours after it. Great artists do steal.
ZenDesk
ZenDesk is the leading customer service platform. They give teams the ability to facilitate a great customer service experience. To convey this message, we get the below value proposition.
Analysis
The ZenDesk example above is another good example of speaking to the problem a customer is facing. Their statement is directed at the problems of creating great customer service experiences and having a flexible system. Addressing these are going to be key objections from clients.
We can use the ZenDesk value statement as an example of how we want to speak to our customers problem.
AppDynamics
AppDynamics is an application for IT teams to diagnose the state of their systems. The AppDynamics clients are concerned with the health of their systems. This is the message they convey with the following statement.
Analysis
AppDynamics provides us with an example of how to convey what it is our product does. Which, is a key aspect of a good value proposition. As we develop how we want to speak about what it is we do, let’s use AppDynamics as a source of inspiration.
Intellimize
Inetellimize is a startup that helps clients get results faster with machine learning assistance. These results help growth and increase revenue. To convey this, Intellimize uses the following value statement.
Analysis
Intellimize does a great job telling us what they do and addressing client problems. With the solution to those problems being revenue and growth.
We can easily learn from the Intellimize statement and use it as inspiration for building our own.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare is an internet security and content delivery network company. They are helping websites manage their security and uptime. To convey this, they use the value proposition below.
Analysis
With the Cloudflare value proposition, we get a great example for social proof. By using how many domains trust the company, it provides confidence. This is one way we can get inspiration from their statement.
A great value proposition is key to your business. It is how you talk about yourself, it is how you generate interest, and it is common that it is featured on the headline section of your homepage. At the very least, a variation of it. Which is why we compiled this extensive list of inspiration.
With all these value propositions to choose from, hopefully there is plenty of inspiration. These should help you craft the proposition that will eventually make it onto your home page.
If your value proposition is not currently on your homepage, it should be. And, it should be a good one. You now have plenty of ammo to get to work crafting one you love. The hard work is now waiting.