3 Tips for Creating a Unique Value Proposition

November 18th, 2009

If you are a frequent Grokdotcom reader, this will not be the first time you’ve heard FutureNow stress the importance of having a Unique Value Proposition (UVP). UVPs are critical in grabbing the attention of new visitors. However, the creation of a UVP is not as simple as one would hope.

Recently, I’ve taken on a few new clients who have no UVP at all. And not surprisingly, they’re having a difficult time creating one. (If it were simple to do, everyone would already have one, right?) So here are a few tools to help you create the best possible UVP:

1. Brainstorm “What do we do best?” – For this exercise I would suggest polling everyone in the company, from customer service, to executives, to HR and account management. You’ll be surprised in the variety of answers you get. If you’re finding that this is even drawing some blanks ask the most basic question: What do we do?

2. Why did you start doing what you’re doing online? Chances are you saw a need in the market and decided to seize the opportunity. Did you think you could do it faster, cheaper, better than your competition?

3. Ask your customers. They’ve already decided that you were the right choice, so ask them, “Why us?” Even better, this can be parlayed into a testimonial–two birds, one stone.

Bonus: Once you think you’ve got a decent UVP drafted, can you distill it down to a TweetVP under 140 characters?

Still stumped on how to create a great UVP? Look at where you shop online. Ask yourself why you shop with them and how they emphasize that point on their site. Remember you’re both a seller and a consumer.

In Improving Conversion, Online Persuasion

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Comments (22)

zen sand garden
November 18th, 2009
3:49 pm

One of the things I think is important to note is that sometimes a customer is less interested in where the grass is than they are in where the other cows are eating. Sometimes value proposition is less important than the leverage of testimonials and partnerships.
Marie
November 19th, 2009
10:11 am

Hi Natalie!

I totally agree with you: most of my clients don’t have a UVP clear in their mind. And suddenly, when they manage to write one, simple, punchy and easy to understand, things usually become much easier.

But you’re right: it is a difficult exercise. Sometimes, referring to a marketing expert outside of your firm can be a good choice too.
Paul McKeon
November 19th, 2009
11:31 am

An excellent and elegant process for starting a content strategy. People begin caring about a company and its products when they see unique, valuable content–and that begins with a UVP.

@zen, I disagree. Testimonials and partnerships are a thin veneer if the content doesn’t provide value. While a reader is reading copy with value, the grass is green.
Buzzlord
November 19th, 2009
3:14 pm

My biggest problem is communicating exactly what my UVP is to the customer.

I know I can do it better than my competition, but getting that across can be hard.
Comparison Shopping
November 19th, 2009
7:26 pm

Natalie these are great tips. Another tip to get the brainstorming going is to research and list successful value propositions from companies in other industries. Reword them and rework them to see if a version of the original works for your business.
Reviews
November 20th, 2009
9:10 pm

from time to time, the UVP has to be reviewed depending on current situation..each business has its own competition…and the UVP they offer in term of expertise, testimonials, unique personal style should be take into consideration.
Chiropractic Website
November 22nd, 2009
1:59 am

Thanks for the help. This blog has really opened my eyes to things I need to work on.
Learn
November 22nd, 2009
4:20 pm

UVP is one of the most important thing for any business but hard to create and communicate.
Nyubi
November 23rd, 2009
10:22 pm

interesting article, thank for the tips.. surely need to learn it more
How do you create a unique value proposition? | IP Marketing Advisor
November 24th, 2009
10:33 am

[...] Source: FutureNow [...]
Matt Mikulla
November 24th, 2009
7:04 pm

It would be useful if you had a list of examples. Maybe a future post?
wowGuide
November 26th, 2009
5:56 pm

wow thank for tips that realy value advice.

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Dateangel
November 30th, 2009
5:47 am

Useful Tips and good questions.

“Why did you start doing what you’re doing online?”

Im not sure.
ملتقى الويب ماستر
November 30th, 2009
6:44 am

i have sent to my friend very usful tips
3 Tips for Creating a Unique Value Proposition | The NMS Blog
December 2nd, 2009
6:01 am

[...] Source:3 Tips for Creating a Unique Value Proposition Share and Enjoy: [...]
Tonda Kala
December 13th, 2009
6:46 am

I cant imagine the point 3 in practice – how can i ask customers for feedback??

Tonda
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บ้าน
January 8th, 2010
9:55 am

Thanks, very informative!
Video Production Cambridge
January 10th, 2010
8:42 am

Wow thanks for this. I’ll be sure to send this to my friends
Free Advertising
January 12th, 2010
4:06 am

Working backwards from the customer is always the best principle in life. So, be sure to follow “Ask your customer”
Problem Solver
January 15th, 2010
5:52 pm

“What do we do best?” sometimes that question is really hard to answer.. Because there’s too many or too little.
Writing Jobs
January 20th, 2010
1:58 pm

An excellent and elegant process for starting a content strategy. People begin caring about a company and its products when they see unique, valuable content–and that begins with a UVP.

@zen, I disagree. Testimonials and partnerships are a thin veneer if the content doesn’t provide value. While a reader is reading copy with value, the grass is green.
Pinpoint Benefits
February 5th, 2010
6:51 am

UVP has to be reviewed depending on current situation..each business has its own competition…and the UVP they offer in term of expertise, testimonials, unique personal style should be take into consideration.

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