22 website value propositions (And how to craft your own)

March 13

Well-crafted value propositions are fundamental in your ability to attract and connect with your audience. Your value propositions not only provide an opportunity to engage but also creates the first emotional hook your website visitors experience.

An effective value proposition focuses on three objectives:

It speaks directly to the audience, connecting with them on an emotional (or intuitive) level.
It indicates what makes the offering unique.
It sets expectations for what the visitor will get by continuing.

Why is a value proposition needed?

The value proposition is an important component of your overall marketing message because it confirms that your visitor has found what he or she is looking for and gives the individual a reason for taking the next step. Your value proposition allows your audience to connect with you and quickly understand the value you can provide.

What makes a good value proposition? It should be felt before intellectualized. In terms of your website, it should make your site visitor want to know the details about your business, product or service because you have confirmed, often with just a few words, you have what they need. Much like good design, a well-written value proposition will just feel right, while at the same time, not require much space or a great deal of effort to understand.

Write your own value proposition

While it may sound simple enough, developing a great value proposition isn’t an easy task. In terms of structure, the shorter, the better. If you take too long to get a customer’s attention, you run the risk of losing them. It isn’t necessary to try to share everything that makes your offering great all upfront. Details can be provided elsewhere. The first goal is to simply get a visitor’s attention and emotionally connect with them.

To start, you must understand your audience. Who are they? What are their needs, motivations, and goals? If you don’t interpret your audience’s needs correctly, how do you expect to understand what will connect with them?

Next, you need to understand what it is about your product or service’s value that speaks to your customer. Consider Apple. Did Apple build its value on features and benefits? No, not at all. Rather, the company built its value on an unprecedented user experience. What value do you provide to your customers? Likely, you’ll have a long list that starts to look like benefits and features. You really need to dive into the underlying theme of all of that. What is the overarching value your business provides? From there, think through why you are the best option. What job do you help with? What pains are you alleviating? What does your audience stand to gain by engaging with you? What do you do differently than your competitors? What do you offer that they don’t? When you peel back each of these layers, you’ll start to really get at the foundation of your value proposition.

It’s worth noting: Well-written value propositions are user-centric, therefore don’t focus on what you offer, but rather, on the customer’s needs and the problem you are solving.

As you think about your own value proposition, you may also want to check out the Value Proposition Canvas. Originally created by Alex Osterwalder, it takes a deep dive into this topic. You can find a great overview video of the canvas here.

Value proposition examples

Could you use a little inspiration? We’ve assembled 22 excellent, real-world value proposition examples for you. Why do we think these examples are so great? First, they emotionally connect with site visitors. Secondly, using just a few short words, they clearly articulate the value the business can provide while responding to what the customer needs.

1. Freshbooks

FreshBooks provides cloud-based accounting software. Their target audience is small business owners and individuals responsible for business accounting. Knowing that bookkeeping is often an intimidating part of growing a small business, the company expertly plays off of this pain, while telling their site visitor precisely how the company can help.

2. Ladders

The Ladders specializes in job placements and coaching for high-income professionals ($100k+). They understand that if someone comes to their website, they are looking for two things: Career advancement and with it, an increased salary. By leveraging the value proposition “Move up in your career” the business speaks to both of these objectives and confirms that their service can deliver what the customer wants.

3. Apptimize

Apptimize’s mission is to “give people the power, control, and data to make better apps, all while maintaining the high performance of the native experience.” Their value proposition “Create the Best Mobile Experience Possible” speaks directly to their target customer. They know people visiting their site are looking for assistance in upping their mobile experience game and they clearly provide an easy solution.