Marj Galangco
Recall the last time you bought something in a deliberate way.
Maybe it was a high-ticket item.
Or maybe it was something that, if you made the wrong decision, could have caused undue stress or damage.
Maybe you were even one of several decision-makers, and you each had different ideas of what the key buying considerations should be.
You probably read online reviews…
Or joined forums and consulted people who purchased it.
Maybe you had a spreadsheet of your options, compared the “pros and cons” of each, the price, the service level, the key criteria worth considering, etc.
Can you remember what exactly made you pick the one you did?
What made it stand out as the best choice for you considering everything else?
Well, your ideal customers are doing the same thing.
Whether they do it consciously or not, they weigh your offer against all the other options available to them.
So the question is:
In a noisy and competitive marketplace, how do you influence them to conclude that you are their best choice?
Ultimately, it’s how well you differentiate yourself that will stack the odds in your favour.
How?
By crafting a compelling Unique Value Proposition (UVP).
So if you want to outdo your competitors whenever your ideal prospects are comparing you with them, read on and I’ll show you how to win that game!
(Some call it Unique Selling Point (USP) but we prefer to emphasise the Value aspect.)
A UVP is a statement that clearly explains to your ideal customers why they should choose you over everyone else in the marketplace.
To do this, you need to address these “sub-questions”:
You can express your UVP in many ways (I’ll show you some concrete examples and applications on Landing Pages later). It could take the form of some text, a concise statement, a short paragraph (or a group of paragraphs), or a bullet list.
Here’s how we have incorporated it on our website’s home page:
In one glance, it’s clear what we do, who we do it for, the end results of the value we offer, and we give plenty of compelling reasons (and credible proof!) why our ideal customers should work with us.
In a word: differentiation.
And differentiation = conversion.
After all, conversion optimisation is all about the effective communication of the right value to the right people at the right time.
Sadly, much of the value many businesses offer remain hidden.
Many of our attempts to convey our value don’t result in actual perceived value. (Not as far as the intended recipients are concerned anyway).
There are so many amazing businesses out there that are doing meaningful, important work — but are not communicating the depth and the breadth of the value they are bringing to the world.
The result:
Unconverted traffic.
Unmet needs.
Transformations that could have happened but didn’t.
Unrealised dreams.
Unborn selves.
OK, I’m being cheesy and dramatic here but you get the drift 🙂
I’m not joking when I say that having “a bad UVP” can create missed growth opportunities of epic proportions.
In fact, if there’s one thing on your landing page that you should get right above anything else, it’s your UVP!
You see, a well-crafted UVP can boost your conversions because it does several things:
But to really explain what a UVP is, it’s worth clarifying what it isn’t.
Now that we’re clear what a UVP is and what it isn’t, let’s take a look at some examples!
There are some brands that, in a single, simple sentence, manages to convey the compelling reason why their ideal customers should buy from them.
FedEx: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”
Domino’s: “Get your pizza in 30 minutes or it’s free!”
M & Ms: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”
Carrefour: “Everything under the same roof.”
iPod: “1000 songs in your pocket.”
Grammarly’s Unique Value Proposition conveys what the user is able to do by using their app:
Now let’s look at how we have incorporated them in the optimised landing pages that we have made for some of our clients…
Feature your well-thought out list of reasons why and make sure it’s above the fold, just like what we’ve done for the Car Warranty Company:
If you have awards or some sort of recognition in your industry, shout about it just like what we’ve done above.
Observe what we’ve done here for Snow Teeth Whitening:
Notice how the above screenshot says:
“…advanced proprietary teeth whitening serum only available here.”
Translation: the prospects can’t get it anywhere else.
“Original, patented safe LED activating technology”
Patented = exclusivity
“so you can wear it safely at home…”
Safety is always a big criteria for products like this so it always helps when you emphasise safety.
At home means it’s convenient, it’s not stressful, and it makes the whole experience dead easy.
“…in as little as 9 minutes a day.”
Who doesn’t like convenient and fast processes, right?
I hope you’re getting some serious ideas on how to apply these to your own business.
Have you seen the movie Inception?
In it, Leonardo diCaprio was tasked to infiltrate the dreams of his “target” and implant an idea into his target’s subconscious mind.
Well, what if I told you that you could do an inception-esque way to establish differentiation through Social Proof?
Take a look at this page we’ve done for NiftyLooks:
Position Social Proof elements strategically on your Landing Page for maximum impact.
Instead of tooting your own horn, let your most passionate brand advocates do all the talking for you:
As you can see, as these happy customers are raving about the yoga pants, their testimonials are arming the readers with reasons why they should buy:
Compliments, comfy fit, and a shapely boo-tay?
Yes-please-I’ll-take-5-pairs-thank-you!
This is the beauty of saying something without actually saying it.
The fact that it’s the customers who are saying these things and not the founder of NiftyLooks (or a salesperson) makes it even more powerful.
Sometimes, all it takes to build value and differentiate yourself in the marketplace is by providing your customers the chance to express their individuality.
One of our clients, Pet Collars, allows pet owners that experience and they love it:
Combine that with an emphasis on using only premium quality materials plus a wide variety of choices and you’re golden.
If your research indicated that your ideal customers value where you manufacture or where you source materials from, then it’s worth including that information in your landing pages.
Notice how we applied this on the Pet Collars landing page below:
Are you getting the hang of it now?
Now let’s tackle how to craft your UVP.
Effective marketing begins and ends with your ideal customer: the one whom you intend you serve.
Let’s call your typical ideal customer “Bob”.
(You might identify who “your Bob” is by researching and identifying market segments that are currently underserved, whose needs you could meet very well.)
Doing a lot of one-on-one talks with Bob works great. Talk to your Bob who hasn’t bought from you yet and ask him questions like:
Then talk to your raving customers.
You know who they are.
They’re your brand advocates. Those who love you so much they practically wax lyrical about you.
Ask them:
Pay attention to their language and the specific words they use as they answer your questions, particularly when they’re specifically talking about your product/service.
Identify the words that keep coming up and then use those same words in your messaging.
For example if you talked to 40 of your ideal customers, and most of them mentioned (in one form or another) the words “fast”, “transformative” and “breakthrough”, use those same words in your communications strategy.
Essentially you want to mirror their own words (and voice) back to them. This creates emotional resonance within them.
Knowing what you know about Bob, what his pain points are, what matters to him above all else, etc, list all the notable benefits you offer (or can offer) to Bob.
Consider:
Here are some prompts…
Go through each item from the bullet list below as you ask yourself:
“What is it about my {check bullet list below} that, if I tell Bob, will get his attention and will make him want to buy from me?”
For example, “What is it about my {product or service} that, if I tell Bob, will get his attention and will want to buy from me?” (and then just continue down the list)
At this point you’re just coming up with ideas. So throw out everything you could think of. Don’t worry about writing something “stupid”.
Now step into your ideal customer’s shoes and evaluate the list as they would.
Refer to the information you’ve gathered from step 1.
Knowing what you know about “your Bob”, pinpoint the things that matter most to him and hone in on tightening and elevating those statements.
Remember that ALIGNMENT is key here.
Ex-Googler Steve Blank created a simple template for this. You could use it to jumpstart your creativity:
We help (A) do (B) by doing (C,D, E).
If you recall, the UVP on our home page follows a similar format:
“We skyrocket your business sales and conversions with our high-converting, affordable landing pages and websites.”
Another UVP template you might like is from Crossing the Chasm by Geoff Moore:
For {ideal customer} who {needs/wants X}, our {product/service} is {category of industry} that {benefits}.
e.g., “For 7-figure tech companies that need specialised tech systems, our full-stack teams of software engineers is the ultimate leverage that will catapult you into the 8-figures and beyond.”
If at first it feels “clunky”, don’t worry. The secret is to get on the right track first and then refine it over time.
Sometimes what people say in surveys isn’t what they actually do. This isn’t because they’re liars but because often, we’re not fully conscious of the real reasons why we do what we do. So when asked about it, we can only express what we’re aware of.
Therefore, it’s important to validate your Unique Value Proposition by testing them.
Start with an A/B split test and see which one converts into more click-throughs, sales or leads. Then you can ramp it up by buying traffic.
As your business grows and adapts to changes, your products, services or even your ideal customers themselves will also change. Testing your UVP ensures that your UVP evolves accordingly over time.
If you need any help with any of the things we’ve outlined here, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We’ve designed our entire client experience to be simple, easy, and above all, lucrative.
Of course, here at LPG we’re all about taking action so here’s your ultimate UVP checklist…
Effectively communicating the right value to the right people at the right time is the essence of conversion optimisation.
And your Unique Value Proposition is the arrow that, if you sharpen, will cut through all the noise in the crowded marketplace and get your ideal prospects to notice you, to feel resonance with your message, and ultimately buy from you.
So take the time to work and refine your UVP. Then ensure that it is being communicated on every landing page you create and every page of your website.
And if you need help with any of the steps we’ve outlined above, we’ve got your back. Click the button below to tell us all about your project and what your goals are, and we’ll take care of the rest!
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