How to Differentiate Your Software Value Proposition From Competitors

What is a value proposition and why is it so important?

A value proposition is a sum of value (or benefits) that a buyer will receive from your goods and services upon doing business with you.

Gartner research on the New B2B Buying Journey shows that about 70 to 90% of a buying decision happens before a salesperson gets involved, courtesy of the high-quality information available on the internet. 

When buyers are researching so much before interacting with you, a vague message about your product can lead them to miss the full story about your brand. A compelling value proposition, however, when webbed across marketing, sales, and customer success messaging, reinforces the importance and ROI of your product.

Answer these questions in your value proposition to better connect with your audience:

• Why change? Articulate the business value they can achieve by doing something differently. 
• How to change? In addition to product information, give context on the key requirements for change and how your solutions can support successful transition. 
• Who to change with? Make your prospects comfortable with your advice and suggestions by providing authentic and helpful information that help them reach an optimal outcome. Show them you care about their needs.

Pro tips to inform value proposition with buyers’ needs:

• Collaborate with sales. Partner with the sales team to know when, how and why buyers interact with digital touchpoints. Do an audit of competitor and third-party content. Analyze the data to understand buyers’ pain points and which features they're looking for.
• Segment your audience. Divide your user groups into categories based on firmographic data, interest, geography and behavior to create a clear vision of your buyer personas and craft unique value propositions for them.
• Give buyers more control over their purchase decisions. Modern B2B buyers need coaches who can help them through complex purchase activities, rather than processes that sabotage their decision making. Avoid pushy marketing messages and give prescriptive help where it can give value to the buyers.

Do’s when communicating your software value proposition:

• Do appeal to emotions, not only logic, by highlighting the problems your software solves.
• Do represent your unique positioning to solve certain problems.
• Do show your value propositions at every buyer touchpoint.
• Do make a strong case for changing buyers’ habits and persuading them to do something differently.
• Do use use cases and other content to provide a roadmap of where customers are now and what better outcomes they can reach.

Don’ts when communicating your software value proposition:

• Don’t craft vague or confusing value statements with no context around your product or service.
• Don’t place the information too far down on the page. 
• Don’t create contradictory messaging on different marketing and communication channels.

Pro tips to shape your value messaging across different channels:

• Redesign your messages by using findings from the digital buying journey of previous customers. Show you have walked a mile in buyers’ shoes by tailoring messages on your website, social media platforms, review videos and email campaigns to the purpose for which users navigate these channels. Anticipate and answer their queries and connect your solutions with your value proposition.
• Create buyer enablement content that supports critical buying jobs. Buyer enablement content helps buyers complete complex buying jobs and move further along in the purchase funnel. Use tools such as an evaluate and compare option, spreadsheets, and other support material, and place it at touchpoints where buyers find it most useful. For more guidance, see “The Marketer’s Guide to Get Buyer Enablement Content Right.”
• Curate a library of messages linked to different value propositions. Create relevant messaging elements, such as a call to action (CTA), for each buyer’s pain point, and link them to your value propositions. It will help sales teams compose tailored messages at scale with a granular focus on user needs.
• Integrate your value proposition with brand awareness and demand generation programs. Make all your communication circle back to your value proposition–from ebooks and infographics to videos, demos and customer calls. It will create message consistency and enhance the user experience by delivering consistent promises throughout the buying journey.