Whether it's a service or product you're selling, whether it's print or online media your writing - marketing copy needs to be effective. Good marketing and sales copy should help convince your target audience why they should engage with or buy from your business.
In previous blogs I've written about what I see as the seven key foundations for good content. These 'magnificent seven' can help ensure that sales and marketing copy is succinct and effective.
But even among these seven, there is one that shines out as absolutely key. An important foundation that focuses the understanding of who you're targeting and writing for. That shining light (as you've probably guessed from the headline) is of course the 'Customer Value Proposition'.
The Customer Value Proposition has many benefits. It can focus the copywriter (and to be fair anyone else working for the organisation) in helping to understand and convey why a customer should buy your product or service.
Why it matters
Don't get me wrong, it's still possible to write witty one liners and kooky catchphrases without this understanding (and in short form copy there might be times when this is all that's needed).
But on their own... Does it really have any value if those words don't resonate with the customer?
If the copy doesn't attract the right attention, help convince the customer to make an important next step in the buying process or connect with your brand - then is it good copy at all?
Good marketing copy needs to do more than raise a wry smile from the customer before they walk on by and forget all about it. Good copy entices your customers. Good copy resonates with your customers and in most cases, good copy creates a response or behaviour from your customers.
So how do you achieve this?
The answer is to clearly state the Customer Value Proposition for your brand, product or service to your writers. To do this you must frame it. This is where the Customer Value Proposition Statement (aka CVP Statement) comes in. It's a great way to boil your customer proposition right down. It takes time and effort to get there and usually involves going right back to understanding your customer and their needs and comparing that against what you're offering (or planning to offer). But the work is worth it and an effectively developed and documented CVP (complete with statement of course) can amongst other things help achieve the clarity needed in communicating the key messages to your copywriters.
Developing and documenting a CVP will most certainly help anchor your key sales and marketing copy messages. Think of it as the copy for your copywriters.
Of course, it isn't the only ingredient for good copy. But if well-crafted, it will ensure that your market is understood by the writer. When this happens, your copy messages are relevant to the customer, on target and consistent. When it comes to writing good copy, nothing focuses the mind more than a clear picture of who the target customer is and what resonates with them.
A solid guide for writers
Having the firm anchor of a Customer Value Proposition gives the writer something to always come back to and so help avoid any drift in messaging. If a business has the proposition statement nailed down then it provides a solid guide for writers (or indeed anyone) as to what the benefits of the business, product or service are.
And if your teams and writers understand what the value in your offer is then you can convey this correctly to your customers in the copy that's written. Just as a brand guideline document helps to guide the communication style, behaviour and tone of voice you want to convey to customers, the value proposition can help with the crafting of your marketing content.
The great thing about developing a Customer Value Proposition is that the thorough approach to arriving at that final proposition statement can also help to better identify and understand your target customers. In my own experience this can really help businesses and writers to understand the motivations, fears, wants and needs of the target audience.
Please get in touch if you'd like to talk about developing your own customer value proposition statement or need help translating your existing proposition into great copy.
Kev