How to communicate value to your customers

If you’ve listened to me or know me, you know you have to not only create value for your customers but communicate value.

But how do you communicate value?

Well, first of all you need to be able to communicate in a very simple way to your perspective target audience or your customers. You need to be able to communicate what your value is to them. Do this in a very simple sentence.

That sounds easy but it’s actually hard work to get that sentence crafted in a way that’s going to resonate with your clients. But if you can create this sentence, you will have created a short, powerful communication that is what we call your value proposition.

Your clients are going to understand so much more easily why they should do business with you when you can explain clearly how you create value.

Let me give you one example of quite a clever value proposition that explains exactly what the company does, and exactly what the value is to the user in a very short clear sentence. Then use this to model to write your own about your company and what you do and the value you deliver.

Think first what is it that you really do, and it’s usually not what you usually say you’re doing. For example, I can say I’m in the copyrighting business, but what does that mean to you? What value am I creating for you with that statement? Nothing.

So you’ve really got to think about what is it that you actually really do for the customer. What is that value that they keep coming back for?

My example is from Evernote, an app that allows you to collate all your information into one platform and be able to file it and organise and sort everything. You may have used it it. If not, check it out. It may be a really useful tool for you.

“Feel organised without the effort.”

Wow! There’s value right there! I’m going to get organised and it’s not going to take me a lot of hard work to get it done. So they’re selling me the value of it being really easy and I don’t have to do anything much but I’m going to get organised. I’m already in.

After that sentence, they say:

“Evernote helps you capture and prioritise ideas, projects, and to-do lists so nothing falls through the cracks.”

Mind blown again! So now it’s promising me that I won’t forget things like I usually do. I understand exactly how they can create value for me. You can prioritise, you can capture and you can just organise everything so that you forget nothing. That is so valuable and it is said in such a simple way.

Communicate value by being clear on how you create value

The value is crystal clear.

So think about what is it that you really do. Remember, Evernote didn’t start with – “We have an app …” They take a completely different approach.

You want to think about what it is that your business really does. How do you really benefit the customer and write your value proposition in a crystal clear way that says in one or two sentences exactly why your customers should buy from you.