I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
If you spend any time at all on social media, you most likely have seen posts from people who have entered the world of online marketing.
Work from home!
Live the dream!
I see these daily and will admit that I sometimes wish for a magic bullet to help me become a better businessperson.
A key to success is understanding value proposition as an entrepreneur, whether you are writing a book, selling a product through direct sales, or even coming up with your own products. (Affiliate links in the post.)
Understanding Value Proposition as an Entrepreneur
Every entrepreneur may have a different path they walk. However, one of the most important concepts to understand from a marketing perspective is that of ‘value proposition’. This is what will provide the ‘point’ behind your product or service and what will motivate people to want to buy it. You’ll need to have this in mind from the very start of your project right until the very end.
Read on and we’ll look at what this expression means. To make is more streamlined, we'll take the approach of writing a book. Then we will see how your title has a strong value proposition that will help it to sell! (Feel free to substitute the work product or service where I use book.)
What is Value Proposition?
Value proposition basically refers to whatever it is that you’re offering your readers through your ebook. In other words, it means focusing on how your book can potentially change your readers’ lives, rather than just what it is ‘about’. What does your book ‘do’? And how will life be different after someone has read it?
For example, if you have a book about fitness then your value proposition is to make people fitter, as well as to make them feel healthier and more energetic and to make them more confident in themselves. Maybe you’ll improve their athletic performance. And, maybe it will improve their sex lives!
Now you have an emotional drive behind your book and you’ll find that this makes it far easier to get people interested and to make sales!
Conveying Your Value Proposition
The next step is to make sure that you convey this in your title. You want people to see clearly not only what your book is about, but also how it is different from everything else out there and what makes it interesting.
Someone who does this particularly well is author Tim Ferriss. And if we look at his best book titles, then we can see some brilliant examples:
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich
This is a far more interesting book title than ‘Make Money Masterclass’ and it’s something that is infinitely easier to market. I have several friends who are very successful in multilevel marketing companies and they highly recommend this title.
Or how about another of his books:
The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman
Likewise, try to make sure you focus on your value proposition in any and all marketing materials – this will help your book to really strike an emotional cord and it’s that emotion that will ultimately compel people to want to buy! After all, who doesn't want the fat to melt away and leave you feeling like a super hero?
Value Proposition in the Blogging World
Some of you may be like me with a hand in the blogging world. (Hello…this IS considered a blog by many!) When creating our content, these key components are crucial. We want our readers to find value in what we've written and to keep coming back for more. A sensational headline on social media might get them clicking over, but do you deliver on what you promised?
Some of us also have plans of writing a book (or ten!), whether it is based off something already on our site or another area of expertise we have. Some of us have added affiliate marketing to our sites where we provide value to our readers through our recommendations of other products and services.
A book I recently purchased and recommend to others is Perception: Take Charge of How Others View Your Brand, Become Irresistible, and Make a Bigger Impact by Christo Hall and Franziska Iseli .
A big reason for my buying a copy of this title is my own failing to get past fears and recognize that I have something of value to offer.
Whether you are offering a product through a known company (e.g. as a Beachbody coach or member of Young Living in my case), a service (e.g. virtual assistant or freelance writer), or your own product (e.g. a book), there is a need to ensure your brand is viewed not only positively but having the much-needed value proposition.
Are you an entrepreneur looking to grow your business?
What product or service do you offer now or want to offer?
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