Value proposition

When it comes to delivering marketing emails, the value proposition is the message of why you’re contacting your subscriber and what the benefits are to them.

In other words, why they should do business with you.

According to Wikipedia, it’s the promise of value. We can’t argue with that.

First impressions count

Writing a value proposition is an art form. It needs to be succinct and desirable. Short and sweet, wherever it can be, making your message easy to digest.

When it comes to email marketing, with so many messages falling into inboxes all day, you have a limited amount of time to capture your subscribers’ attention—often only seconds—and that’s if they get past the email subject and open it in the first place.

When creating an email title, do it in as few words as possible to retain a memorable headline; all you need to do is announce your product or service, and let your subscriber know why it’s unique.

“Automated email delivery, so you can get on with what you’re best at.”
“Create stunning stationery templates in minutes.”

Both of the above tell you what the product does, and the benefit to you of using it.

It’s not me; it’s you

Value proposition is all about what you can bring to your client or customer. Outline all of those benefits, and you won’t go too far wrong. By making it all about them, you’ll garner interest and, hopefully, engagement. You’ll soon lose their interest if you just bang on about yourself. They probably don’t care that much, so get straight to what they do want to hear.

If it’s clear to your subscribers from the outset, of all the gains they stand to make, they’ll only see the advantages—so how can they resist?

Be customer-centric. We are all our favorite subject to talk about; so feed your subscribers’ egos, their needs, and get them hooked.

From headings to content

As much as value proposition is often aimed at writing snappy subject lines, product straplines, and leads into calls to action, it’s also equally important to the body copy and content of your sales messages.

You can write paragraphs of why your customers should buy into your product or service, or you can sum things up in bullet form or snappy taglines.

As long as you're purveying the benefits of your product and the value it will bring to the user’s life, then that covers the proposition and its value.