Figuring out the value proposition for your new product or service is the first step in any marketing plan. It communicates to your customers why your offering is worth purchasing.

If you can’t clearly articulate the value of your offering, you won’t be able to sell it to customers.

Your value proposition is the promise of value to be delivered – so writing it clearly, in a way that is both understandable and relatable, is absolutely critical.

What is a positioning statement, anyway?

A positioning statement is the “pitch” of your value proposition. It’s the written statement that encapsulates the main value of your product or service.

Your positioning statement will be your guidepost for your marketing efforts, and it will help you and your team maintain focus and perpetuate your brand.

A Winning Formula

By far, my favorite positioning statement formula or template is from Geoff Moore’s book Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers. This is the one I see most agencies using with their clients, and the one I typically use with my clients. It not only has a powerful impact on marketing efforts, it actually streamlines your whole business.

Formula:

For  ____________ (target customer) who ____________  (statement of the need or opportunity), our (product/service name) is  ____________  (product category) that (statement of benefit) ____________ .

Positioning Statement Examples:

Amazon –

For World Wide Web users who enjoy books, Amazon.com is a retail bookseller that provides instant access to over 1.1 million books.

Volvo –

For upscale American families, Volvo is the family automobile that offers maximum safety.

A positioning statement written with this formula gets your team on the same page and gives them guidelines for decision-making. When a new opportunity or idea pops up, check it against your positioning statement. Does it align? Then you may want to move forward. Does it conflict? Then you may want to stop putting time and effort into that opportunity or idea.

Something More Creative

Though the formula above is the most popular and, I believe, the most reliable in getting results, there are many other ways you can craft your positioning statement. Here are several more templates to experiment with if Moore’s formula isn’t working for you.