TRUE FACT: Customers can’t read your mind.

You know what a great product you offer.

Could cite every reason why it turns the competition into a laughing stock.

And tell why they should click your ad.

They don’t.

To customers, all ads on screen look the same.

Sure, your ad might feature more enticing colors. Or use other mind tricks to grab users’ attention.

But unless you tell your audience straight what’s the one reason why they should click it… they’ll just scoff at it…

…and go somewhere else.

Luckily for you, today I’m going to show you how to avoid it. I’ll explain how to come up, define and use value proposition to convince users to click your ads.

K, But What Actually Is a Value Proposition?

I know many business owners have a problem grasping the concept of a value proposition. So let’s start at the beginning.

I define a business’ value proposition as its answer to one simple question:

“Why the heck should I buy from you?”

Value Proposition is that one thing that makes people want to find out more about your product, service, company or identify with your brand. The primary reason why they should buy from you.

Many marketers refer to it as a statement aimed to:

1. Explain how your product helps customers,
2. What benefits it offers,
3. And gives a compelling reason why a person should buy it.

But contrary to a common belief, the value proposition is not a slogan (i.e. “Nike. Just do it”) or a positioning statement (i.e. “The no.1 Bike Storage Store in the US”).

It’s a collection of statements and information, often scattered on a page that combined answer the three points mentioned above.

Many companies do a great job with value propositions, for instance:

The Ladder – “Your career is our job” [Signals that the company won’t rest until you’re satisfied.]

Optimizely – “Test, personalize and optimize. One easy-to-use platform for the web and mobile apps”. [Communicates simplicity and thoroughness of the app]

Unbounce – “Build, Publish & A/B Test Landing Pages Without I.T”. [The tagline and other elements on the page say it all, don’t they? A darn simple landing page creator]

Note, the company has recently changed headline on the page. The screenshot below comes from the Wayback Machine. I personally think this one communicated their value proposition better, hence the inclusion of a historic home page.

LessAccounting – “Accounting Software for Business Owners Who Dislike Bookkeeping” [Again, confirms the simplicity of the software].

AdEspresso (I know, I know… I’m a bit cheeky including us on the list. But we do a great job with communicating our value proposition too, you know?) – “Optimize your Facebook Ads Easily, Like Morning Coffee” [Simplicity that deliver results.]

OK Pawel, I get it. But what about Facebook Ads? Show me some examples of how FB advertisers communicate their value proposition.

Fair enough.

But before I do that, let me cover one thing really quickly.

You see:

Your company’s value proposition should tell a person why they should buy from you.

In online advertising however, it should answer:

“Why should I click?”

A subtle but crucial difference.

And here’s how advertisers answer this question:

But do you really need all this stuff though?

Well… think about it:

At any given time, a Facebook user might see anything from 2 to 4 ads, refreshing in real time. 

And every single one of them screams for their attention.

It wants users to notice it. Engage with its message. And click it, leaving off Facebook for a landing page perhaps.

So it doesn’t matter what a marvel you offer. Or if information you share with your email list or on Facebook page would literarily save the person’s life….

Unless the user perceives your ad worth the click… you’re done.

Sure, you could try to improve ad images, use the right colors and tweak the copy but..

…they’re still going to click that idiotic ad your competitor had put out. Only because they did a better job at telling the user why they should do it.

A value proposition gives you a chance to make a case for the user why they simply must click your ad.

And here are a couple of ways to do that:

1. Reduce perceived risk of clicking the ad

You know:

Risk taking lies at the heart of a consumer behavior.

As Kuo-Kuang Chu writes in this research on the effect of reducing perceived risk on purchase intentions online:

“Consumers may not be able to clearly state their purchase intentions or have never thought about the word “risk” in their subconsciousness. Instead, the risk perceived subconsciously may have affected consumers’ behavior.” (source)

So think about it:

For a Facebook user, the decision whether to click the ad or ignore its message often revolves around the perceived risk.

In a split second they must assess any potential risks associated with engaging with an ad and clicking its headline.

Including risk reduction statements therefore results in higher click-through rate and engagement.

Some risk reduction statements you could use:

“Free”

Nothing reduces risk better than offering something for free.

Free not only communicates a lack of cost but also no commitment.

All in all, safe to click.

Simply.

 “Ideal for”

Your product won’t satisfy everyone. Hell, it can probably help only a small percentage of the audience you target ads at.

And that’s OK.

But don’t hide that fact from them. Help the audience understand if the product is for them (and alleviate the anxiety of not knowing if it could help them).

Best

Imagine your average target audience member:

She has the need your product solves. But with very little prior experience using it, she can’t decide if you could help her.

Enter the perceived risk of choosing the wrong solution.

Power words like best, big, ultimate help suggest the product is the leader in its category, alleviate the anxiety and make the choice simpler.

2. Show Them the Outcome

Showing the outcome awaiting a user after clicking the ad will work on many audiences.

For instance, professionals might respond well to ads promising a career success:

Jobseekers will engage with ads promising a help with finding that dream job:

The key to winning with this value proposition is simple:

Think of what your ideal customer needs the most. And communicate that you can deliver it.

3. Promise a Return

This is a B2B spin off of the previous strategy.

You see:

When you’re dealing with businesses, it’s not the outcome they’re interested in but the ROI.

So, simply state the return they could achieve by investing in your product or service and you’re a winner.

4. Use social proof

I talked about using social proof in Facebook ads at length here.

And did you know that its some forms could help you communicate the value of clicking your ad?

Namely:

User Testimonials

Feature a quote from satisfied customer to give Facebook users a feel how the product has helped others (and so it could help them too).

Customer Reviews

Similarly, feature customer feedback proving that their solutions work.

User Case Study

Finally, offer an insight at how a product has helped others.

Conclusion

I often compare advertising to a battle for user’s attention, clicks and conversions. With Facebook’s newsfeed your battleground.

And sometimes the only way to win is to use simple logic:

Make a compelling case why a person should click your ad.

It’s the best advertising mind trick of all.