How do you test and validate your customer value proposition and segments before launching a campaign?

One helpful way to arrive at relevant value propositions is to leverage the "jobs to be done" framework. Through this framework, you'll talk to tons of customers and seek to excavate the most common jobs and sub-jobs they're trying to "hire" your businesses (or someone else's) to do. You'll find out which jobs you're successfully being hired for, and jobs for which your target audience would love to hire you, but they're passing you over or firing after trying. This can provide great insight into the value props you want to build for & own moving forward.

One of the most commonly used frameworks is the Value Proposition Canvas, which consists of two parts: Customer Profile: This part helps you understand your customer by identifying their needs, wants, fears, and aspirations. This is typically done by conducting market research and talking to potential customers. Value Map: This part helps you identify the value that your product or service provides to your customer. It consists of three elements: 👉Products and Services 👉Pain Relievers 👉Gain Creators By filling out the Value Proposition Canvas, you can create a clear and comprehensive understanding of your target market and how your product or service can provide value to them.

Try to bring in an external perspective to help with this process. It doesn't have to be an agency (although that works too), but could be mentors, former colleagues or people in related spheres. But often it's too easy for those inside a new business to hold on to certain things that they have long held to be true, rather than pushing themselves to think deeply about what it is that the customer truly wants, needs and thinks. External perspective encourages a reexamination of what is important.

I like to segment audiences at B2B targets into groups with different needs. Example: c-suite, marketers/rev-ops, sales leaders. All influential in purchasing. I’ll run the same LinkedIn ads to all three and see which resonate with which. Often I’ll see one idea lands better with sales, another with c-suite. Iterate and target the best fit content/message to the receptive segment. With ads giving a fast feedback loop, we can then consider the message that resonates with each segment and develop longer form content or other media for that segment.

Focussing on buyer personas are fictional representations of your ideal customers based on research and data about your actual customers. They help you understand your target audience's goals, challenges, motivations, and behavior, which can inform your marketing and sales strategies. By creating buyer personas, you can better understand your target audience and create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns. This can help you build stronger relationships with your B2B customers and drive business success.

Analysing data is a powerful way to validate your value proposition and segments. You can use customer behaviour data, feedback data, market trends, sales data, and website analytics to refine your value proposition and segments. Look for patterns in the data to identify areas where your value proposition may be resonating or where it may need to be refined. Use this data to optimise your marketing strategy and maximise your impact.

The Value Proposition Canvas is a framework that helps refine your value proposition and segments by understanding customer needs and how your product or service can meet them better than competitors. It provides a structured approach to identify areas for improvement and differentiation, helping to maximise business success. By continually testing and iterating on your canvas, you can refine your value proposition and segments over time to better align with customer needs.

An elevator pitch is a great way to communicate your value proposition. An elevator pitch is a brief, compelling summary of your value proposition and segments that can be delivered in the time it takes to ride an elevator or a lift as we call it in the UK. It should identify your target audience's needs and pain points and present your product or service as a solution that is unique and tailored to them. An effective elevator pitch should be concise, targeted, and leave the listener with a clear understanding of what your product or service offers and how it can benefit them.

I was once working with a brand struggling to promote their new line of eco-friendly products to their target audience. The team crafted a compelling message and targeted young homeowners on social media. They also partnered with eco-conscious influencers to spread the word. The campaign's success was measured through sales data and social media engagement, and the brand continued to refine their message and channels based on the results.

A/B testing is a popular framework for testing and learning from marketing campaigns. It involves creating two versions of a campaign (A and B), each with one distinct variable changed. For example, you could test two different email subject lines, two different ad images, or two different landing page designs. Once the two versions are created, they are randomly assigned to different segments of your target audience. You can then track and measure the performance of each version using relevant metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated.

Unusual factors to consider when creating a value proposition include emotional appeal, storytelling, humour, sustainability, and cultural relevance. Incorporating these elements can help you differentiate your brand and create a more compelling message that resonates with your audience.