Look, we get it.
Solving a problem like a positioning statement or value proposition when you’re faced with a blank piece of paper staring back at you is tricky to say the least.
So, naturally, when you’ve got it to a place that you’re happy with, you don’t really want to go back and revisit it. It’s done, right? Who wants to go through that again?
Well, we hate to break it to you, but your value proposition should evolve over time. It’s a living document that should move forward at the same pace you do.
As we’ll go on to explain, what was true when you started your business might not be now. So much changes so quickly that it’s super important to have a finger on the pulse of your positioning.
Let’s find out why.
Evolution, not revolution
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to remain in pole position in your industry. Having a great value proposition isn’t about revolution, but is definitely about evolution. Moving your positioning forwards over time is all part of the process, but you shouldn’t get bogged down trying to say something new, quirky, or exciting.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
When you do come to revisit your positioning, it’s rarely a complete pivot on what you were doing before. Instead, it should be about subtle tweaks here and there, adjusting how you appear in the minds of your audience.
We’re not giving an exact timeframe in which you should revisit your positioning, everyone is different. There are a multitude of reasons why you might revisit your value proposition, but the baseline is that it should be revisited periodically regardless of what your landscape looks like.
It should be evolving over time, as your business changes, the market changes, and your audience moves on. Because let’s face it, your audience won’t stay the same forever – especially not if you’re on a growth flight path.
Your business changes as new team members join and leave, products change, and the vision of the company might change. What was true a year ago might not be true now, so it’s worth revisiting your proposition to understand if it still speaks to your values, vision, and goals.
All these subtle changes mean that you should change incrementally, not wholesale. A sudden pivot risks alienating your existing audience, but a gradual evolution is more likely to reflect who you are in the moment and speak to your audience on a good level.
Reflect who you are
It might take some staring in the mirror, but positioning is all about reflecting who you really are and projecting that. Think about mission, vision, values, and goals that you set at the beginning of your journey – do they still ring true?
Positioning, value propositions, strap lines, whatever you want to call them – they should accurately reflect who you are as a business and what you stand for. That doesn’t mean you have to list out your values and declare your vision on your homepage, but it does mean that your tone of voice, imagery, and copy should align with the values you hold close to your business.
Taking the time out of your day, week, month, or year to focus on internal priorities can be more beneficial than you think. That time you spend together as a team building relationships and working out where you’re headed as a business, as well as what you stand for, is critical and invaluable.
Once that time has been spent, you’ll begin to reap the rewards when it comes to revisiting your positioning as you’ll be much clearer on what you stand for and where you want to go in the future.
Are your team on board? It might not be the same team anymore
One of the most common causes of blurred lines and crossed wires when it comes to value propositions is team alignment.
Team members leave, new ones come in, and a different leadership team might take the business in a different direction. It’s not just about leadership teams, though, it’s about the whole company.
Is everyone still on board? Does everyone know what you stand for? Do your values stand up when you look around the office and see your team?
Team alignment is something we’re saving for another article, as it’s so critical, but for your positioning alone it’s critical.
When you come to sit down to revisit your value proposition, you’ll quickly realise who’s on the same page and who isn’t.
That’s a wrap
So, you get the picture now. Your value proposition is never finished – just done for now. It should evolve with your business and reflect who you are, but beware of your team. Not because they’ll tank your positioning, but because as they change and come and go, team alignment starts to wobble.
Having your team on board and up to speed on the business mission, vision, and values and as such, value proposition, means that your positioning will reflect who you are. And, if you’ve got a cracking culture and an awesome set of people, that’s not a bad thing.
Evolving your value proposition shouldn’t be an arduous task; it should be a chance to celebrate how far you’ve come and how far you’re going to go. Embrace it, and get stuck in.
If, however, it is a problem for you, give us a shout and we’d love to have a look under the bonnet and kick the tyres.