When a company’s product can serve several industries, the temptation is to shout “we serve everyone” — a bold statement that almost always results in serving no one particularly well. The art (and necessity) lies in defining a clear value proposition that translates across verticals without becoming vague or generic.
It’s a balancing act between clarity and flexibility — between being adaptable enough to resonate in different markets but specific enough that each audience feels, “this was built for me.”
So what’s the secret sauce?
The Universal vs. The Specific
Every strong value proposition answers three fundamental questions:
Who is it for?
What problem does it solve?
Why is it better or different from alternatives?
When your product serves multiple industries, the first question becomes tricky. Instead of one "who," you have several — each with its own ecosystem, vocabulary, and pain points.
For example, a data analytics platform might help manufacturers reduce downtime, but it could also help retail chains forecast demand. Both need analytics, but their “why” is entirely different. Manufacturers care about efficiency; retailers care about margin and timing.
Trying to capture both under one generic banner, like “turn data into decisions,” dilutes the impact. The message becomes a marketing Rorschach test — everyone sees something different, but no one feels truly spoken to.
But here’s what to do.
Step 1: Define the Core Value, Not the Application
The key is identifying your foundational value — the core transformation your product delivers, regardless of industry. Think of it as the “spine” of your value proposition.
For example:
Slack’s core value: “Make work communication simpler and faster.”
Notion’s core value: “Centralize knowledge and collaboration.”
Those are broad enough to apply to tech startups or legal firms, but the messaging around them gets tailored per audience.
Your core statement should articulate the transformation, not the tool. Start with, “we help teams [achieve outcome] by [differentiator],” and then adapt the framing for each vertical.
Step 2: Layer Industry-Specific Messaging
Once you have the universal spine, build modular messaging layers — short, industry-specific adaptations of the core message.
Example:
Core: “We help teams turn complex data into faster business decisions.”
Manufacturing layer: “Predict machine downtime before it costs production hours.”
Retail layer: “Forecast customer demand to stock smarter and sell faster.”
This structure allows your brand to stay coherent while your outreach — website landing pages, sales decks, ads — feel personalized and relevant.
Step 3: Anchor Each Value Proposition in Outcomes
Avoid feature-driven language (“our platform offers AI-driven automation”) and instead translate it into tangible, measurable outcomes:
“Reduce reporting time by 70%.”
“Increase production efficiency by 15%.”
“Cut manual data entry by half.”
Every industry speaks the universal language of results.
Step 4: Test and Iterate
Treat your value proposition like a hypothesis. Use A/B testing, customer interviews, and CRM tagging to evaluate which version resonates most within each segment. You may discover, for example, that “efficiency” sells better to one sector, while “transparency” hits home in another.
The most mature brands create dynamic value maps — internal documents showing how the core proposition flexes across industries, roles, and use cases. It’s an investment in clarity that pays off in precision marketing and sales alignment.
Step 5: Document It as a System
Codify the logic behind your positioning. Create a value proposition playbook:
Core value statement
Audience personas and their top pains
Tailored benefit statements per industry
Proof points and metrics
Language to use (and to avoid)
This framework helps marketing, sales, and product teams speak the same language and avoid “message drift” when engaging multiple markets.
Next Step: Turn Insight into Action
If this topic made you reflect on your own marketing direction — that’s the perfect place to begin. Most brands don’t need louder campaigns; they need clearer structure and focus.
That’s exactly what the Diagnostic Marketing Audit is designed for: a practical, data-driven review of your current marketing with a 3–6-month roadmap tailored to your business goals. It’s the fastest way to move from ideas to clarity — and from clarity to results.
The marketing audit starts at 9,900 CZK (€410), and we begin with a free 15-minute intro call to see if it’s the right fit.