Why Be Fifth When You Can Be First?
How Marketers Leverage Value Prop Qualifying To Improve Performance
In marketing, positioning matters. One of the simplest yet most effective ways to stand out is to qualify your value propositions.
Here’s a quick playbook to go from good to great—and from fifth to first:
💡 Step 1: Create a Comprehensive Value Prop List
Start by listing all the value propositions tied to your offering—rankings, outcomes, affordability, and beyond.
💡 Step 2: Identify Value Props That Can Be Qualified
Look for value propositions that are quantifiable, like rankings, recognitions, or completion volume.
💡 Step 3: Seek to Qualify
Use tools like Lightcast to qualify your messaging, narrowing a broad value prop to instead be tailored by location, funding type, completion volume, etc.
Pro Tips for Qualifying Messaging:
✅ Combine qualifiers for a unique position (e.g., “[State]’s #1 [Private/Public] + Program”).
✅ If you’re not “#1,” focus on being in the “Top 5” or “Top 10,” rather than using the actual ranking number (e.g., “8th”)
Example in Action:
A flagship program for a regional college Kanahoma is partnered with was ranked 11th largest nationally—a great stat, but not compelling enough.
Our research uncovered while they were 11th nationally in completion volume, they were actually the largest producer of graduates for the program in their home state.
👉 By repositioning it as “[State]’s #1 X Program,” paid campaigns saw immediate, overnight improvements in performance
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Sometimes, small tweaks to how you position your offering is all you need to make a big impact.
So it's worth asking: Are your value props working hard enough for you?
If not, it’s time to start qualifying. 💼
About The Author
Seth is the founder and CEO of Kanahoma, a San Diego-based performance marketing agency on a mission to build a better agency for organizations building a better world.
You can learn more about who we are and what we do at www.Kanahoma.com.