The Dictionary.com Definition of Value:
val·ue [val-yoo] noun, verb, -ued, -u·ing.
1. relative worth, merit, or importance: the value of a college education.
2. monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade: this land has greatly increased in value.
3. the worth of something in terms of the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged.
4. equivalent worth or return in money, material, services, etc.: to give value for value received.
5. estimated or assigned worth; valuation: a painting with a current value of $500,000.
How I Define Value:
- Will it help me build my business?
- Will it help me advance my career?
- Will it help me increase my production or income?
- Will it help me be a better husband/wife/father/mother/friend?
- Will it help me be a better manager?
- Will it help me be better employee?
- Will I learn something important or useful?
How This Impacts Your Marketing Messages:
If your message does not meet the dictionary definition of value, you should stop and produce something else. If your messaging does not earn at least one “yes” answer in my list of value defining questions, it will be ineffective and unlikely to produce results. However, when your marketing stimuli meet both of the above definitions, you have created something valuable that will earn you an audience.