
Unique Selling Proposition
What is a unique selling proposition or USP? Very simply stated, your USP is what differentiates your product from your competition’s product.
What a USP looks like:
- It’s one sentence.
- It is clearly written, so that anyone can understand it.
- It should be believable.
- It is composed of one benefit that is unique solely to your company or product
Develop a USP using one or more of the following strategies:
- Focus on a niche. In other words, before you develop the USP, find your target market. Who exactly are you selling to?
- Fill a void. This is similar to finding a niche. Look for a void in the market and fill it with your USP.
- Concentrate on “pain” or “pleasure.”
- State how your product will solve a problem.
- Look at your competition. (The next article is about how to look at your competition.)
- Tell the customer what they are going to get – what’s in it for them.
- Make it “measurable.” Time and price are measurable qualities.
More Tips:
- Sit down with a piece of paper:
- Brainstorm.
- List all the benefits your company or product can offer.
- Prioritize those benefits in order of what is the strongest, and most unique to your business.
- Write one sentence that conveys the first benefit on the list.
- Every employee should know your USP and be able to state it. (Especially if you are a small business.)
- Your marketing campaigns, your marketing plan, and your business plan should surround your USP.