Unique Selling Proposition

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:

1. It’s one sentence.
2. It is clearly written, so that anyone can understand it.
3. It should be believable.
4. 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:

1. Focus on a niche. In other words, before you develop the USP, find your target market. Who exactly are you selling to?
2. Fill a void. This is similar to finding a niche. Look for a void in the market and fill it with your USP.
3. Concentrate on “pain” or “pleasure.”
4. State how your product will solve a problem.
5. Look at your competition. (The next article is about how to look at your competition.)
6. Tell the customer what they are going to get – what’s in it for them.
7. Make it “measurable.” Time and price are measurable qualities.

More Tips:

1. Sit down with a piece of paper:
   1. Brainstorm.
   2. List all the benefits your company or product can offer.
   3. Prioritize those benefits in order of what is the strongest, and most unique to your business.
   4. Write one sentence that conveys the first benefit on the list.
2. Every employee should know your USP and be able to state it. (Especially if you are a small business.)
3. Your marketing campaigns, your marketing plan, and your business plan should surround your USP.