Differentiating yourself is a key component of winning your prospects' business.
Let me illustrate just how crucial this one point is. My research shows that the average adult spends 8-10 seconds on a website before deciding to move on. If you don’t make your point in a compelling way to let your website visitors know that you understand their most pressing needs, wants, and desires, it is probable that you will miss that opportunity to develop a new customer.
Your USP is your carefully developed marketing message that comes from being intimately acquainted with your market. This is perhaps one of the most important aspects of your overall marketing strategy that you will ever develop.
In all of my years of working in the advertising industry, I found that most small business owners had put very little thought into developing a unique selling proposition. So…when the yellow page rep comes in, and wants to renew that business card or dollar-bill sized ad, he or she often takes the design from a similar ad in another state, changes the company name, a photo here or there, and any other pertinent information needed to personalize the ad, and makes their presentation.
If the ad is sold, the business owner often wonders why they don’t get the knid of response they were expecting from their investment. In many cases…if you compare their ad to other ads in the heading, there was no defining characteristic to separate them from their competitors. Mistake # 1 — no USP.
Consumers buy benefits. We all want to know where we can get the greatest value…especially in times when the economy is tight. Here are several examples of clear USPs that are fairly well-known:
- Head & Shoulders: “You get rid of dandruff”
- Olay: “You get younger-looking skin”
- Red Bull: “Vitalizes body and mind”
- Ronseal: “Does exactly what it says on the tin”
Some unique selling propostions that were pioneers when they were introduced:
- Dominoe’s Pizza: “You get fresh hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less — or it’s free”
- FedEx: “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight”
- M&M’s: “The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand”
- Wonder Bread: “Wonder Bread Helps Build Strong Bodies 12 Ways”
If you look at each one of those…the slogan paints a pretty clear picture of what the customer/client is getting. Good USPs are always stated in terms of benefits to the customer. The USP must to meet a felt need, want, or desire.
In order to realize the benefit of a USP, it should communicate a value that cannot be found anywhere else. Once you craft this statement, the next challenge is to have every touch point of your business to be reflective of the promise that you have made. Nothing will turn your clientele off faster than a broken promise.
A key to developing a sound USP is to build it from ongoing market research. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your business is about what you have to sell. Noooo….your success in business is all about what your market is interested in buying. Find out what they want to buy through ongoing market research, and build your USP around that, and you will stand out from your competitors like a sore thumb.
