To be irreplaceable, be Unique.
With a market filled with the same kind of products, the competition is fierce. Standing out in this crowd is hard unless you have a unique product or a unique selling proposition.
In the case of a unique product, take a look around you. How many unique businesses do you see?
If you have a unique product, it’s great, but it’s rare, like a unicorn for the majority.
So creating a USP is the next go-to move.
A Unique Selling Proposition is something offered by your company that only you deliver to the customer, and this will give you an advantage over others. Creating a USP is not a simple process. Before you start,
Read: What a unique selling proposition is? How Can it Help You Scale? Plus 5 Examples
In this blog, you will learn the proven steps to create a foolproof USP. Let’s get started.
What is not a USP?
A unique selling proposition or USP helps in business success; it becomes your company identity and attracts potential customers.
Knowing the distinction between what is a real USP and what is not is important when creating a strong unique selling point. The traditional concepts of USP like 24/7 customer service, online payment, free shipping, free return policy, etc., have become common offers by companies.
There was a time when these were considered a strong USP, but today these are almost taken for granted. Here are features that cannot be considered as a USP.
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- A statement that others can easily copy is NOT a USP.
- Promises you can’t deliver are NOT a USP.
- A slogan used for marketing purposes cannot be used as a USP. It changes from campaign to campaign.
- The marketing offers that change after a season is NOT a USP.
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Pinpointing a USP
Now you have an idea of what is not a USP, but there are some identifiers that will help you understand a USP.
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- A USP leaves an impression in the client’s eyes.
- A company USP that your prospective customer can’t relate to is useless.
- A good USP is easy to understand and less wordy.
- A USP stays constant for a successful business, it doesn’t change with each spring, but USP can be reviewed when your business develops to incorporate more options.
- A USP can be based on the 4P marketing strategy; Promotion, Product, Price and Place.
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Now that we are clear on what is and what isn’t a USP let’s go forward and start creating one.
How to Create a USP?
Creating a USP is not a simple process; being unique in the fierce market takes sheer perseverance and patience. There are six steps you need to take while creating the perfect USP for your business.
Step 1: Target your audience.
Who do you serve?
Shooting arrows left and right won’t win you a war; you have to aim it at your target. A USP is your arrow aimed at your targeted audience. So to have a successful USP, you need to understand who all needs the product or service you are offering.
Step 2: Solving the problem.
What do they need?
Even with a large number of competitors for a single product or service, there will always be a problem that the customers face. You need to view the situation through the eyes of the customer and provide a viable solution. The unique solution you provide for the customer will prove to be a good foundation for your USP.
Step 3: Find what separates you.
Why you?
Gather all the points that separate you from your competitors and find which would make an impression on your potential customers. These points will determine why people would choose you over someone else. This step also requires a client point of view to ensure accuracy.
Step 4: Describe yourself.
Who are you?
It’s time to describe what you are offering through words or promises to your clients. You need to be able to give the clients the assurance that you will be able to solve their problems. Through the USP or solution, you are describing what you are to your customers.
Step 5: Gather the data.
What you need and what you don’t?
Now that you have collected all the details and determined how you should be portrayed to the people, it’s time to put these into words, eliminate any unnecessary information, and pinpoint what you will be offering the people.
Step 6: Expressing it in fewer words.
Now that you have a clear idea of what you have and what you are willing to offer. You need to express it in the fewest words possible, and these words should be imbibed into the people’s hearts. A strong USP can positively affect the client’s perspective; even small businesses can easily attract many customers with unique selling points.
How to Use a Unique Selling Proposition?
As a business owner, you have to efficiently underscore your USP in your business to utilise it to the fullest. Once you have a strong USP, you can focus your eyes on USP marketing to share your product or service with the world. With the growth in digital marketing, you will find that there are a huge variety of options for you to look into.
Marketing your product is equally important as developing your product. So learn some effective app marketing strategies that startups should follow!
Unique Selling Proposition Examples
You can take inspiration from companies to create your own USP that can really help you boost your game. Unique selling proposition examples are all around us, and you just need to focus on the ones that resemble your company.
Soundcloud
“What’s next in music is first on SoundCloud. Upload your first track and begin your journey.
“SoundCloud gives you the space to create, find your fans, and connect with other artists.”
Soundcloud is a renowned streaming platform for budding artists. They know that the artists who make it big sell and monetise their music with a streaming platform or record label. They tailored their USP based on this and told their clients how they help them.
Trello
“Trello lets you work more collaboratively and get more done.
Trello’s boards, lists, and cards enable you to organise and prioritise your projects in a fun, flexible, and rewarding way.”
Trello is a managerial task allocating applications that help companies efficiently organise their workforce. They provide a creative solution to prioritise work and set reminders. Through their USP, they make work sound fun and give the clients an exact definition of what they are doing.
NeoITO
“We make enterprise-grade product development more accessible to entrepreneurs, helping them compete on a bigger scale while still staying nimble. “
NeoITO is a software development company that provides startups with the necessary tools to grow a successful business. We make this mission our ultimate selling propostion and deliver it to our clients.
Takeaway
Every USP is based on extensive research and analysis; you can’t create a USP out of thin air. The quality of time and effort you put into building a USP will always prove to be fruitful for your company.
To find your unique angle, ask the right questions and drill down into your niche to uncover gaps in the market. Test your USP with the audience and stay true to it once it’s fixed.
Everybody needs a signature, and a USP will be your company’s.