A great way to make sure your company stands out from their competition is by showcasing the ideas and values that make your brand unique. Your company’s brand, is your company’s truth. And within your brand, every company needs to reveal its uniqueness.
A unique selling point/proposition, commonly referred to as a USP, is the one thing that separates you from your competition and makes your business better than other guys. It’s a definitive benefit that makes your business stand out from the rest of the competition in your market.
To help keep a focus on your marketing strategy, forming a calculated USP will allow your brand to be consistent in all your messaging and all your marketing decisions. It is the foundation of your “who, why and how”. It answers the questions:
Who are you as a brand?
Why do you do what you do?
How do you do you differently?
At its core, a USP should quickly answer a potential customer’s most immediate question when they encounter your brand.
What makes you different from the competition?
Your USP plays to your strengths and should be based on what makes your brand or product uniquely valuable to your customers. It articulates a clear value of what you offer and how it solves their problem. Being “unique” is rarely a strong USP in itself. You have to differentiate yourself around some aspect your target audience cares about, otherwise your messaging won’t be nearly as effective. Especially online where costumers have so many options.
USP’s are unique to each company. In most industries, they usually fall into the categories of quality, price and value. Within these categories, your company should find what makes them tick and what makes them unique to customers.
-Quality. Superior service, products, methods, craftsmanship, skills, experience, etc.
-Price. Best price guarantee, price matching, free shipping, discounts, special offers, etc.
-Value. Promise, benefits, trustworthy, etc.
For the most part, small businesses, like home service companies, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, etc., all provide the same services or products that might not be especially unique. That is why it is so important for you to unearth its truth to discover your USP.
Mission Statement? Company Culture?
Your company USP should also be incorporated into your company’s internal mission statement and company culture. It is a daily reminder of who you are as a company and should run through every aspect of your daily business.
How do you dredge up your company USP?
As a business owner, discovering your USP can be started by answering the following:
Who is your business for?
What drives you to offer the services you offer?
How do you want to make a unique impact?
The next step in the process of discovering your USP, you need to look at the following:
Analyzing your competitors-How they are perceived and how you fit in the market?
Putting yourself in your customers' shoes. What drives and motivates your customers?
Brainstorming emotional concepts for your business. How can you subconsciously attach an emotion to your product or service? (This step you may need a little help from a professional like Warp & Woof Media)
Once you define your USP, it will be the key differentiator and reason customers will buy from you. It needs to be incorporated into all your marketing strategies to retain and attract new customers.
Communicating your company USP.
Slogans
The best USPs take a unique quality and explain how that quality will benefit your customers, all in a few memorable words. Many companies, past and present, use USPs as their slogans, so that they can put them in front of as many prospective customers as possible.
Great Examples of USP’s
FedEx Corporation
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”
Geico
“15 minutes could save you 15% on car insurance.”
Domino’s Pizza
“You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less or it's free.”
BMW
“The ultimate driving machine”
Warp & Woof Media
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Your USP can be communicated with your advertising, social media, content marketing, digital marketing and search marketing.
-Advertising. Using traditional media advertising like billboards, print, vehicle wraps,Television and Radio is still a good way to bet your brand in front of their target audience.
-Social Media. Social Media is a great way to drive brand awareness. It gives you a large reach and creative license to attract more customers and showcase your USP.
-Content Marketing. Creates interesting and relevant messaging that allows you to talk about your company’s USP’s.
-Digital Marketing. Puts more eyes on your logo, tagline, webpages and product pages.
-Search Marketing. Both, SEO and SEM, will improve your ranking and key terms in search engines and a great way to generate visibility and communicate how your USP compares to your competitors.
Warp & Woof Media is here to help small business owners find their company’s USP and separate them from their competition. In this very competitive market, having great service and pricing is not enough to convince a customer to hire your company. It takes as little as 50 milliseconds for customers to form an opinion about your company. Are you images, videos, website, social media or content conveying who you are? Let us help you discover your USP and start building a brand that your customers will embrace.
Let’s Build Something Together.