How to Create & Show off your Business USP the Right Way?
April 11, 2021 |5 minutes read
What is USP?
USP or Unique Selling Proposition is an attribute of a good that makes it different or unique from the rest of the contemporary brands of the market. It is because of this very aspect a buyer would choose your product over the others, even if it is quoted at a higher price. Therefore, it counts to be of utmost importance during the promotions of the products on print media as well as TV. Highlighting the USP is the key to ramping up the sales. It is the very thing that tempts the customers to go for a particular product among the list of many.
Why is it important?
It is important to have a strong unique selling proposition since it plays a major role in the branding of the product and helps to make it stand apart from the rest of the competition. It is the USP that either makes or breaks any product. In order to create a great market value for any product, the quality, and service, both pre-sale and post-sale, matter a lot. Once you nail getting the USP right, you do not even have to think of the rest of the competition. If you have come up with something that is hard to find anywhere else, you are bound to rule the market and be the sole player. That’s the power of having a strong USP.
Understanding the difference between USP and Value Proposition
USPs and value propositions are quite different as far as the functions they serve are concercerned, even though both happen to communicate the same things about the product to the market. Hence, both these terms often get confused. You will notice the USP of any product usually as a sentence-length headline. It defines what makes you different from the rest and why you are worth doing business with. It is that single point your company is offering to its customers most powerfully. USP does not extend to further product details. Value proposition, on the other hand, speaks more about how customer lives will improve by working with a business. In simple words, USP shares how you are different and the value proposition explains why the difference matters and is beneficial.
How to create a USP?
#1 Understand the wants of your audience
Conduct online surveys. Check out what your customers are talking about on social media. What are their expectations from a business like yours? What are they not satisfied with at present? What do they not like about the options that are currently available? Make a list of it all and observe what is common. That will give you a major hint about what to offer.
#2 Study your competitors thoroughly
Planning to break into a market? Make sure you know it to a T. Identify the companies with similar business plans. Understand what they have been doing, and observe what they haven’t. How are they working on solving the complaints of the customers and what are they missing out on? Every little detail here can end up making you the next big thing in the market. So pay attention!
#3 Write down what differentiates you from the lot
Your competitors’ weaknesses can very well turn out to be your strengths. List the things that can set you apart and make you outshine others. You don’t have to go for something entirely different. Just a little different would do too. You could focus on a specific segment of people, or focus on offering particularly one service better than the others, or you could also combine multiple services into one.
#4 It’s finally time to make the promise to the customers
You have all the raw material. Now you just have to convert it into a single promise. Be as clear and crisp as you can with it, so that you send out a very clear message regarding your offering. Tell them what you are providing and to whom, not to forget what aspect of their lives will get better with it.
Keep making edits until it sounds perfect to you.
Tadaa!! Your USP is ready!
Now the next question is how to market your USP. After all, what is the use of all the effort if it does not reach the right audience or does not appeal to them? The important step here is showing off your USP. How does one do that? There are a few ways. Let’s have a look!
The right way of showing off your USP
1. Offer a solution to a problem
There is nothing more thoughtful than solving a problem for your customer. Know where they are facing trouble. Ask them questions or read their reviews on public forums. Once you know where the issue is, ease things for them and they will remember you for it.
2. Do not underestimate the power of visual marketing
It is easier to remember images. Hence, visual marketing is considered to be more appealing and hence more successful when it comes to marketing your USP. It is a way of showing your business to your customers instead of just telling them about it. So, next time you discuss your USP with another business, try coming up with a chart or an image and notice the difference in the response of the other party.
3. Consider collaborations
Some of you might prefer sticking to a particular niche, but sometimes collaboration works wonders for your business. A successful collab brings the best of both worlds for its customers and that becomes a hot-selling USP in no time since it would offer an effective solution to multiple issues. So why not ditch the cliche and experiment a bit?
4. Have a specialty as your roots
It is a must for a business to define a niche for itself. That said, it doesn’t imply you cannot branch out and explore other profitable areas. A niche helps you get identified in the market. That’s your core identity. But never forget to surprise your audience by offering new products and services. Keep them connected and in sync with your business ideals and anything new you get into will never fail to get attention.
5. Stay ahead of the competition
Because keeping up with the trends has become a necessity. Keep yourself updated with what's new and what’s trendy to get your USP the mileage it deserves. That is the only way to have it discovered and appreciated by the audience. When it comes to showing off, rely on the ones who have mastered the art. Smart branding services can take you a long way in having an edge over your competitors by coming up with innovative ideas to market your business and help garner the due publicity.
