Finding Your
Unique Selling Proposition or USP
A Unique Selling
Proposition is about making your offering
different from, and more valuable than, your
competitors' offerings--and placing that idea
in the minds of a target group of customers.
Positioning attracts customers by creating a
positive and unique identity for your company
and its offerings. Positioning is vital for
distinguishing your offering from everybody
else's.
In a world where there are more and more
products and services every day, your customers
are on advertising overload all the time. So
they pick something to believe and hold that
notion until a message breaks through and
persuades them to change.
People can't hold conflicting ideas in their
heads. They can't believe that all paper towels
are pretty much alike, buy one that costs more
than most, and think that they are wise
shoppers. The point is, defining a USP is your
effort to claim a high ground in that
overloaded prospect's head and hold it against
competition.
There may be very little difference between
your product and your competitors'--but if you
can't find a way to communicate uniqueness and
connect it to a need of your target, you might
as well quit fighting your competition and sell
out to them. There are many different ways to
stake out a position. Just remember, your
position reflects your unique selling
proposition, and it is what makes your offering
more valuable to your customers than what's
being offered by your competition.
Perception of your Business
How will your business be perceived as
different from your competition in the minds of
your targeted customers? To figure this out,
you must look for your best customer and then
design a position that matches his or her wants
and needs to an advantage that only you can
offer. Remember, you can't be all things to all
people, but you can be the vendor of choice for
a group of them.
Positioning Affects Every Aspect of Your
Communications--And Your Business
Positioning is the basis for all your
communications--your packaging and product
design, sales promotions, advertising, and
public relations. Everything you do must
reinforce that position--otherwise you just
undermine your marketing efforts and sow
confusion instead of confidence. Positioning is
serious business. You must choose the right
position, for now and down the road.
Do the work now to develop a clear position
for your business vis-à-vis your competitors.
You'll ensure that you get the most from your
advertising budget. The truth is that with
enough money, you can buy success in
advertising. Mediocre, unfocused messages from
a company without a clear position will
generate sales surprisingly well if that
company buys enough time or space to pound the
message home. But think how much farther that
budget could take you if you had a focused
message, a unique selling proposition, and a
target audience for your offering.
Positioning--and the creative approach that
grows from it--make the difference.
Developing the Positioning Statement and
the Tagline
To begin creating your own sense of positioning
for your business, answer the following
questions with short, articulate answers that
relate your offering to your customers'
needs.
1. What does your business do?
2. For whom?
3. What is your biggest benefit to
them?
4. Prove your claim. To what do you
attribute that benefit?
5. How will your customers perceive this
benefit, relative to the competition?
Companies spend tens of thousands of pounds
with agencies developing a USP but it is a
process and you can do it yourself. Just go to
http://YOURID.yourusp.hop.clickbank.net
and see how you can do
this for yourself and save thousands of pounds.
You will then be able to leave your competition
behind and watch your profits increase every
month.
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