A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is a statement that describes how your product or company is different (and hopefully better) than the competition. It helps you to stand out from the usual industry suspects.
Your USP is what makes your business and its products or services different. It’s what you offer that no-one else does in your market – whether that’s higher quality, a lower price, a better customer experience or a new technological innovation.
Here at WordStyler we offer a unique stream line service of curating your content. Our experienced investigating journalist conducts an interview, audio or video to extract the information and identify and create the digital assets of your business or personal brand.
The questions are not only just based on operations and offerings. We want to find out the things that your customers can’t google – the stuff that makes you, you. These will be your unique points of difference. We often find that it’s in the way you deliver your service or a optional extra in your product range.
Here are a few particularly great examples of Unique Selling Propositions.
Avis. We’re number two. We try harder.
M&M’s. The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand.
This unique benefit showcased by a company, service, product or brand must be a feature that highlights product benefits that are meaningful to consumers.
You will have these benefits if:
A) You know your target market and use the language of their problem. An awareness campaign also increases their sense of understanding. Like the one I have running at the moment which is all about ‘digital assets‘. Starting with their perceived problem helps you understand the journey they must take to find your solution.
B) you can sell for more profit.
C) you can lower the cost of customer acquisition. You won’t be wasting time with people that aren’t actually going to buy into your value because they already understand it.
D) You can refine your business processes to waste less time doing things that don’t benefit the customer, therefore getting more done to make more money.
USP language is just as critical as the image you use. Words are associations to situations, events, locations, feelings and people. Some people perceive words differently. Try these:
- Assertive, but justifiable: Take a position that makes a strong case against competing products. Find a particular aspect that makes it memorable. Best achieved by speaking with the people who have experienced or owned it.
- Centre your language around what your clients value most. “Unique” is a bland. Be specific in your message. Saves time, easy and fun, it has to be something they care about. The universal issues are : Time, Money and Energy!
- It has to be more than a slogan: This tag line is your most vital communication tool. It should be memorable, easy to say and recognisable with your brand. It’s a value that is embodied in other areas of your business, from your return policy to your supply chain. Value you driven slogans hit home runs, they make hairs stand on ends and roll off the tongue.
What you are selling is not unique, but your message can be and defining what you stand for, what you care about is speaking to the hearts of your existing and potential customers.
Pip Corn
Pre-popped popcorn is available everywhere so in concept mini popcorn is not much different.
The brand focused on health conscious customers and used language on the packaging that would attract them when they were deciding what popcorn to buy. As a GF eater myself, seeing this on packaging most definitely helps me decide in that moment what is better for my tummy. Helping customers choose healthy snack food is a unique selling point and targets a specific group of people.
Using phrases like “all natural,” “whole grain,” and “small batches” on the bag highlights the health benefits of going gluten free, non-GMO, and antioxidants. The brand also gets specific about how their snack food is healthy instead of just saying that it is. It lists points of difference that their customers, like me, will care about.
By positioning their product around current health-conscious trends, they’re able to create a USP that would not only actively help them attract new customers, but also increase the perception of their product as a premium brand.
Now it gets a little exciting and creative when you have one product that targets three or four specific groups.
AFS Group have a secure travel service. One product positioned in three unique ways. Their concierge service is offered to ‘large sporting groups’, ‘grieving travellers’ and those wanting ‘an elite streamlined service’ from the airport to their hotel, transfers to locations or stress free coordinated transport to events.
Three images, similar wording but specific for each situation the target audience is in. Unique Selling Propositions in each one is nearly identical but the language and images speak to the circumstances and solve the different problems.
Every product and service needs their own USP. It will be the common feed back worded in a way that connects. It’s how your customers refer your services because of how it made them feel
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