Typically brands are facing growing competition so trying to get noticed and remembered for the right reasons is becoming quite a challenge.
To be able to compete against such a challenge makes your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) crucial to driving leads and helping conversions.
A USP is used by a brand to communicate why someone would buy it and what separates your product/service from the competition.
An effective USP communicates your brand’s values and differentiates what your company offers through what you stand for and how this benefits your customers.
You may have an amazing product on offer.
It could be something your prospects desperately want.
But, without crafting the desired impact with a USP, there will be an unwanted gap between your current status and what you’d like to achieve.
To create a USP that is will encourage conversions, the USP should be short and concise, and achieve the following:
- Explain what your company promises its customers
- Highlight how your offering is different to the alternatives
- Instil trust in a prospective customer
- Encourage actions and conversions
Really a USP will be used early in the buying process, on advertising, within cold calls etc. This is the message that should get someone interested and remain in their consciousness long after they first come across it.
How to create a USP
First of all, like everything in Marketing, think about your audience and which of the product’s benefits are most valuable to them.
Some believe that a USP is a verbal tool for salespeople to use and to change it depending on the kind of people being spoken to. However, we believe that you must be able to create a single Product Messaging Template for each of your products/services. These will contain one clear message for various mediums e.g. social media profiles, social posts, product/service pages, emails, brochures etc.
Here are a few other things to keep in mind when creating a USP.
1. It’s in the name, it should be unique, focusing on differentiating qualities.
Your USP is your chance to stand out against your competition. Ask yourself, can a competitor use my USP for their product/service? If so, then it’s time to think again.
Ensure that your USP includes the strengths and benefits that distinguish your product/service from the competition.
It’s not enough to just say that your services are the best.
You’ll need to show your customers through some form of validation that your competitors can’t claim or replicate.
A quick and easy way to validate yourself is by asking your clients for some feedback about your business, and why they have chosen your services over those of other businesses.
Your longstanding customers who keep coming back to use your services will be the best person to ask for a testimonial. They know your business well, and clearly use your company over others.
2. Communicate clearly and confidently.
Enthusiasm and authenticity should shine through whenever your USP is presented to a prospect. It should give full confidence to the prospect that your brand will deliver what it promises and why.
This can only be done if the prospect understands it and remembers it, therefore, make sure it is simple and effective. Do not try and overcomplicate it by including everything and anything.
3. Focus on the benefit to the customer, not the product itself.
Try and sell the post sales environment rather than just the product/service itself.
This means your USP should give a desired vision of life after the purchase.
Will life be more exciting, less stressful, more productive etc?
You’ll know if your unique selling proposition worked well if the prospect smiles. This often means they are engaged with the USP and believe in your message.
You want your USP to immediately resonate with your prospect, as though you are reading their mind.
Do you believe it?
Ensure you and your sales team believe in your USP and that you are passionate about it. For a salesperson and a brand, you can’t expect your prospects to buy into it if you don’t believe it yourself.
It’s also vital to support your USP through the business’ vision. Feature it as a tagline or banner for your company, and throughout your promotional messaging.
A smart, to-the-point USP will ignite the focus of your business and be the basis of what your company has to offer to new prospects, opening opportunities for you.
Let’s chat, and work together to create an effective USP and product messaging that will reap the rewards. these are just some of the Sales and Marketing tools offered as part of our Branding services.
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