In this chapter of the small business marketing guide, we’ll cover how to write a unique selling proposition for your business. A USP is the one thing that your competitors cannot copy, and it’s what sets you apart from them in the marketplace.
The goal is for each company or organization to identify their USPs to promote these with clarity and consistency across all of their marketing materials.
Here are the main topics of this chapter in case you want to jump ahead.
What Is a Unique Selling Proposition?
A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is a term used in marketing to describe the unique and compelling offer that your business provides its customers. It’s not an easy task to come up with one, but it’s definitely worth the effort.
Your USP should be short and concise so that you can quickly communicate what makes your company different from others in your field.
Your USP will help you stand out from other companies in your industry and give potential customers a reason to do business with your company. In this chapter, we will provide some tips on how to write a compelling USP!
A compelling USP should be:
Short and concise – your marketing material should be easy for potential customers and clients to understand.
Clear – it should explain what your company does in an easily understood way by consumers or other businesses.
Unique – it needs to set you apart from competitors, so make sure the message of your USP stands out from others.
Relevant – It should reflect the needs of your target audience.
Actionable – it should include a call to action that will encourage consumers or other businesses to take an appropriate response, such as buying more products from you or signing up for your services.
Personalized – It should be tailored according to who is receiving it and what they want/need.
Informative – Communicates what makes your company different / better than other companies.
Some examples of a USP:
“We sell beautiful, high-quality furniture.” (This example is not very compelling because it’s too general). “We offer custom design craftsmanship to make sure that your furniture is perfectly tailored to your taste.”
“We offer free shipping on our products.” (This example doesn’t differentiate the company). “Free Shipping Worldwide and offer a 15-day return policy, which is double the industry standard!”
“We are a family-run business that values customer service and satisfaction above all else. If you’re not happy with any of our products, we will do whatever it takes to make it right.”
“Free Shipping Worldwide! Products ship from our warehouse in Pennsylvania and arrive at your location within one week of order placement. We always do our best to get you what you need as quickly as possible!”
What a Unique Selling Proposition Is Not
Unique Selling Proposition is not a Marketing Offer
Marketing offers, like 15% off or free shipping, are just one part of the puzzle. A unique selling proposition should be more than that and stand out from competitors to make it worth your while.
How To Write Your Own USP
Now you might be wondering how to get started on writing your own unique selling proposition. Several different elements make up what is called the Unique Selling Proposition.
The USP should answer these questions:
- What do I have to offer? (the product)
- Why does it matter to whomever you’re targeting? (relevance)
- How can people find out about my products or services? (distribution)
- Why should they take the action you want them to do right now? (call to action)
Step One: First, think about what your product or service is. What are its key qualities and features that will make it stand out from other products in the same industry? How does this particular item help people live better lives?
Step Two: Next, you need to think about who is the demographic of your target customer. What are they looking for in a product or service like yours? How does this particular item solve an issue that’s important to them?
Step Three: Think about what action you want people to take when they see your USP. Do you want them to buy your product or service? Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter? What are the benefits of this particular USP, and how does it make people’s lives better?
Step Four: Finally, what will happen if they don’t take that action right now. In other words, why should someone buy my products or give me money today instead of tomorrow or next week?
Research Your Competition
If your business is new, then analyzing your competitor’s USP is a good way to get inspiration to write your own USP.
Begin by analyzing some of the other USPs closely related to yours and see what makes them unique from each other and different from your own. It’s important to do this because no two products or services can have an identical USP: it would be confusing for a customer to decide which one to choose.
Do a competitive analysis by answering these questions:
- What is the competition’s USP?
- How different are their benefits from your own? Is it better, worse, or just different?
- Are they highlighting features in an appealing way that makes people want them more than my products and services?
- What is the competition’s target market?
- Why do people buy this product or service instead of your own?
To make a decision, you need to know what others are already doing. If they’re not using social media services for marketing purposes, then that might be an area where you can excel and stand out.
- What is the competition’s pricing?
- What do potential customers say about their company?
- Who are my competitors’ target markets, and how different are they from mine?
In each of these cases, you’ll be able to see where your USP can stand out. This will also make it easier for you to develop a USP that will work for your company.
How To Share Your Unique Selling Proposition
The easiest way to stand out from the competition is by using a unique selling proposition in your digital advertising. Your ad copy should prominently feature your USP in either the headline or the first line of text when possible.
But If highlighting it as part of your advertisement’s header, make sure you have included keyword-rich phrases such that Google will be able to catch them and serve up more accurate ads for potential customers looking for what you’re advertising.
For example: “Looking For A Personal Injury Lawyer In San Diego?”
The USP should be included in the first sentence of any marketing materials you use for your business, including but not limited to advertisements, social media posts, websites, and blogs. If someone sees a compelling headline or opening paragraph in an advertisement then they’ll keep
You can also add your USP to your landing pages. This is an important step to make your business stand out and be more memorable, especially when you want a potential customer to take action.
Final Thoughts On How To Create A Unique Selling Proposition
After reading this chapter, you should have a better idea of writing a compelling and unique selling proposition for your business. The next step is to learn how to market your small business in Chapter 5. You may also want to take an SEO course or hire someone who can help if you are not confident about properly optimizing your website content. We hope that these small business marketing tips will give you some ideas about what steps you need to take next!
