Daunting as it may seem, making a USP for your business is actually quite easy if you follow the steps outlined below. By breaking the task down into manageable items, you will be able to trim down your message to include only the most pertinent, compelling and effective words in your USP.
1. List down the Unmet Wants or Needs.
To make an effective USP, know what your customers want and need. Next, determine which among them are not being met by your competitors’ USPs. For instance, due to the rising popularity of health products and healthy lifestyle, a restaurant that has a USP of “all ingredients are 100% organic, guaranteed!” can effectively compel a significant portion of the market to dine in the said restaurant. Gift shops can also take advantage of the market’s growing need for more personalised gifts; they can offer a range of customised or made-to-order products as well as free hand courier service. To gain some insight on your customers’ unmet needs, talk to your customers; conduct a baseline market study.
2. Determine Which among Possible USPs You Can Deliver.
A powerful USP is only half of the equation. For your USP to be really effective, you should actually be able to deliver its promise. Offering a 30-minute delivery guarantee to customers, for example, entails that you make a study of the routes, traffic flow, production process, and the many factors involved in making and delivering your product to your customers. This can cost money. You may have to invest in new equipment (e.g. automatic ovens, GPS-capable gadgets), a traffic update service subscription, personnel training, etc. Choose from among your possible USPs one that not only packs a powerful message but is also affordable, manageable and deliverable.
3. Keep it Short, Effective and Unique:
Now, trim down your USP to its most effective length. Keep it below 10 words. Include powerful ad words such as YOU (to directly communicate with the customer) and highly visual adjectives. Furthermore, the benefit must be couched in tangible and measurable terms (delivery within 30 minutes, $xx dollars less, uses 300 Watts less power, etc) so that the readers will immediately realise its value to them. Naturally, your final USP must be unique.
3 steps to create a unique selling point to compel customers to do business with you - To learn more about this author, visit Mark Gwilliam's Website.
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Mark Gwilliam
(Visit Mark's Website)
Mark Gwilliam, FCCA, uses his
international experience to coach small
business owners on how to run successful
businesses. He combines his natural
enthusiasm for sharing his knowledge with
his proven ability to provide practical
down-to-earth solutions for his clients.
He has written several books and owns
several companies which offer small
business owners integrated business
solutions. He writes several business
articles in his weekly newsletters “The
Bizness” and “Successful Marketing
Strategies”. To read these and to have
access to more tools and resources to
turbo charge your business, visit his
sites at www.thema
rketingdude.com and www.mark-gwi
lliam.com
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