So, you have your own business, but have you set yourself up to creating a successful brand?
A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is what your business offers that you do better than your competitors.
If you are offering the best service in the industry, then you’re setting a high bar! You must be able to walk the walk.
The best USP’s are focused on the specific needs of the customer, the brand will then position itself with the highest value that solves those needs.
Let’s dive deeper into the world of Branding.
How do I communicate this to my customers?
Well, that depends on you and the other players in the industry. You should know your customer better than anyone!
What does your ideal customer want?
This could be a small phrase or just one word. Now is your chance to show that your business will solve this specific problem.
Your USP needs to have more depth than just making the best x on the market, think of all the other competitors that will be saying the same thing.
Let’s think about Coca Cola, how does such an instantly recognizable brand have so much success in the global marketplace?
Because Coca Cola does not sell fizzy drinks.
They sell memories, experiences and focus on bringing people together.
The Share a Coke campaign was first started in 2011 and is now a staple of the brand 10 years later in 2021!
Think back to when this campaign was first released, did you find yourself digging through the shelves of the supermarket to try and find your name or your friend's names?
This level of innovation cemented Coca Cola’s brand image around community and relationships.
Top tips for developing your USP.
Now that you understand what a USP is, we have some tips for developing your own.
Write down everything that you think makes your brand different. List the differences of your brand, of your products, of your strategy or marketing tactics.
Do not focus on saying you do what your competitor’s doing…but better. Instead, position yourself so that different groups of people would find your business appealing.
Think of how Shoe companies differentiate. One brand may emphasize the style, others may emphasize comfort, while another may emphasize waterproofing technology!
Run a workshop! One activity that doesn’t get enough credit is the power of Workshopping (Add Link). Workshops can create more refined ideas and allow all members involved to have their say.
The open space discussion of a workshop is where the magic happens. If everyone compares their ideas and their reasoning why they think x and y are so important. Then you are working to remove any misinterpretations amongst departments.
Your USP should be something that your staff understand, the core value of your product.
It should be the main reason that customers buy, and the same reason why potential employees want to work for your company. You could be so passionate about the USP – you could get a design team (could I suggest Rove 😉) to come up with a cool mural to post on your office wall!
Conclusion
These tips create a foundation to develop your USP. However, if you have inconsistencies across your brand, designs and web platforms; then it is less likely to work!
Thankfully here at Rove, we are experts at Branding, Designing and Web Platform-ing.
So, if your business wants to go into depth on developing a unique selling proposition, we are the team to help you do it.
