Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is that one distinct thing that sets you apart from your competition. It is in fact the very clear reason why your customers or clients should do business with you and not your competitors. It is your USP that gives you your competitive edge in the marketplace and allows you to win sales accordingly. Without this your marketing activities will lack focus as will your management and staff.

It is highly important that your USP is clear, simple and concise so that your customers and potential customers clearly understand it. Some examples we are come across every day include:

Hungry Jacks – “Makes It Better”
Woolworths – “The Fresh Food People”
RACV – “We’re There For You”
David Jones – “There’s No Other Store Like David Jones”

Some lesser know brands, but some fantastic taglines developed by Bright Owl Marketing include:

Darren Kelk Travel – “Dream Big, Travel Smart”
Travelaction Bendigo – “Your Journey begins here”
313 Vets – “We treat pets as family”

It doesn’t matter whether you are selling a product or a service, the same principle applies.

What is the reason your customers should buy from you rather than your competitors?

If you are not sure of this then there is a good chance they don’t know and you run the risk of losing their business now and well into the future. Even if you think you know the answer, what about your staff? Perhaps you could run this buy them and also get your customers to complete the following sentence clearly and succinctly:

“I buy (the product/service you sell) from (your business name) because (strong, compelling reason).”

What a missed opportunity it would be if you have a potential customer out there who really wants what your selling but you have failed to convey your offer to them or they couldn’t clearly understand why they should buy form you and not your competitors.

Most days I hear small business owners complaining about lack of profit margins and the need to sharpen their prices to win new business. Could this be just one reason? Could it be that if you can establish your USP and therefore create your own competitive edge that you could win new business at higher profit margins?

Developing your brand USP will connect your product or service in a way that turns the consumer benefit into a compelling call-to-action. It ensures that all brand activity has a common goal and that every consumer touch point is enhanced by the power of your brand.

We can help build your brand

We will work with you to explore the essence of your brand and what it’s all about, who your target audience is, what your core message is, and what sets you apart from your competition. To do this we focus on six main areas to help define your brand in the market:

Brand Characteristics: How your brand is delivered through its features and benefits.
Consumer Expectations: Defining what your consumers expect to receive from using your brand.
Competitor Set: How your competitors brands differ in terms of expressing their features and benefits
Consumer Perceptions: How quality and value of your brand is perceived in consumers’ minds.
Unique Selling Proposition (USP): To give consumers a compelling reason to buy your product or service and give you that sustainable competitive advantage for a long time to come.

By focusing on these areas we can effectively position your brand by creating a framework for deciding what to do, and what not to do.