Читать книгу 99 Marketing Mistakes - Kenyon Blunt - Страница 24

Mistake #18

Ignorant of a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

You wouldn’t have started your business if you wanted to be like everyone else. Your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, is what sets your business apart. It tells why customers should buy from you and not someone else. However, many small business owners have a hard time articulating this difference. You need to create a USP because it will be the central theme of all of your marketing efforts.

A USP can be the following:

 A product or service feature that your competitors don’t have

 A focus on a specific niche or customer group

 A different method or process used to deliver the product or service

 A competitive advantage over your competitors

 A distinctive image for the same type of product.

Why Business Owners Struggle with Differentiation

It’s rare to have a business with a truly unique product or service. You face competitors with similar offerings, so you’ll need to communicate your difference. Just look around: how many retailers, hardware stores, plumbing companies, car dealers are truly unique? Not many.

In my opinion, the reason you don’t see much differentiation is that it’s hard to do.

Your USP doesn’t have to be better, it just has to be something that makes you different.

Most small businesses think they’re creating a USP when they claim to have the best customer service, or they’re the number one supplier. Unsubstantiated claims don’t help customers understand how your product or service is better. Instead of taking the time to develop a USP, many small business owners make the mistake of trying to be “all things to all people.” You can’t be known for the best burgers and the best salads. As marketing guru 11Neil Patel says, “When you attempt to be known for everything, you don’t become known for anything.”

How to Uncover Your USP

Finding your USP requires some hard work and creativity. Here are some ways to start:

 Research the competition. Look at your competitors’ ads and marketing messages. You need to be able to describe why you’re better than the competition. In many cases, you’ll be competing against larger companies, so your differentiation will have to explain why being small and nimble is beneficial to your customers.

 Ask your customers. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and focus on their needs and not yours. Step back from your daily operations and ask what customers want.

 Answer four questions. What are your strengths? What is your target customer’s most significant pain point? What solution are you offering? How are you better than your top three competitors?

 Ask yourself this question. What sets my business apart? It amazes me that very few business owners can answer this question without responding with a generality like “We have great customer service.”

Not many companies start with a terrific USP. You must develop and nurture it over time. Nothing you do will reap more benefits for your marketing.

11 https://neilpatel.com/blog/unique-selling-proposition/