Marketing

How to Create your Unique Selling Proposition

October 3, 2019

Do you have a Unique Selling Proposition or USP? This is a statement about what makes you and your business different from your competitors. It is used to create competitive differentiation and is often used in your marketing or when talking to potential customers.

This is a statement that sits over your entire business. But don’t get it confused with a Positioning Statement. It is a short, declarative sentence that states the main benefit and addresses your target market’s number one pain point.

Positioning statements are used to describe how your product or service fills a need of your target market or persona.

 

Famous Examples of USP’s

Domino’s Pizza – Fresh hot pizza delivered to your door in thirty minutes or less, guaranteed.

M&M’s – Melts in your mouth, not in your hand. (FYI I totally think M & M’s melt in your hand!)

 

M&Ms

 

Here are some more Examples of USP’s, so you start to get the idea.

  • Our recipe is so secret, only three people in the world know it!
  • Delivered in 30 minutes or it’s on us!
  • Free shipping on all orders.

 

Now let’s create your USP!

 

Step 1: Who your customers are and what are the problems/challenges they have and desires they are looking to solve.

Step 2: Describe the key values and/or benefits that your customers will receive from buying your products and/or services.

Step 3: Describe how customers will feel after receiving or consuming your product or after they have used your service (e.g., will they have more energy, does it make them feel happier, will they have saved money).

Step 4: How is your business different. How does your business stand out from competitors?

  • Price
  • Location
  • Timeliness
  • Unique
  • Exclusive
  • Results

Step 5: How would you like customers to think about your business?

  • Most reliable
  • Luxury
  • Low price
  • Value

Step 6: Create your long USP summary. Take your answers above and create a paragraph that portrays your unique selling proposition.

Step 7: Create your final USP. Condense your long USP summary to just one line. You can’t say everything in just one line, but you must get your key points across.