Every business needs a marketing technique that sets them apart from competitors. It helps customers understand your business easily and gives them a reason to transact with you. Finding your business' USP requires that you carefully analyze your business and the market needs. Your USP might also change along the way depending on the market demands.
Here's how entrepreneurs find their unique selling proposition.
#1- Informal Surveys
We found our unique selling proposition by doing very informal surveys with our customers to see what themes were common across every call. After every service we provided, we would call our clients and ask them if everything went well and thank them for their business. I had attended a conference where a messaging consultant had emphasized taking notes after sales meetings to see what words or questions were commonly used. The consultant said that these words could be indications of what people value. We provide transportation services and we found that customers would often make comments that indicated trust and comfort with our drivers. From this, we were able to determine that the high level of screening we do on our drivers really matters to our customers and we were able to emphasize this in our messaging as a differentiator.
Thanks to Michael Woodrum, Anjin Secure Car!
#2- Listening to customers
As a CPG (consumer packaged good) in the healthy market space we found our Unique Selling Proposition simply by listening to our consumers. When we first created SUTRA we designed it as a product that assisted people in healing chronic disease (since the ingredients helped myself and my Co-founders to gain wellness), but after polling our customers we found out the majority of individuals were buying SUTRA Black and Gold to give them natural energy and to assist them in quitting coffee. When your consumers state they are using your product in a different way than designed, you can either try to educate them to your vision, or roll with it. We rolled with it and never looked back.
Thanks to Ashley Strommen, SUTRA!
#3- Find your hook
First, look at your business from your customer¹s perspective. What are you selling and how does your target audience perceive you? What are they looking for and how does your product or service stack up compared to other offerings on the market? What do you offer vs. your competitors? How do your benefit your customers specifically? What do you do well/better than anyone else? If you cannot answer that question quickly then you may not differentiate yourself from the market and may need to find unique space to own in your customers mind. If you do have a unique benefit to offer then create a memorable sentence to show the market who you are and what you stand for. Find your differentiators then make a promise to solve that problem your customers want to fix. Once you find your hook then start using it in all your communications, your advertising, tagline, messaging, website, social media, etc. Are you a money manager who helps women through transitions like divorce or inheritance? Are you an executive coach who helps entrepreneurs scale their businesses and manage high growth as the concept becomes reality? Find your niche and own it.
Thanks to Paige Arnof-Fenn, Mavens & Moguls!
#4- Offer advice
These days it is unique for a business to promptly answer the phone and speak with a customer to plan their custom artwork as we do. Most art sites are automatic expecting the customer to input their own photo reference and details. Customers are shocked when a person answers and actually gives them advice. We believe that it is our job since we are the experts and not the customers job to plan the art for an ad or gift picture. When I answer they ask if I am a recording! It may be old school but these days it has become unique.
Thanks to Jess Perna, Jess Perna Art Studio!