Discover Your Unique Selling Proposition

No matter what you sell online, be it a product or service, it is
critical to define what sets you apart from your competition, makes
your product/service appealing to your target market, and what
benefits your product/service provides your customers. This is your
Unique Selling Proposition or USP.

Being able to communicate the unique benefits of what you have to
offer in a specific manner is critically important for achieving a
distinguishable difference between you and your competitors.

You should aim to make your USP the one specific idea that first
comes to mind when people think of your product or service. A very
famous example comes from the automobile industry: when people
hear "Volvo" they instantly identify it with "Safety".

You must obviously work to educate your target market about your
product's USP. People did not just automatically associate Volvo with
safety. Volvo helped to instill this idea in their heads through
cleverly planned advertising, promotion and publicity.

You must have your USP clearly defined before you begin to craft any
sales material for your product or service. This will help you to
communicate your USP to your target market. If YOU can't state it
your prospects sure won't see it.

Depending on the real benefits of your product or service and the
void in your market that you are filling, your USP might be one of
the following (or any number of others you might think of):

* You sell your product or service for less than your competition
does.

* You sell a higher quality product or service than anyone else in
your industry.

* You provide more customer service or education before, during and
after the sale than anyone else does.

* You offer twice the guarantee of your closest competitor.

* You offer better bonuses than anyone else does.

* You serve a specific demographic i.e. age group, industry, or type
of person.

Here's Exactly How to Create Your USP:

Write out in one to two paragraphs the benefits, NOT features, of
your product or service; what sets it apart from your competition;
and what makes it appealing to your target market.

Edit out the generalities and focus on the crispest, clearest, most
specific promise your product/service can offer to your target market.

Rework it until you have a simple, clearly defined USP that your
customers can instantly identify with. You should try to express your
USP in a way that people really think. For example, forget anything
like, "The innovative leader in banking services, financial products
and convenient technology".

People just don't think that way. So it doesn't stick in their minds.
This is more like it: "South Africa's only international bank". Get
the idea? Keep it simple. Succinct. USP's work best when they are a
sentence or two for the most.

Lowestfare.com is an example of a company whose USP is clearly
defined in their domain name. This company provides the lowest air
fares in the air travel industry.

Does Your USP Pass This Checklist?

* Is it true?

* Is it easy to understand?

* Does it differentiate the product in an attractive manner from the
competition?

* Is it expressed the way people will express it in their own minds?

If you haven't answered YES to all four of the above, go back and
rework your USP until you can.

You should present your USP in every ad. And do so year after year.
People remember with repetition.