Speaking to so many businesses every day, I make it a point to ask them, “What is your Unique Selling Proposition or point of difference?” To my surprise, 95% of those I asked have none. It has been so interesting to see so many businesses plotting along without any point of difference nothing unique about them. This has been so fascinating.

So, what is a Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point (USP)?

It is a factor that differentiates your product or service from those offered by your competitors. A USP defines your business and lets you stand apart amongst tens of thousands of competitors, allowing you to attract new clients, gain their loyalty and build a solid customer base.

You can read more about what a USP is. The link from Entrepreneur Media below contains a brilliant article on the topic.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/unique-selling-proposition-usp

In order to be remembered in a crowded marketplace, it helps if your business has a trait that is worth remembering.
– Levitt (professor and author at Harvard Business School)

Why is USP so important?

We live in a digital world where we are exposed to more information than we ever have been in the past.

From the customer’s viewpoint, the process of looking for the right product or service and comparing thousands of similar businesses can be difficult.

Just like when a company or a business wants to run a marketing campaign for their site. They need to learn about Google AdWords, advertising, social strategies, good versus negative SEO, and best SEO practices.

Do you see where I am going with this? From out of thousands of competing businesses, how will a potential buyer be able to identify the right company who understands and cares about their needs?

It is your job, no! It is your duty to step up and help your customers in making the right decision.

This is done by clearly illustrating your USP.

Your USP differentiates your brand

Your USP is what makes you shine brighter that the rest of your competitors, making it easy for your prospective clients to make the right decision.

By creating a USP, you are helping your clients clearly identify your point of difference. In turn customers are drawn to you because you have something they need that they can’t find elsewhere.

The most important marketing strategy is that of constantly reminding your target audience that you are different from the rest.

Gregory Ciotti has written a brilliant article on why a USP is so important.
Here is the link – http://www.helpscout.net/blog/unique-selling-proposition/

How to best use a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Once you have established your Unique Selling Proposition, the business slogan, the company profile, the marketing and the website are wrapped around your USP. This will help you gain a loyal following of customers and attract business growth.

I would now like to invite you to reflect your business and see if you have a Unique Selling Proposition or a point of difference, if not, I urge you to invest your energy on creating Your Unique Selling Proposition that will set you apart from your competitors and get you the clients you are after and you know the rest of the story.

References:
http://www.helpscout.net/blog/unique-selling-proposition/
https://ormondrankin.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/usp/
http://www.bestprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/USP-Unique-Selling-Proposition.pdf
http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/unique-selling-proposition-usp