Importance of Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Many speak about USP and its importance USP as a basic element in Marketing Strategy, yet they often overlook it. 

Have you ever questioned, "What is is USP and why is it so important?"

What is USP?

A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) can set the foundation for an effective marketing strategy if it is done right. It is a marketing concept that refers to any aspect of a product or service that differentiates it from competition and highlights its unique benefits to consumers. Basically, it answers the question, "How is your organisation, product or service better than that of your competitors". 

A strong USP clearly articulates a specific benefit - one that other don't offer - that makes you stand out.

For instance, if all the products and services appears to be the same as your competitor, your prospective customers won't know which one is right for them. So, being clear about your USP helps them differentiate between the variety of choices available to them. it is crucial part of effective selling, especially online where consumers have so many options.

Why USP is important?

A USP is not only an effective tool that will help you shape and focus on marketing goals and successfully set your brand apart from competitors, it also serve internally as it forces you to consider your organisations mission and its very reason for being. It give you clarity around the content you want to develop for any online or offline marketing.

How to develop a strong USP?

Keep in mind, USP is not just a tagline. It has the capability to summarize the full core in one sentence. It has the ability to create an everlasting impact. The purpose of USP is to answer one question, “Why should customers buy from you”.

When formulating a USP make sure you focus on these elements

• Your USP should begin and end with your business
• Believe in your USP and be passionate about it because, it you don't how can you expect prospects to believe either
• Feature it as a tagline or a banner of your company
• It should be positive, strong, hard to imitate, and easily understandable

before that ask yourself

• What problem does my product/service solve?
• What do I offer that my competitors don't?
• How easy is it for my competitors to copy that?
• Can this strength be communicated easily?

A successful USP can be just a few words (a tagline) or full paragraph, the word count doesn’t matter as long as you capture and clearly articulate the promise to your customers that makes you different and desirable. 

In essence, your USP must communicate to your audience that your product has superior value, and that this value is only attainable if they buy from your brand.

 

Pinpointing your USP starts with extensive research. The first step is to establish a strong connection with your customers. Figuring out what motivates their buying decisions and what they care about is really important. Without knowledge, understanding what matter to your audience and focusing on it in your marketing materials will be waste of time and efforts.

 

You must find out why your current customers are choosing your brand over your competition. If you’re just starting out and don’t have customers that could provide you such insight, research your competitors and look for areas that you could improve and innovate. Having a clear understanding of what makes your company special from the very start will help you grow faster, as more customers will buy from you, and achieve a better brand recall.

 

Note:

USPs are often grouped into price, quality, service, speed, selection, convenience, guarantee, customization, originality, and specialization. Pick one that will be at the core of your promise and work from there.