Conversion Rate Optimization - Unique Selling Proposition - USP
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A unique selling proposition is what makes your brand stand out from the competition. A USP is a short, easy-to-remember sentence that punches your biggest benefit at customers and makes them instantaneously remember you. For example, Avis is “We’re number two, we try harder.”
The USP must be so compelling and so benefit-oriented that it alone can sell your products or services. It must stick in customers’ minds and make them say “yes… that company” or “bingo.”
Creating a Unique Selling Proposition
Creating a USP is tough work and requires at least one full day of undivided commitment. Large companies spend millions on USP development, thus one day is a relatively small investment.
First shut off all distraction and concentrate on the task. Start by writing all the features of your products/services. Then write all the benefits that you can think of that those products/services deliver. Line them up one after another.
The take each feature/benefit separately and ask yourself a question: “So what?” Then write an answer. Look at the answer and ask “So what?” one more time. Write down the answer. Look at the answer again and ask “So what?” and write it down. Go on until you cannot ask “So what?” and then switch to the next benefit/feature.
For example:
Our software helps small businesses automate accounting. - So what?
You spend less time on accounting./You spend less money on accounting. - So what?
You can use the extra time to grow your business./You can invest extra money in your business. - So what?
As you go on answering the “So what?” question, stay relevant to the topic. It’s very easy to drift away and end each series of answers with hyped, irrelevant benefits. In the example of accounting software we could go further:
You can use extra time to grow your business./You can invest extra money in your business. - So what?
As you spend more time and money on your business, you’re following the dream.
The “Spend more time and money on your dream” tagline sounds fishy for accounting automation software. Know when it’s time to stop and move on to the next benefit.
As you repeat this process for all features/benefits, you will find many good reasons for doing business with you. Select the best ones and think of a way of transforming them into a unique selling proposition. From the example above we can form a pretty good UPS: “Less time and money on accounting. More time and money on your business”
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