A Compelling USP Boosts Sales For Your Business
USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition.
If you want to differentiate yourself from your competition,then you must have a strong USP. Most business owners neverbother to create one. And they're losing out on sales andinquiries.
Rosser Reeves created the term USP in his 1961 book "Reality InAdvertising."
He declared that "The proposition must be one that thecompetition either cannot, or does not, offer."
I realize you may be saying to yourself "I offer the exact sameservices or products as my competitors, so how can I create aneffective USP?"
You mean if a customer asked you why they should do businesswith you instead of your competitor, you'd really come up blankfor an answer?
Take some time to look at your competitors' brochures, web sitesand other marketing material.
Is there anything you offer that they don't? Is there a processthat you do better than your competitors? Maybe you and yourcompetitors share a process, but they have not mentioned itanywhere in their advertising.
There's a famous story about noted copywriter Claude Hopkinscreating a USP for Schlitz Beer.
At the time, Schlitz Beer was number five in market share.
Hopkins made an in-depth study of how the company made itsproduct and was impressed by how Schlitz purified their beer.When Hopkins asked Schlitz executives why they didn't mentionthis purification process to the consumer, they countered thatall beer companies used the same process.
Hopkins replied, "Yes, but others have never told this story."
He went onto to create Schlitz advertising that highlighted thepurification process. Schlitz sales zoomed from number five tonumber one. No other competitors dared make the same claimbecause they didn't want to look like copycats.
Hopkins summed up his USP philosophy in his book "My Life InAdvertising."
"Perhaps countless people can make similar products. But tellthe pains you take to excel. Tell factors and features whichothers deem too commonplace to claim. Your product will come totypify those excellencies. If others claim them afterward, itwill only serve to advertise you.
There are few advertised products which cannot be imitated. Fewwho dominate a field have any exclusive advantage. They weresimply the first to tell certain convincing facts."
If you want to differentiate yourself from your competition,then you must have a strong USP. Most business owners neverbother to create one. And they're losing out on sales andinquiries.
Rosser Reeves created the term USP in his 1961 book "Reality InAdvertising."
He declared that "The proposition must be one that thecompetition either cannot, or does not, offer."
I realize you may be saying to yourself "I offer the exact sameservices or products as my competitors, so how can I create aneffective USP?"
You mean if a customer asked you why they should do businesswith you instead of your competitor, you'd really come up blankfor an answer?
Take some time to look at your competitors' brochures, web sitesand other marketing material.
Is there anything you offer that they don't? Is there a processthat you do better than your competitors? Maybe you and yourcompetitors share a process, but they have not mentioned itanywhere in their advertising.
There's a famous story about noted copywriter Claude Hopkinscreating a USP for Schlitz Beer.
At the time, Schlitz Beer was number five in market share.
Hopkins made an in-depth study of how the company made itsproduct and was impressed by how Schlitz purified their beer.When Hopkins asked Schlitz executives why they didn't mentionthis purification process to the consumer, they countered thatall beer companies used the same process.
Hopkins replied, "Yes, but others have never told this story."
He went onto to create Schlitz advertising that highlighted thepurification process. Schlitz sales zoomed from number five tonumber one. No other competitors dared make the same claimbecause they didn't want to look like copycats.
Hopkins summed up his USP philosophy in his book "My Life InAdvertising."
"Perhaps countless people can make similar products. But tellthe pains you take to excel. Tell factors and features whichothers deem too commonplace to claim. Your product will come totypify those excellencies. If others claim them afterward, itwill only serve to advertise you.
There are few advertised products which cannot be imitated. Fewwho dominate a field have any exclusive advantage. They weresimply the first to tell certain convincing facts."