Key Elements: Unique Selling Proposition

It’s probably a good bet that you understand the importance of educating yourself on marketing. But are you the marketing expert you need to be in order for your marketing to be effective?

Don’t let the word “expert” intimidate you, we’re just saying you need to be an expert in creating marketing campaigns. But we’re NOT saying you need to have lots of experience in creating marketing campaigns. We’re saying you need to understand and know how to implement the key elements for any marketing campaign.

This 3-part series is going to help you with just that – understanding the 10 key elements you need for success in your marketing.

KEY ELEMENT #1: Have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Dan Kennedy is one of the greatest marketing geniuses of the last 30 years, and I will quote him when it comes to defining a USP. Dan says, “What is it that you do that would make the customer choose you over anyone else, including doing nothing? And you CAN’T use ‘price’, ‘quality’, or ‘service’”

You have to ZIG when everyone else ZAGS. What is your ZIG?

Everybody claims to offer the lowest prices, the best quality, and the best service. Consumers have come to expect that from everyone. It is NOT unique. What is it that you do that sets you apart from your competition?

Dan uses the example of Domino’s pizza. Dominoes never talk about how good their pizza is, the quality of their ingredients, or anything else about the pizza. All they said was, “Hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Good pizza was not guaranteed. They built an empire on the promise to deliver pizza within 30 minutes. The customers cared more about the speed than they did about anything else.

Finding your unique selling proposition is perhaps the most difficult thing for any business to do. And beyond a doubt the most important thing you can do for your business.
Let’s say you’re a real estate investor, you buy houses for cash, just like everyone else does. Almost all of your competitors offer the same thing. Does this sound familiar?
We will buy your house for cash… No real estate commissions… No repairs… We will close fast…

Everyone is saying the same thing. What can you do that makes you stand out from the hundreds of other people all saying the same thing?
A more compelling USP might be “We Buy Ugly Houses”, “We’ll Rent Your Moving Trucks”, or “We’ll Clean Your New House For You”. It uniquely differentiates the offer from all the others in the industry.

Maybe you come up with a unique guarantee. Maybe you give your service a name that stands out. Maybe you have a slightly different approach than your competitors. Think about what you do and how you do it and find a way to differentiate yourself.

One example in the real estate space again is the headline, “I will sell your house in 90 days or less or I’ll buy it myself.” That truly is a unique, compelling message for anyone interested in sell their house. Because it’s a guaranteed sale, you know your house will be sold.

Once you’ve decided how you are unique, you need to build your marketing message around that USP.

HERE’S A CHECKLIST FOR BRAINSTORMING YOUR USP

• Unique name
• Competitive positioning
• Exclusive niche
• Affinity
• Hidden benefit
• Method of marketing and distribution
• Continuity
• Membership
• Service difference
• Added value
• Premium/gift with purchase
• Packaging difference
• Size
• Expertise
• Price
• Payment terms
• Guarantee
• Celebrity
• Combination

Now I want you to sit down right now and schedule half an hour of your time to brainstorm with this checklist at some point in the next 24 hours. And do it with your door closed, phone turned off, and computer in sleep mode. All your attention focused on this task.

Because the second part of this Key Elements series is coming soon…