Secrets

Find your USP and Stand out from the Crowd

Surprisingly, you don't have to be that radical to be different from your competition. Creating a marketing plan is the perfect opportunity to think about what your Unique Selling Point (USP) is and you'll probably find that the answer is already there.

The challenge is to identify your USP so that you can start to use it. For inspiration here are a few typical USP examples that are easily missed:

Price – is yours better than your competitors?
Service – do you go that extra mile with your customer service? This can include things like your delivery service, customer follow-up, personal approach or added value (such as free extras when a customer buys from you).
Product – is your product or service unique? Does it automatically stand out from anything else that's on the market?
People – do you have experts in your team that really do make your customer's experience exceptional?
Location – are you more accessible and available than your competitors?

Once you have decided on a particular point that really demonstrates that you're better than the rest, it needs marketing – on everything! You can do this with a “tag line” such as “We guarantee next day delivery” or “We don't sell anywhere else” which can appear on all marketing stationery, signage and invoices. It's also possible to weave your USP into press releases, brochures and your web-site so that the message is repeated and enforced.

Then stand back and enjoy being different and don’t forget to keep it up to date!

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