I’ve a long article about the USP, but it is worth bringing up again.
Even if you have a unique product or service, something no one else is offering, you still have to tell people about it in a way that communicates.
Sometimes this is obvious. More likely it is obvious only after someone has thought of it. Like the iPhone “There’s an app for that” commercials.
There are a couple of things people usually miss, trying to come up with a USP.
First of all it has to be UNIQUE. Just Google your competition, if they are all saying “top quality” one way or another, that is NOT unique just because you come up with a different way to say it.
It has to be unique in the eyes of your prospective buyers. That you think it is different doesn’t count.
Secondly it is supposed to be a SELLING proposition.
It has to be desirable to the potential customer – desirable enough to get them interested in buying.
Again, just because you think it is cool, or something the consumer SHOULD want, doesn’t make it so.
Sometimes you have to survey prospective buyers. It often works to survey your sales force. What are the things they say to prospects that seem to resonate the most, that help to close them on buying from YOU, not your competition?
You can look through your testimonials or interview happy customers too. You can also use click ads (Google AdWords) to test ideas and wordings.
A good USP can make just a TREMENDOUS difference in your marketing effectiveness. It’s worth putting some effort into.