A "Unique Selling Proposition" (USP), is a term that refers to what set's your products/services apart from those of your competitors. Commonly, it's expressed as a single sentence which summarises the essence of your business, and thus, your USP forms part of your overarching marketing efforts. 

An essential question which your USP should address to your customer base is; "Why should I buy from you, instead of your competitors?". 

Furthermore, your USP also needs to provide your potential customers with a specific benefit which they see as attractive or enticing. It's not enough to only say that offerings are "better" or have "more value". This level of vagueness does not suffice with customers who desire to know how specific benefits will apply to them. 

This is why it's vital to develop a USP before bringing your products or services to market, as it will help you determine in advance whether it will sell or not. If there's nothing which sets your product or service apart from your competition, why would anyone even consider buying it?

That being said, even if your product or service does have something which makes it stand out, is it something which consumers will view as having value? If both the above mentioned conditions are not met, why would you want to spend time, resources and money to develop a product which might not be viable in a marketplace?

Conveying Your Message To The Pubic 

A strong Unique Selling Proposition is a vitally important marketing tool for small businesses who are forced to compete with other small businesses and larger retail franchises. While your business might have superior services or product offerings, if you can't get your message out to the potential customers you want, they will have no reason to choose your business over a competitor. 

A USP is hardly a new concept. In fact, it was actually coined by Rosser Reeves (1910 to 1984), an American advertising executive who firmly believed that the sole purpose of advertising was to communicate a specific company's slogan for their products/services and that this slogan should remain unchanged. 

Steps to creating a USP.

1. Begin the process by reviewing your business's offerings from the perspective of your target market. These can be segmented in many factors such as gender, age, income bracket, race, religion, education and so forth. What does your typical customer really want? Does your target prospect want lower prices, excellent customer service, a specific location, convenience, home delivery etc?

   
   

2. Next, ask yourself the question; "What is it that my product or service offers that my competitors' products or services don't offer?" Following this, ask yourself what specific benefits are provided to your customers? If you're unable to accurately answer these questions in a few sentences, then it's likely that you're not doing enough to make your brand differentiate from your competitors in the marketplace. 

   
   

3. Now, compile everything into one sentence, which is impressionable enough to use as an advertising slogan. For instance: "We serve the best gluten-free pizza in the city", or "Complete auto service that you can trust," or "Top quality furniture at an affordable price."

   
   

4. Lastly, use your USP in all forms of advertising, from emails to clients, website copy as well as your social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter and Pinterest. Furthermore, ensure that you use in all your marketing and promo material, anywhere it might grab the attention of potential customers. 

   
   

Examples of famous USPs:

• Coca-Cola - Refreshing & Thirst Quenching. 

• Domino’s Pizza - You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less or it's free.
• Subway: Subs with under 6 grams of fat.
  
• FedEx Corporation: When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight.

• One of the most famous Unique Selling Propositions that Rosser Reeves created was for M&Ms, "The milk chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand."

Conclusion:

In today's competitive markets, your product or service must have a unique selling proposition, for it to be seen in a sea of competition. By using the tips above you should be able to come up with a solid USP which will ultimately lead you to new customers in the long-term