Creating a strong brand is about competitive differentiation. You'd be surprised how many companies cannot articulate or even identify what makes them unique from their competition. Business sales can be challenging when you don't have clear key differentiators. Your employees and customers must understand why your brand is superior to the competition. Any comprehensive rebrand will include discovering your company's Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - what makes your company stand out from the others.
What is a unique selling proposition?
It's the one thing that makes your company better than the competition- precisely, what benefit makes your business stand out from the rest? So how do you find your competitive edge, and how do you make customers choose you? In today's marketplace, especially online, customers are drowning in a sea of options, so they want to understand what makes your company better than the others quickly.
A unique selling proposition (USP) plays to your strengths and should be based on what makes your brand, product, or services uniquely valuable to your customers. Being "unique" is rarely a strong USP. Instead, identify and differentiate some aspect your target audience cares about; otherwise, your messaging won't be nearly as effective. A USP should quickly answer the customer's most immediate question - What makes you different from the competition?
A USP is a position your business takes as a whole that can be incorporated into your products, your brand, the experience you provide, and any other touchpoint your customers have with your business.
A compelling USP should:
Speak to your strengths, and focus on what you do well
Concentrate on what your customers want or value
Be Assertive
Be Specific
Be more than a catchy slogan – you should be able to talk and walk the walk.
And here's a tip: What you sell doesn’t have to be unique, but the message you focus on has to be distinctive.
Once you have an idea of your USP, it might help you express it as a positioning statement to get it down on paper. So here is an outline to help you clarify your USP, its audience, and any specific differentiators that might be worth highlighting.
We at [business name] help you
[resolve the consumer’s need]
by/with only/without [unique benefit].
Creating a successful unique selling proposition takes time, care, and effort, and it's one of the most critical strategic and tactical activities a company participates in during the rebranding process.