Now I know what a USP is and I know what mine are, don't I? The most obvious USP I have is that I am office based in the town centre and people can call in and enjoy a coffee whilst I do work for them. No other VA in the area does this. I am therefore unique. Yay! Sorted.
Hmmm...... during my research though I realised that perhaps this isn't good enough. From Wiki:
Quote:
In Reality in Advertising (Reeves 1961, pp. 46–48) Reeves laments that the U.S.P. is widely misunderstood and gives a precise definition in three parts:
Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer. Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each reader: "Buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit."
The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not, offer. It must be unique—either a uniqueness of the brand or a claim not otherwise made in that particular field of advertising.
The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass millions, i.e., pull over new customers to your product.
So my USP stacks up to number two but doesn't really hit the mark with one and three.
I'm going to be looking at all my marketing material to try and tick all three options, but I think when I do this I am going to have to come up with some more USPs.
So how do you find a USP? If I'm honest mine just kind of found me, thats why I think I have to look into them a bit more carefully, in case they aren't the USPs I want.
I read a great blog the other day about finding your USP: http://www.copyblogger.com/usp/
Quote:
Remember that information consumers don’t go to just one blog, subscribe to just one site, or buy just one product. They want anything and everything about the topic they love.
That means your USP doesn’t have to beat everyone else out. It just has to play nicely with the other offerings in your group.
The Crossroads USP
To create a crossroads USP, take two seemingly unrelated ideas and bring them together.
The hit movie Speed was famously pitched as “Die Hard on a bus.” Clueless is Jane Austen’s Emma set in 1995 Beverly Hills.
You can create a crossroads USP by taking something well-known and presenting it to a new audience. Maybe you’ll offer Yoga for Stockbrokers, or Business Blogging for Veterinarians.
