Question: I hear a lot about USP on social media. What is it and do I need to do it?
Answer: A unique selling point or USP is the thing you do better than your competitors. It’s externally focused on what your competitors are doing and how you outshine them. For example, having a wider service area than your main competitor or offering an easier-to-use return policy than a main competitor.
It’s not like differentiation which is more internal & customer-focused on things you do that would be of interest to your customers such as lower prices, better service, and the like. Your USP and your point of differentiation can be the same, but often they are different from each other.
The only way to know what makes you different from your competitors is to compare your business to theirs. This comparison is something I don’t see a lot of small businesses do. They rely on differentiation or what they do well with little regard for what anyone else in their industry is doing. It lessens their competitiveness & can even backfire if their claim is more common than they think. You need both in your business when building or pivoting your brand because differentiation is a lot about who you are as a business while USP is more about what you do.
All right that’s all I got! Talk to you soon!
Oh,wait! One last thing…I happen to be pretty good at helping businesses figure out their differentiation and USP. My clients and I often get good results in one or two Jumpstart Branding and Design calls. If you know someone who is stuck on this and needs some help have them connect with me!