Marketing Focus – Defining your USP
Our article and video on marketing planning to overcome difficult times were very popular, and it’s great to see so many of you taking a proactive approach and planning your way out of trouble. We’ve received questions about how to define your USP, and this is definitely one of the hardest aspects to complete, so we wanted to follow up with another article to help!
Why is it important to have a USP?
A USP is your Unique Selling Point, a simple statement which defines what makes you different from your competition. By clearly defining your points of difference, you know what to promote and work on to stand out from the crowd.
If you realise that you don’t really have anything to make you different from your competitors, this is a chance to address that. Don’t just be another “Me Too” brand! I would suggest developing a special product or service, or taking a unique approach which sets you apart – it makes it so much easier to market yourself. You can change the product, price, or service offering, even just a little, so you can tell your potential clients why they should choose you, rather than someone else. This is fundamental!
If you’re not sure what to change or add, don’t be afraid to ask! Ask your customers what they wish you’d do, or what they can’t find that they are looking for in the market, or do some market research. These insights are a brilliant way to design something unique that the customers are searching for and could be a great source of business.
How do you develop a USP?
It is a challenge to develop your USP, especially in a crowded, competitive marketplace. Take real estate as a prime example, there are so many companies doing the same thing, how can you stand out? It is hard, but by analysing your competition and looking closely at what you do and thinking really hard, you should be able to find a point of differentiation.
If you haven’t got a USP yet here is our suggestion on how to develop one –
1. Make a list of all the things that you do well
2. Review your competition and identify what things you do differently
3. Brainstorm with the whole team and even valued customers to discover what they really love about what you do – there might be something that your customers consider a USP that you haven’t even thought of
4. Create a statement which succinctly and clearly expresses why you’re different from the rest – that’s your USP! We normally write long versions to start with and then when we’re happy with the content, we distill this down to a punchy one sentence statement.
Now use it!!
Keep hold of the longer versions of your USP and those lists of what you do really well. This is marketing gold and you should be using it everywhere, to show people what they are buying and why to choose you. The longer versions of the USP make good brochure introductions, or add valuable information into your website. These strengths can be used as a basis for a blog post, or a series of social media posts. Don’t hide them away!
This is also a good opportunity to check your marketing materials against this statement to ensure that these differentiating factors are coming out clearly. If they aren’t, perhaps it’s a time to revisit them? Don’t be afraid to tell the world why you’re great. Take that USP and use it proudly to show your internal and external publics just why you’re so much better than your competitors.
For more information about marketing planning check out our 10 minute marketing planning video. If you need help please just ask, the marketing planning process is fantastic for understanding your company better, bringing together the team and giving you the focus you need to market your Costa del Sol business in the right way.