When you meet some USPs, it breaks out: "Oops!".

Typical, no benefits, lackluster, too generic.

And yet it is unique trade offer is the heart of any business. What the whole marketing strategy revolves around, which helps to profitably rebuild from competitors and occupy its part of the market.

Let's think of the USP as the core surrounded by hot marketing magma. It moves, mixing, positioning, characteristics of the target audience, competitive information, the benefits of a product or service, as well as the company's business objectives.

If the core is weak, then the magma spreads, smearing the outlines of the company throughout the sales market. And sooner or later the boundaries of business are erased, and then completely disappear.

Here is such a metaphor. And it’s easier to say this: a strong USP = a strong company.

John Carlton, in one of his speeches, says that in search of "the same UTP" It may take more than one sleepless night. But the result should be something special that puts your business in the buyer's mind.

To help you in this difficult task, we have collected 8 scenarios, using which you will create your competitive offer without much loss of time and nerve cells.

Scenario #1: Unique Feature

If there are a lot of analogues of your business on the market, then try to find some unique difference. Either find or create.

How the marketers of TM "Twix" acted in this situation: they divided an ordinary chocolate-wafer bar into two sticks. And on this they built the entire communication strategy.

Scenario #2

It is very difficult to come up with something original in a classic business. Then it's worth looking for what your competitors are missing.

For example, Claude Hopkins pointed out that toothpaste not only cleans teeth, but also removes unpleasant plaque (film). And so the slogan was born. "Gets Rid of Film on Teeth".

And when developing a USP for a beer brand, he noticed that at the factory bottles are not just washed, but doused with a powerful stream of steam. Mr. Hopkins has taken this workflow (which is used, in fact, by all beer makers) into a concept - "Our Bottles Are Washed With Live Steam!"

Of course, here you need to immerse yourself in all areas of business: from production to the work of secretaries and delivery services.

By the way, you probably remember classic example with delivery "Domino-pizza". It sounds like this: “Delivery in 30 minutes. If we're late - pizza as a gift".

This scenario has a small military stratagem: the business owner often blurs his eyes, and an experienced copywriter with the makings of a detective Maigret is able to pull out White light hot and fresh USP.

Scenario #3: The John Carlton Formula

The formula is ideal for a service business. It doesn't even need to come up with anything revolutionary or creative. Substitute your data - and get a working USP.

“With ________ (service, product) we help _________ (ca) solve ______ (problem) with ____ (benefit).”

Options:

• With the Slimming course, we will help women put on their favorite bikini by the summer.
• The Self Copywriter training will help businessmen save hundreds of dollars on freelance services.
• The Mary Poppins service will help mothers to go to the gym, movies and shopping while the baby is under the supervision of an experienced nanny.

The examples are not perfect, but they demonstrate the very principle of working with the Carlton formula. The main thing is that we explain to the target audience what benefits our product or service brings.

Scenario #4: Innovativeness

If the product solves the buyer's problems in a completely new way, then this must be stated in the USP. And "…do not be shy"- as Ivan Dorn sings in his hit.

What could it be:

• innovative formula;
• new product;
• new packaging;
• a new format of interaction with the buyer;
• revolutionary way of delivery;
• etc...

• Innovation! The first Nivea Q10 3 in 1 Roll-On Gel for wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness.
• Vicks - We've combined healing ingredients and the mild flavor of Lemon Tea to help relieve 6 cold symptoms.

Scenario #5: USP with a problem

You can turn the problem of your audience into a unique selling proposition. Those. go not from the description of the service, but from the solution challenging task potential buyer.

• Has a tooth? Ointment "Nebolin" will relieve pain in 5 minutes.
• Bad mood? Invite a friend over for coffee at McDonald's.
• Confused about finding cheap flights? Check out our offers of 183 airlines.

TV commercial example:

— Got a cold? Flu? With Aflubin tablets, a tangible improvement in health comes much faster. (Translated from Ukrainian).

Scenario number 6. USP with a bow

So we call any advantage that is associated with gifts, bonuses, discounts, guarantees and other consumer "goodies".

• Samsung phones are guaranteed for 5 years. Order a dessert, get coffee as a gift.
• Buy 2 pizzas, the third one is free.
• Make an order for 1000 rubles, and our taxi will take you home for free.

This is a successful scenario for a unique offering, but it is unlikely that such a USP will work with the same efficiency for a long time. Use this formula for seasonal promotions.

Scenario number 7. USP with muscles

Here you need to play with the muscles of your business, show all your friends and envious people the strengths of the company, product, service.

What could it be:

• low price;
• huge assortment;
• free service;
• goods of cool brands;
• support for a bright personality;
• hundreds of awards and diplomas;
• offices throughout the country.

In general, all the characteristics to which you can add the word "most".

It is not enough just to declare one's "self" for the USP. We need facts, figures, evidence.

USP! USP! USP! Sounds like a curse if you don't know what it is. And in fact very useful topic it's in business. For use in marketing, advertising and sales. Helps the company to stand out from the competition, I would even say to some extent to wipe their nose. But first things first, it seems simple at first glance. Everything is much more complicated than you think, and even more useful than you imagine.

Stop cursing

Americans will definitely think that USP is Russian curse, because we have a lot of such short and bad words. But I don't want you to think the same, so I'll answer your dumb question, what is UTP. In fact, it stands for Unique Selling Proposition.

The definition of this term looks like this - this is your unique difference from another company or other products for which a client can single you out and say: “Wow, this is an offer!”.

Such an emotion, of course, is difficult to achieve, but nothing is impossible.

Gentlemen, let's not delve into the theory for a long time. All you need to know about unique selling propositions is that they set companies apart for general background. And to quickly understand whether you have it or not, just answer one of the questions right now:

1. How are you different from other companies/products?
2. Why should I choose your company/product?

Usually at this moment there is a small, 5-second pause, after which, as a rule, options known to everyone follow:

• High quality;
• Good service;
• flexible terms,

And my favorite - individual approach. Just don't say that you answered the same?! I beg you! After all, it is fatal if your sales people, including you, respond to your customers in this way. Because that's how thousands of other companies around the world respond to them.

How to choose in this case? Who are the best on the market? That's right, purely only by where you liked it more according to some subjective feelings. This, of course, is also good. True, in this case it is impossible to talk about the systemic growth of the company.

We have decided that you urgently need to read this article further, since your answers, by default, should be in business. This is the same if the restaurant will write: “We have the most tasty food”, it seems that in all other establishments the waiters say: “Gentlemen, we don’t have very tasty food, but what music, what music!”. Badly! Badly! It's bad... Well, you already understood this without me.

WE ARE ALREADY MORE THAN 45,000 people.
TURN ON

The difference between USP and positioning and promotions

I have two for you important thoughts to dot all i.

1. USP is not ACTION
2. USP is not positioning

Let's take a closer look so that there is no confusion in the future. Since in the vastness of the Internet everyone gives examples of USP and does not understand that this is more of a positioning or action than our “hero of the occasion”.

Further, the action, this, of course, is also your difference, only it is temporary, not permanent. Therefore, it cannot be said that your unique difference is that you give a second item when buying. Any other company can do it in seconds. And even more so, when the promotion ends, you will be left with nothing.

In other words, the USP (as well as positioning) can always be used in, on the clothes of employees, on billboards and other media, and in any form of advertising message, and it does not lose its relevance. A share (offer) cannot always be used, since it has the principle of burnout and replacement with another.

Positioning is more global theme. This is not necessarily your difference, but rather your place in the market, which should not always distinguish you, but at the same time should characterize you. My favorite and most understandable example is a Volvo car, their positioning is “Safety”. Is this a difference? Of course not. This is their accent. But a unique difference for them can be a car, for example, with 8 wheels.

How to Create a Unique Selling Proposition

Now you probably have chaos in your head from thoughts like “How to create a unique selling proposition? How to come up with, how to make, how to arrange it?!”.

I will reassure you a little by the fact that the creation of a USP has certain principles. So I want to warn you about a few important nuances, which will help formulate an armor-piercing proposal:

1. You need to know your company and your product VERY well to make a really good offer. Therefore, compiling a USP with new employees is not very good idea. Although some of the new ones should be, so to speak, a fresh look.
2. You need to know yours VERY well, because ideally, the formation of a USP should, first of all, be based on the criteria for choosing a client, those that are truly important to them.

Here you have dealt with general theory. Now the development of a unique selling proposition will not be scary for you. To help you, below is an instruction for compiling and formulas of UTP.

1. Creative

The solution is partly the simplest and yet, in my opinion, not the most the best way. Due to the fact that your creative has settled in the minds of consumers and is perceived as “truth”, you need to invest more than one hundred thousand rubles in advertising. Rather, you need to calculate the total in millions. And do you need it?

Formula: [Creativity Feature] + [Product]

Example:
Chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hands.

2. Most

Choose what you have the very best in the company and trumpet it to the whole world. In any case, there will always be someone who will do better, but until they do, time will pass and perhaps more than one year.

Also be careful in direct spelling the word “MOST” cannot be used according to the law of the Russian Federation on advertising. But to get around this nuance, you can use tricks as in the examples.

Formula: [Most ____] + [Product]

Example:
The largest mug of coffee to go in the coffee shop ___ - 1 liter!
The largest guarantee for timing belts in the Moscow region* (according to 1000 respondents on the website ____.ru).

3. Without

You need to know your customers well. Blah blah blah… I know everyone is trumpeting this. But if you do not know the client, then you will not know what he is afraid of or what he is afraid of. This means that you cannot make the following formula, which is based on the client's fear.

Formula: [Product] + Without + [Customer Fear]

Example:
Dishwashing liquid without chemicals.
Lose weight without going to the gym.
Construction of roofs without prepayment.

4. C

The idea is the same as in the third point, only we say that our product has amazing value that they simply need. Again, we focus on what is important for the client.

Formula: [Product] + c + [added value]

Example:
Cream with vitamin E complex.
Air conditioning with the ability to work in winter.

5. How/To

Personally, I don’t really like this option, it’s kind of rustic or something, but still in some areas it is quite appropriate (canteens, district stores). And I would rather this formula attributed to positioning than to a unique offer, it is too vague. But I'll tell you anyway.

Formula: [Product/company] + how/for + [positive emotions]

Example:
Food like at home.
Shop for the little ones.

6. Property

Relevant for those who have technical feature, which distinguishes you from others, which shows your scale or level. By the way, the first example influenced my decision to go to that particular clinic. After all, as a layman, I believed that the more powerful the X-ray machine, the clearer the picture would be. But he did not pay attention to the fact that the specialist who makes this x-ray is much more important.

Formula: [Product/Company] + From/From/To/To/From + [Property]

Example:
Clinic with a magnetic resonance tomograph “3 Tesla”.
All shovels are made of pure titanium.

7. The only one

If your product is the only one for a city, region, or even better for Russia, then it is also worth trumpeting it to the fullest. Again, the downside is that it's not permanent. Although, unless you are an official representative and you have exclusive rights to use your product.

Formula: [single] + [product/company] + [difference] + in [geography]

Example:
The only company providing a 5-year warranty for timing belts in Russia.
The only transforming chairs in Moscow.

8. Hidden Procedures

In any business, there are topics that everyone does by default and do not talk about it. You just need to show it and serve it with the right sauce. And what is needed for this? Remember? It is very good to know your product and your company. The people who work in it, the equipment, the processes, the tools, the raw materials, the supplier of raw materials and stuff like that.

Formula: [Product] + [hidden procedure]

Example:
Three degrees of glass tempering.
Non-combustible PVC tiles.

9. Warranty

Just tell the client that he will get the desired result, otherwise, you will return the money, redo it for free or make a gift. Especially often this USP can be seen among info-businessmen. Although you can use it in any other business, for example, in construction, you can give a guarantee for the fulfillment of deadlines.

Formula: [If _____] + [then ____]

Example:
If there is an increase in the estimate, then the additional costs will be at our expense.
If you don't like it, we'll refund all your money.

10. Professional

The development of this type of USP is the most difficult, although it is done according to a very simple scheme. You need to fully know and, most importantly, understand the client. And, personally, I think that this is the best formula. It can be said that it generalizes all previously studied and is based on the client's benefit, on his selection criteria.

Formula: [Product] + [Benefit]

Example:
Ferrari cars are assembled only by hand.
Pizza in 40 minutes or free.
Apartments with planning under the order.

How to check know-how

After creation, it seems that the best can not be imagined that this is the 8th wonder of the world. I am in no hurry to break your hopes, perhaps you are really right and have come up with something that will bring the entire market to its knees. This may well be, because, as practice shows, all brilliant ideas they come when you are busy with something that is not at all what you need.

And to be sure of this, go through the list of questions below and check your hypothesis for compliance with reality.

1. Can the same be said about your competitors?

   If you say that you produce a product in 24 hours when your competitors do it in the same time, then this is not a cool offer, it's just a statement of fact.

2. Is it important to the client / hurts the client?

   You can put pressure on creativity, but for me this is only for large companies, quite large ones. AT best case, you need to put pressure on the criteria of the client or on his emotions, and it does not matter whether it is positive or negative. If your message does not affect the client, then you need to change the situation.

3. Do you want to believe in your difference?

   If you can actually show clients how to make a million in 5 minutes, that's crazy. great offer. Only here it is not at all plausible. Therefore, it would be better to replace it for a period of “7 days”, which will be more credible.

4. How long will your USP be relevant?

   Utp is an “eternal” difference, and an action is temporary. Therefore, it is very important that it does not happen that you notify everyone that you are now not like everyone else, and after 2 days your competitor repeats this and a paradox occurs.

5. Does your proposal fit into 3-8 words?

   Conciseness, lightness - this is the key to success. The shorter your sentence, the better, the easier it fits in the minds of customers and it is easier for them to remember it, and therefore use it in relation to you.

6. Does your USP have a logical downside?

   If you say: “We have the most big houses”, then this is good, if only another company in the market can make a reverse offer “We have the smallest houses”. Otherwise, for example, in the premium segment, where everyone should have large houses by default, your offer will lose.

Briefly about the main

I would like to write that the time has passed when it was possible to do just “good” and people would go in crowds. But this is not so, those who show impressive results in their work will always differ. But here's one bad luck, if the company is not big and even more so new, then for the first time you definitely need to be different in order to break out of the rat race.

Now you have received a detailed answer and know how to create a unique selling proposition. At the same time, if you think that you can come up with a UTP once and retire, then you are deeply mistaken. Competitors do not sleep. The most arrogant copy your know-how, the less arrogant improve it. And in this, too, there is a certain strategy for creating one's own difference.

That’s all for me, the game has begun, I’m waiting for an answer in the comments to the question “How are you different from others?”

P.S. And to study this topic in other words and partly with other thoughts, then watch this video:

Hello Internet Marketing Lovers!

If you are not satisfied with low sales and high competition, then USP is exactly what you need! What is a UTP? How to write a USP? Find out more about it below, so get comfortable!

The main thing about USP

So what is a USP, and how can it help sales? USP is a unique selling proposition, which is one of the most common and effective trading business strategies. It lies in the fact that the seller's offer has narrow and clear criteria:

• a specific product and the specific benefits derived from it;
• the offer is strong and attracts the buyer;
• the offer is interesting enough for the buyer to make a purchase immediately.

And, the main thing is that the USP is monopolistic, available only from the offering side, and competitors are not able to repeat it, since all firms have different criteria.

Perhaps dry information is rather boring, so let's look at the USP in a nutshell by seeing specific example- "Only today, and only with us, according to favorable price, a market leader that is unparalleled!”. Please one of the options.

Want to try writing a USP right now?

Since the aggressive political technologies of business sharks have become very recognizable over the decades, you are unlikely to be able to attract a buyer with such “direct” screams. So in the modern business society, people are valued who can create an implicit, but effective, well-built USP that can regularly and in large quantities attract customers and increase demand for a product or service.

There is no such step by step instructions, but in return I can provide information on how to draw up a table that will make it clear what your potential buyers should pay attention to. So which columns and which rows need to be filled in? There are 3 columns and 5 rows in total. From above we write: “Parameters”, “Your business”, “Business of the leading competitor”.

On the left, we fill in the parameters by which it will be seen what you are the best in, and what else needs to be improved. So, we write: “Affordability of price”, “Breadth of assortment”, “Fashion, modernity, novelties”, “Speed ​​of service”, “Quality of service”. In the empty cells formed under "Your business" and "Business of the leading competitor" we enter numbers from 1 to 10 (10 - best result parameter, 1 is the worst result).

By honestly filling out the table, you get trump cards, using them correctly, you can create an original and effective USP. The main thing here is to be able to beautifully present the information received from the table.

Do I need to learn how to create a USP?

Do you think that in order to create a successful USP, you need the makings of a “deal” from birth, or you need to be like Steve Jobs? Actually literate USP You can easily learn without leaving your home.

Depending on your stubbornness, enthusiasm, the thickness of your wallet and the availability of time, there are two ways - a short and effective one, and a long one, although also not useful.

Of course, you can study political technologies and USP yourself. There are many on the web free stuff on this occasion. But for the most efficient and fruitful learning, I recommend using online courses that give numerous schools marketing and .

Of the schools that I know firsthand, I can advise Alexander Tchaikovsky School. Training is divided into several levels - student, trainee and hunter. At the first level, the learning process is close to the traditional, school one - the “student” is introduced to basic concepts step by step, and the main criterion for evaluation is the quality of the homework.

At the next stage - that is, the "intern", you are already evaluated not as a student, but as a potential colleague. You will be given two projects to complete, and depending on the quality of your work, decisions will be made regarding your further employment.

It is worth noting that your work on the project will take place under the strict guidance of teachers. And a nice bonus - the projects are paid. Well, on final stage- "hunter" - the trainee is already engaged in real negotiations with clients. After that, the school fulfills its promise - guaranteed employment.

But other experts teach in the network of wisdom. Which? - For example, Yulia Volkodav. Her school also has three levels of study, but in this case there is less compulsory practice. Yes, students have homework, but they are not required to do projects. Everyone can earn how they want and where they want. Julia Volkodav offers some topics pass for free, which can serve as an excellent reference for familiarization before starting training.

Subscribe to my blog updates and repost.

Offers like “the most interesting courses”, “the most useful webinars” have not caught on buyers for a long time. To attract your target audience on the Internet, you need to show what exactly you are better than others and why a person should contact you. Let's figure it out how to create a unique selling proposition that will hit the client in the heart!

What is a UTP?

American advertiser Rosser Reeves, author of the M&Ms slogan - "Melting in your mouth, not in your hands" - was sure that advertising should do only one thing - to sell. He formulated this idea in the book Reality in Advertising, which became a bestseller among marketers around the world. In it, he first outlined the concept of USP in order to forever rid buyers of meaningless words like “the best”, “best”, “outstanding”.

A unique selling proposition or USP is what customers will love about you, choosing you among many other companies. According to Reeves, a USP is an advertising message that articulates your main difference from competitors and main reason to buy goods from you. It is used on banners, in contextual advertising, in mailing lists or on product cards, as well as in the description of the store on the site.

A well-written USP makes it easy to sell, because the client immediately sees why the offer is right for him. A good USP avoids price competition and increases repeat purchases.

However, do not forget that if irons from your online store are constantly returned with breakdowns, then no USP will keep dissatisfied customers.

Algorithm for creating USP?

So you've decided to create a unique selling proposition to sell your products online. Where to begin?

Step 1. Analyze your strengths

For clarity, make a table and mark in it all the competitive characteristics that your company has: great experience work, price, qualified employees, etc. Write as many points as you can - indicate specific dates, numbers. Now cross out everything that your competitors have to offer. As a result, you will get a squeeze of unique benefits that only your company and your product can boast. Put them at the heart of your USP.

Analysis of the competitive environment will allow you to find your unique advantages- that's what they need to sell to potential customers.

You will get more full view about your business by simply answering these questions:

• What are we doing?
• What are our strengths?
• What are our weak points?
• How are we different from other companies?
• What do competitors say about themselves?
• Where are our growth areas, what else can be improved?

It is important to answer the questions as objectively as possible. Happened? Move on!

Step 2: Determine who you are working for

Imagine that you are going to a birthday party. close friend and decided to give him a sweater. How will you choose? you pick up right size, remember his favorite color, do not forget that he loves thin woolen fabrics and thigh length. Knowing a person well, you will surely give him a really desired gift. Now imagine that you are congratulating a colleague with whom you work in different offices. It will be difficult to make a choice, because you are not familiar with his addictions.

A sincere understanding of who your client is will allow you to offer him exactly what he needs. Therefore, personalize the potential client as much as possible. To get started, answer these questions:

• Is this a man or a woman?
• What is the age of your buyer?
• What is he interested in?
• What pleases him?
• What worries?

Complete the list of questions with topics that are relevant to your business so that you have a holistic character in front of you.

Open courses in English? Then it is important for you to know how long the potential client has been studying the language and what is his level of Byron language proficiency.

You should end up with a description like this:

Our client is a housewife, mother of two who loves to cook and previously held a management position in a large company. She rests 2 times a year abroad, drives a luxury foreign car, is fond of yoga, and is allergic to cats.

The avatar will help describe the client with three parties: based on the situation, focusing on the psychotype and belonging to the generation. So instead of a soulless target audience will appear real man with the peculiarities of perception, character and life circumstances.

Now you know exactly who you are offering your product to.

ACCEL residents, founders of the "Happiness Is" School of Relations Ivan and Maria Lyashenko collected detailed feedback from their listeners and were able to draw up an accurate portrait of a potential client. So they managed to attract new students and make training materials more useful for a narrow audience.

Here is what the entrepreneurs themselves say about this: “We have significantly increased the share of educational content, reduced and made the selling part more understandable, and justified the pricing policy. We explain in detail why we offer this product and how it will help the needs of webinar attendees.”

Step 3: Tell us how you're willing to help

Swap places with your buyer. What do you pay attention to when choosing: price, guarantees, reliability, appearance? Would you personally buy what you are trying to sell?

Surely some of your potential customers for some reason go to competitors. Try to understand what they have, but you don't. Try to emphasize the strengths in your USP, work on "failing" places.

According to Vladimir Turman, an expert on the commercialization of innovations, in the USP it is worth talking about why you, as the owner, decided to start a business. He writes about this in his article “How to increase demand for your products without going to war with competitors”. It is likely that your problem, which you solved by starting a business, is also relevant for other people. The found solution should be emphasized in the USP.

Step 4: Formulate a USP

Now that you've studied your audience, their needs, and your competitors, it's time to formulate a USP.

To compose a not very creative, but working text, you can use the formula of copywriter John Carlton. Substitute the data of your company instead of spaces - and the USP is ready:

With _______ (service, product) we help ______ (target audience) solve ____ (problem) with __ (benefit).

For example: With online adult volleyball training, we will help all women over 18 learn how to play for the beach season.

The text of the USP can be approached more creatively. The main rule - write to the point. Common phrases, literary prettiness, approximate and generalized figures leave potential customers indifferent. Do you provide a 26% discount? Talk about exact numbers, and not about “huge discounts” and “great deals”.

Here are a few more important points worth paying attention to:

• Write simply as for a friend. Your offer should be clear from the first time. Leave abstruse phrases and specific terms for scientific works. The customer must understand what he is buying and why.
• Focus on your strengths. Mention in the USP something for which customers should want to come to you, and not to competitors. If in your educational center Doctors of Science work, you should not tell how convenient your navigation on the site is - in this way you will knock down the focus of attention from the important to the secondary.
• Write short. Your goal is to interest a potential client in a minute. USP - short message, from one to three sentences.

Use our cheat sheet in order not to forget anything:

• Who can benefit from this product/service?
• What will a person get by becoming your client?
• Why are you better than your competitors and why can't you buy an analogue of your product?

Mistakes in compiling USP

You can't lie about your unique selling proposition. If you promised a 50% discount and gave only 25%, the customer will feel cheated. You will lose your reputation, and with it your customers.

In addition, you should not include in the USP those benefits that the client receives by default, for example, the ability to return funds within 14 days (this is guaranteed by the Consumer Protection Law). Needless to say, that you have "professional masters of their craft." If this were not the case, would you be able to provide services?

Arguments must be validated real facts. It is not enough to say that your service has no analogues on the market - tell us what is unique in your business, give more specifics.

Conclusion: How to test the effectiveness of your USP

So, you have studied your advantages, competitors, introduced the target audience and prepared the basis of your sales - the USP text. Now check its viability - make sure:

• Your unique selling proposition cannot be used by competitors. They don't provide the same services, don't use the same materials, or can't compete on price. Only with you the client will be able to get these benefits.
• Your USP can be formulated in reverse. For example, an entrepreneur who sells women's shoes large sizes”, it is quite possible to imagine that there is a company that sells small shoes. Only such a USP is competitive. And here is an example of a bad USP: “In our club, only good music". It's hard to imagine that someone can offer customers bad music.
• Your USP does not look absurd. It is unlikely that customers will believe that in the X online school you can learn English in 1 hour.
• You have tested your USP on clients. Send by mail different variants suggestions and choose the one that gets the most responses.
• Make sure that your USP is the answer to the question: “Why, among all similar offers, do I choose this one?”.

Drafting a USP is a painstaking analytical work that will take time. But once you invest time in it, you will end up with long-term access to the hearts of your target audience.

Do you want to create your online school, produce yourself or your expert? Register now for a free webinar and receive a PDF plan step by step creation your online school on this

Marketer Andrey Zinkevich - on how to effectively stand out from competitors

If you open any good book in marketing or attend a related training, you are 99% likely to come across the term "Unique Selling Proposition". Why do all marketers talk about the importance of USP? It would seem that the answer is obvious: show the potential customer the differences of the product and the benefits of using it, and he will make a purchase. But here is the main pitfall: how to identify those very unique differences and how to present them in the form of benefits? What if your product or service is no different from the competition? Andrey Zinkevich, a well-known marketer, spoke about how to formulate a USP.

Andrei Zinkevich, Entrepreneur, Marketing Consultant. Project Founder . The geography of clients includes 9 countries of the world. Over eight years of sales and marketing experience with Kimberly Clark and Biosphere Corporation. Author of the booksCustomer pipeline », « Secrets of customer focus" and " Profitable Internet projects ».

Background

Reeves was one of the brightest students of the famous Claude Hopkins and was an adherent of the "selling" style. He believed that advertising can have only one purpose - sales. Not loyalty, not recognition, not popularization and other terms so beloved by advertisers, but sales!

In his book, Reeves emphasized that the effectiveness of advertising (read, sales) depends on one factor: advertising must instantly capture the attention of a potential client with one but very strong offer that competitors cannot make; an offer that will encourage the recipient of the advertisement to perform the targeted action.

This idea formed the basis of the concept that Reeves called the "unique selling proposition." True, today the concept of Reeves has acquired implausible myths; one of them is that now the competition is much stronger and it is almost impossible to find differences between competitive products.

Is it really? Of course not. Look at the most famous trademarks or companies, they all have a unique selling proposition and stand out due to it.

Let's try to figure out how to highlight the distinctive qualities of your products and services and turn them into a USP.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a unique selling proposition

The first step is to determine the most important characteristics for our customers in our products.

The first step in preparing a unique selling proposition is the selection of product characteristics or criteria that influence the decision of the client.

This step is the most important (although it is often skipped), as the characteristics chosen determine the fate of the USP: whether it really shows the benefits of your product or compares you "with the rest."

Therefore, our task at the first stage is to analyze our products or services and determine the ten most important characteristics for customers for each of them. The best way to do this is to ask existing customers what features of the product are most important to them and what criteria/factors influence their purchasing decision.

If a client base too large, then it is advisable to make a sample of the most loyal or most profitable customers and interview them.

If you are launching a new product and there are no customers yet, then you can brainstorm and independently determine the most important characteristics for the client. Or interview those who are most likely to become a buyer of your product.

After real customers appear, you can repeat the analysis and select characteristics based on real data.

All responses received from respondents you need to enter in a separate file.

The second step is to filter and rank the received data.

After Feedback received from clients or brainstormed, our task is to select the 10 most important characteristics for the client and rank them in order of importance.

It is not difficult to do this. Among all the answers received, we need to choose those that are repeated more often than others. Characteristic with the largest number repetitions will head your list, the rest will be located below it in the same way. As a result, we should get something like this table (for example, we will mean a hypothetical online store):

Why do I recommend limiting yourself to 10 characteristics? Large quantity may just confuse you and make analysis difficult. In most cases, you will notice that the most important characteristics for the client will be no more than 5-7.

Step three - compare yourself with the three main competitors.

The next step is to compare the obtained characteristics of your product with three competitive ones. Conducting similar analysis, you should be as objective as possible: if you are inferior in something to a competitor, be sure to mark it.

I recommend scoring on a scale of 1 to 10 each selected feature or criterion for your product, and for each of your competitors. For example, in the previous table, we determined that the most important factor for the client - delivery within a day. If we can deliver the product within a few hours after the order, we can give a score of 10, if not, we lower the score. Next, we analyze competitors and note how quickly they are able to arrange delivery. The longer the delivery time, the worse the score for this criterion.

Step 4 - choose the criteria for the USP: where we are stronger.

Having carried out such an analysis, we get a clear picture: in what characteristics or criteria that are important for the client, we are superior to competitors, and in what we are objectively inferior. The criteria by which we dominate and should form the basis of our USP.

Key rule: for each service, product or company as a whole, a separate unique selling proposition is created!

Auxiliary formulas for creating USP

Now let's see how you can formulate a unique selling proposition based on the selected characteristics. I suggest using one of three formulas.

Formula one: need + result + guarantees. Using this formula, we guarantee to the potential client that we can satisfy his need better than others. Here is an example of a USP based on this formula for our hypothetical online store: "We will deliver your order within a day or refund your money!"

This formula is used by my partner Ilya Rabchenok, CEO SMOpro studios, to create a USP at their service. This is how the unique selling proposition for the service “Attracting subscribers to a group on Vkontakte” and “Odnoklassniki” looks like: “Guaranteed to attract 1000 targeted subscribers within the first month according to the parameters you set, or we will return the money!”

Formula two: important criterion/characteristic + need. The second formula is based on a combination of characteristics that are important for a potential client and his needs. Good example for such a USP, some banks use:

“We will issue a loan in 5 minutes without a certificate of income.” Making a loan is the need of the target audience. The absence of the need to provide a certificate of income and the speed of issuing a loan are important criteria for a potential client that influence his decision.

Formula three: target audience + need + solution. Famous business coach Alex Levitas likes to use this formula. For himself as a consultant, he uses the following unique selling proposition: "I - Alexander Levitas - help owners of small and medium-sized businesses increase their net profit with the help of low-budget and free marketing moves" . In Alexa's USP, the target audience is the owners of small and medium-sized businesses. Their need is to increase net profit. Alex's solution is to use low-budget and free marketing tools (read, use guerrilla marketing tools).

False unique selling propositions

Separately, I want to mention false USPs. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs and marketers sin with this.

What is a false USP? This is a proposal based on the distortion of facts or the use of criteria in the USP, which the potential client expects by default.

For example, a dental clinic cannot use the characteristic "professionalism of doctors" as a USP. Why? Because, by default, a potential client expects you to have professional doctors. Otherwise, why would he contact you at all?

The second example is using a 14-day money-back guarantee as a USP. According to the law "On the Protection of Consumer Rights", the buyer already has the full right to return the product within 14 days from the date of purchase. Therefore, there is a distortion of facts here.

Control questions for checking USP

After you have completed the template comparative characteristics and made up a unique selling proposition, one question remains: how “working” is it? Isn't it false?

You can test yourself with the question (your USP should answer it): “Why should I choose your product or service among all the offers available to me?”

The second option is to formulate your USP in the form of a phrase: "Unlike others, we ...".

If for both security questions there were good answers, then you really created a unique selling proposition.