What the heck's a USP? And do I need one?

What the heck is a USP?

And do I need one?

Copyright 2014 Liz Craig All rights reserved.

The Mighty USP Devised by Rosser Reeves, the original Mad Man

!   Unique

!   Selling

!   Proposition

Fast, fast, fast relief!

Unique?

!   Unique means:

Only you (your company, product or service) can or do claim this benefit.

Example:

Hormel Square Hot Dogs?

Selling?

!   Selling means: The unique claim you make must be compelling enough so that your competitors’ customers stop buying from them and start buying from you.

Proposition?

!   Proposition means: If you buy my X, you will get Y (benefit).

!   Hormel says, “If you buy our square hot dog, it won’t roll off the bun.”

!   USP?

The proposition

!   A Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is a compelling (selling) statement only you can (or do currently) make, which promises, “If you buy my X, you will get Y (desirable benefit).”

!   What’s yours?

Marketing strategy

!   Competitors: #, $$, ?

!   Target audience: Who?

!   What benefit do you have that your logical competitor(s) don’t have?

!   What benefit do they have that you don’t have?

!   Marketing messages and media: What and where?

Marketing strategy (cont’d.)

!   SWOT – related to competitors in the marketplace:

!   Strengths – Build on them.

!   Weaknesses – Be honest with yourself. Address and eliminate weaknesses vs. your competition.

!   Opportunities – Where can you make inroads?

!   Threats – Competition, legal, regulatory?

Creative strategy

!   How do you present your USP in a way that grabs attention in a crowded, noisy marketplace?

!   AIDA – The familiar formula

!   How do you turn attention into interest, desire and action?

!   What voice do you use, in language and graphics?

Media

!   Which media are best for promoting your product to your target audience, within the constraints of your budget?

!   Print – Ads, brochures, direct mail, flyers

!   Broadcast – TV spots, YouTube, radio, webcast

!   Web – Web site, blog, paid ads, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, other Web thingies

!   Outdoor - Billboards

Putting it all together

!   USP development

!   Marketing strategy

!   Creative strategy

!   Budget

!   Media

!   Timeline

Questions?

Contact info

!   Liz Craig, Writer

! [email protected]

! http://lizcraigwriter.com

!   Twitter: @LizCraig1

!   LinkedIn

!   913-236-7595

!   Thank you!