Rosser Reeves, an advertising guru, was active from the 1930s through the 1960s, with significant contributions in the 1950s and 1960s. His phrase “unique selling proposition” (or USP), is a concept that is still relevant today. A USP is exactly what it sounds like it is—a unique selling proposition–something about you, or your product or service that is different from competing products and services in important ways that represent value for your potential customers. In addition to being unique, it’s important that your USPrepresents value for your target audience. (Not value, based on your point of view, or POV, but value based on their POV!)
In some cases, your USP may be very apparent. In other cases, you may need to spend a great deal of time thinking of a “slant” that’s effective and appropriate. Maybe, as in the case of Maytag and their “lonely” repair staff, your USP is more a subjective image than a hard fact. The point is that once you’ve developed a USP, you have a hook that can help you grab the customer. However, this is only effective if you use it properly in your communication materials.
Important Considerations for Your USP
To identify a USP you need to consider the following:
- Which product or service benefits are most important to your target market?
- Which benefits are distinctive to your brand (e.g., benefits that are not already claimed by your competitors and cannot be easily imitated)?
- Which benefits will be most easily understood by your target audience?
Key Elements of Your USP
The resulting statement should be a one-line statement that contains a clearly identifiable, unique benefit that is meaningful to your market. Do you remember the following?
- Wonder Bread: “Helps build strong bodies 12 ways.”
- KFC: “Finger-lickin’ good.”
- Burger King: “Have it your way.”
Note that in each of these statements it is not the literal translation of the words, but the overall impact of the benefit implied in each statement that makes the USP truly powerful. That is the challenge that marketing communicators should embrace when working toward the development of copy that will achieve results.
Getting There First
Note, also, that each of these statements could have been made by the competition in each product category. But, they didn’t claim it first! The power of an effective USP is that it can create the perception of uniqueness in the mind of consumers.
Once you’ve developed a USP it should be implicit in all of your communication materials. It becomes a reflection of your brand promise expressed in a way that is meaningful and differentiating from your audience’s POV.
So, what’s your USP?
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We work with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content. Whether on- or offline, or both, we’ll help you achieve desired results at reasonable rates.
In addition to content creation we specialize in helping B2B clients raise awareness and drive website traffic through a strong LinkedIn and X presence.
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
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Tags: advertising best practices, advertising founders, giants of advertising, historical ad men, Rosser Reeves, unique selling proposition, USP