Question for you, sis…
What do you slay?!
We’re talking in business. What’s the special thing you do differently that no one in the world can duplicate?
The answer to this question is your secret sauce. Or, in other words, your unique selling proposition.
You see, in an ever-crowded bustling marketplace, knowing and communicating your standout feature will give you the slight edge over everyone else in your industry.
Your USP is the core of your marketing.
It’s everything!
Today, I’d love to show you how to create your winning unique selling proposition.
In fact, by the time you finish reading, you’ll…
- Understand why your USP is the key to strong marketing
- Skim through a few examples
- Craft your business’s USP that gets people wondering “Oooh, tell me more! I might need you.”
A unique selling proposition is a statement that shares how your company is different from others in the same space.
Your Secret Sauce 🟰 Strong Marketing
Allow me to champion the reasons for having a unique selling proposition; a non-negotiable ingredient for your business plan.
#1 Client Clarity
Armed with your USP, you’re better positioned to visualize and create your ideal client profile. Who are the customers that will pay for that experience? What are their challenges as it relates to the solution you’re offering? Where are they showing up?
Your USP helps paint the picture of your target audience.
#2 Marketing Making Sense
In a noisy market, a well-defined USP is like a beacon for your ideal customers, drawing them in, and turning casual browsers into loyal fans. It fuels your content ideation with topics your people are looking for–and ones that align with your business goals.
A USP helps guide crisp, spot-on marketing messages.
#3 Confident Sales Conversations
You know what you’re selling is the bomb DOT com! When you rest in your secret sauce and understand what you have makes you different, this confidence oozes into your sales conversations. These calls no longer intimidating but the gateway to your customers having transformational experiences with your brand.
A USP helps bring fun and purpose into everything you do!
#4 You Embracing…You!
Repeating your USP over and over again crystallizes your competitive edge and constantly reminds you that you are a BEAST! You fully embrace all of the quirkiness, strengths, and knowledge that makes your brand YOU. When you know what you slay, you confidently show up knowing that nobody does it like you.
A USP helps kill imposter syndrome.
Excellent Examples of Unique Selling Propositions
Let me drop a few examples of some of the world’s influential brands and their unique selling props to give you some inspiration.
Canva
“Empowering the world to design.”
FedEx
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”
IKEA
“To create a better everyday life for the many people.”
Tiffany & Co.
“The right one is worth waiting for.”
Nike
“Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete.”
Hiver
“The simplest path to customer delight.”
SlayYourContent
“Empowering women founders to expand and slay their impact.”
*Yes, your girl had to throw her brand in there.
When these brands pop up on the scene, their USP drives everything; their content marketing, paid advertising, customer success, online engagement, sales conversations, customer delight, product launches, product innovation…alll the things.
Now, let’s craft yours!
Scripting Your Secret Sauce
When crafting my USP, I pulled from my own experience as a content strategist and a technique from Gino Wickman’s Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business; a book every CEO should read to build and run a successful organization.
We’ll break it up into three steps!
Step 1: Uncover & Document
Set aside 15-20mins to answer some of the following questions to discover what makes you unique.
- What are you naturally great at? Your superpower. Not sure? The StrengthsFinder 2.0 is a popular resource.
- What’s your story?
- Who are your customers?
- How do you solve their challenge differently from competitors?
- What are your bomb skill sets?
- What are the transformations you’ve been able to deliver for customers?
- What are you passionate about?
Step 2: Purpose, Cause, Or Passion
Now ask yourself: Why does your organization exist? What is the purpose, cause, or passion for the business (choose one)?
Write out your response.
Step 3: Create Your Statement
Step back and take a look at your answers. Your USP is there. Use the following checklist to craft your 1-2 sentence unique selling proposition. Be sure to check all of the boxes.
- Stated in 3-7 words
- Written in simple language
- It keeps your audience in mind
- It’s big and bold
- It has an “aha” effect
- It comes from the heart
- It’s not about money
- It’s bigger than a goal
Viola! This is your guiding statement for marketing, networking conversations, sales calls, and, as you grow your business, team onboarding materials.
So, what’s your secret sauce, sis?
Get comfortable with it. It’s yours…
And sis, your sauce is everything!
Rooting for you,
~Charlene
