 |
101
FREE Direct Marketing Tips |
|
|
|
Marketing
– Your Unique Selling Proposition
When you are developing your marketing message as part of your overall
marketing strategy, it’s essential to create a Unique Marketing
Proposition – something that sets you apart from your competitors.
But what is a USP?
The USP clearly answers the question “Why should I buy from you,
rather than one of your competitors?”
And yet the vast majority of businesses don’t have a USP. They
don’t have a differentiator and they can’t explain what the
difference is between their business and any of their competitors. So
what happens? They compete on price. They trim their margins – and
eventually they go out of business and complain that the market is too
tough.
The reality is that your business is unique, you simply have
not yet defined your uniqueness yet.
Do it now!
So why not start today? Why not give yourself a couple of hours to think
about the uniqueness that sets your business apart from your competitors.
It’s a critical process and could be the most effective couple of
hours you ever spend on your business.
Here
are a few tips to help you on your way.
- Don’t try
to define your uniqueness in terms of general quality or service. Everyone
says they give great service and only deliver top quality, so if you
do use these criteria then you have to come up with a different angle.
E.g. ‘Top quality car servicing – collected and returned
to your office at no extra charge.
- Can you give your
customers a guarantee? Many businesses would readily give their customers
a refund if they complained about the service they received, but are
reluctant to say so in their advertising and marketing. Why? If it’s
something you offer that none of your competitors do, then why not use
it to your advantage? Money-back guarantees are very powerful marketing
tools - and are very rarely taken up by customers.
- Can you find an
‘exclusive niche’ in your marketplace? Too many companies
try to be everything to everyone and lose their individuality in doing
so. Look for an exclusive niche so you can proudly claim to be ‘The
only supplier of xxx in the West.’
- Look for something
that is a recognised fault in your industry – and nail it! For
example, late deliveries are often seen as inevitable in the printing
industry. Recognising this general perception, I created a USP for one
of my clients which said: “We’ll deliver your
overprinted envelopes in 5 working days – or they’re yours
free!” It’s a service they were operating
anyway, but just not expressing it. In the previous 5 years they had
only delivered late once, so the risk and cost of applying this USP
to all their marketing messages was tiny, but it gave them a massive
marketing edge over all their competitors.
USP
Generator Service
If you don’t currently have a USP, I urge you to put one in place
immediately. If you would like some additional help in putting together
a USP click here for my USP
Generator service.
Defining
the Strategy… Developing the Material… Delivering your Dreams!
|
Copyright©1998 - 2008 David Cooper - All rights reserved
 |
|
Power Marketing |
David
Cooper’s
Copywriting Masterclass
A 6-Disc collection containing the essence
of direct-response marketing
Click
here
|
|
|
