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Marketing Strategies

Unique Selling Proposition: The Secret to Setting Your Online Business Apart

How to Write a Unique Selling Proposition - Infographic
I'm Jackie!

Graphic designer and SEO Content Marketing Strategist with over 13 years of experience helping businesses stand out online. And make sales with an easy-yes approach. That means we use your organic content to prime your audience, so by the time you present them with a paid offer they're already typing in their credit card info!

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Sharing all the tips, tools & resources that have helped me streamline my business as an online entrepreneur. 

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We all know that the online world is a crowded place. In fact, there are so many people trying to do what you do that it can seem downright daunting. But don’t worry because in this article I’m going to show you exactly how you can set your online business apart.

We’ll answer the questions:

  1. How do you make your business stand out in this kind of environment?
  2. How do you show customers that your products or services are better than the competition?
  3. Why should customers buy from you, instead of your competition?

Let’s get started!

AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: I SOMETIMES LINK TO PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO HELP COVER THE COSTS OF RUNNING THIS BLOG. THERE’S NO EXTRA COST TO YOU – AND I ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS THAT I’VE BOTH USED PERSONALLY AND THINK ARE QUALITY PRODUCTS THAT HELP WITH EFFICIENCY. PLEASE READ MY AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 

What is a USP?

A USP is a unique selling proposition. Your USP is what makes customers want to buy from you instead of someone else. It can sometimes be referred to as your Unique Value Proposition (UVP).

Think about Apple, for example. Apple’s unique selling point is and always has been: the customer experience. Steve Jobs worked with Pixar and helped create the storytelling system still used today.

After working with Pixar, he returned to Apple with a new sense of communication in mind.

That’s when he turned the company toward a strategy that used customer-centric communication. He made sure everything was about the customer and the customer’s experience with Apple. And he made sure to keep all communication both clear and compelling.

So what does this mean? It means Apple started making its customers the hero of the story. Jobs knew being clear in their message would mean more than being clever. And he knew he simply had to ask three questions regarding his audience:

  1. What do my customers want?
  2. What pain point do they need solved?
  3. What tools or solution can I offer to solve one and two for them?

That’s all you really need to answer to create a USP for your online business.

How do you craft a unique selling proposition?

How do you craft a unique selling proposition? A USP is the foundation of your marketing strategy. It helps you stand out from the competition, connect with customers on an emotional level, build trust and credibility in your brand, and create a compelling brand image.

A USP or UVP is a short, memorable statement that describes what makes your product or service unique. It’s the one thing that your business does better than anyone else.

Continuing with Apple’s story, let’s look at their Unique Selling Proposition.

The first campaign that Steve Jobs created after working with Pixar and implementing storytelling into the Apple Brand, was two words.

Think Different.

Now, this is crazy because before this campaign, he ran a 9 page ad in the New York Times detailing everything his computers could do.

It was very technical and no one understood it.

Building a Story Brand book: for marketing your online business- book reviews
Building a Story Brand book: for marketing your online business- book reviews

If you enjoyed this story of Apple’s evolution, you can learn more about it in Donald Miller’s book Building a Story Brand. He goes into more detail about the change that Apple made and why it was so important in building the empire that is Apple today. You can learn more about the book in a review that I wrote in my blog post titled Mom Entrepreneurs: 5 books to level up your business.

Understanding your Target Audience

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of launching or growing an online business, but before you start hustling for sales and clients, you need to think about who your target audience is. The better you know who your ideal clients are, the easier it’ll be to create your paid offers, create content that connects with your audience, and the easier it’ll be to write a unique selling proposition that draws attention online.

And when we create content that attracts the right people at the right time in the buying process, we’re working with warm leads. Those leads that already want what we sell. Those leads that are already looking for a solution to their problem.

That means they have interest in your product or service, so they’re more likely to buy. Ultimately, it means you’ll have more conversions or sales. Warm leads convert better because they’re already searching for a solution to their pain point.

If you don’t know who your ideal customer is, how are they supposed to know they need what you’re selling?

Evaluating Your Strengths

The first step in crafting an effective USP is to identify and leverage your strengths.

  • What are you good at?
  • What do you enjoy doing?
  • What are your talents?

These questions will help you understand the unique features and exceptional customer service that make up the heart of your business.

A notebook on an aesthetically-pleasing desk with overlapping circles to show your strengths come from your talents overlapping with things you enjoy.

Once you’ve figured out what makes your business special, it’s time to put it all together into a concise statement that highlights what sets you apart from competitors.

Your USP should convey everything about who you are as a brand: why customers should choose to work with (or buy) from you over any other company.

How to Write a Unique Selling Proposition

Once you’ve figured out what your target audience wants to hear, it’s time to put yourself in their shoes and write an effective Unique Selling Proposition statement. Keep it short and sweet. Be clear more than clever. Make sure your statement tells who you are and what you do in as few words as possible. You don’t want any guessing from your customers.

Infographic: How to Write The Perfect Unique Selling Proposition Statement by Jackie Taylor Online Marketing

To Write a Unique Selling Proposition, simply answer these five questions:

  1. Who is my target audience/ customer persona?
  2. What pain points do they have, and how do I solve them?
  3. What product(s) am I selling that solve those pain points?
  4. How am I different than my competitors?
  5. And what is the competition failing to do that would solve those pain points? What can I easily do to set my business apart?
  6. How is my business completely unique? What do I do differently from anyone else?

When you tie all of those questions together, you’re left with a very specific area. It’s where everything overlaps on the infographic. It’s where your business sets itself apart. Now, think, how can I turn these differentiators into a short statement?

A good USP statement is usually around 10 words or less (give or take – you don’t need to be really strict with the number count). And it needs to be both clear and compelling.

Unique Selling Proposition Examples

Canva: Empowering the World to Design

Canva’s Unique Selling Proposition is:

Canva's USP Statement - Empowering the World to Design

Empowering the world to design

Launched in 2013, Canva is an online design and publishing tool with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere.”

With this statement, Canva tells what it does and who it helps in one simple statement. Empowers the world the to design.

The descriptive text below the statement tells a little more detail using “online design and publishing tool,” “on a mission to empower everyone,” and “design anything and publish anywhere.”

That’s how they’re unique. Available to anyone with their price point. And they can help anyone design, not just graphic designers.

Fedex: When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.

Unique Selling Proposition Example for Fedex

“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”

I love Fedex’s USP statement because not only is it clear and concise. I mean it’s probably the most self-explanatory statement in this entire article. But it really set Fedex apart as the go-to source for overnight packages. They found what set them apart from their competitors and really leaned into it.

They don’t currently use this USP statement anymore, but I’m not sure why. It was clear, compelling, and really showed their uniqueness. Their new USP Statement is “The World On Time.” It seems less clear to me, and it doesn’t truly set them apart as most packages are never really on time with any delivery system anymore.

Unique Selling Propostion Example: FedEx - The World On Time

Ikea: To create a better everyday life for the many people.

Ikea USP Statement Screenshot from the Ikea About Page on their website.

Ikea‘s USP Statement is “To create a better everyday life for the many people.”

They want to help as many people as possible create and design a space that’s better. Their about us page goes on to say “It’s a global home furnishing brand that brings affordability, design and comfort to people all over the world.”

Here “design and comfort” become “create a better everyday life.” “Affordability translates into “for the many people.” They want as many people as possible to be able to afford to create a space that feels better and makes their everyday life better. And they’re able to condense that down into a short, concise statement of 10 words.

Conclusion

Your USP defines your business. It’s the one thing that you do better than everyone else.

When written clearly and simply, your USP will clearly state what your business offers and how you’re better than your competition. You’ll be able to communicate the top benefits that you offer. It’ll also serve as a compelling elevator pitch that you can use in marketing materials, social links and bios, and speaking gigs or podcast guest spots.

For one last example, here’s my Unique Selling Proposition.

Picture of Jackie Taylor, Owner Jackie Taylor Online Marketing.

Creating an easier way for Mompreneurs to market your online business.

All so you can be a mom first and business owner second. 

I help Mom Entrepreneurs and Solopreneurs create content that gets found online and converts easier. All so you can get sales that make your bank account happy.

Without causing burnout, stress, or wasting time creating content that doesn’t produce results. It’s the straightest line to more sales and more income online.

And it’s all done with content strategies backed by research, marketing templates, and DIY design know-how.

Now write your USP statement, and let me know how it goes.

I promise, you’ll feel so much more clear about what you do and who you help. And so will your audience!

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