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An article that can really help you with your USP!

Explore this article for more on Pitch and Value Proposition as well!

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Unless you're fortunate enough to be the only player in your industry (say, the only dedicated supplier of lion-taming equipment in North America), you'll need to differentiate yourself from your competition through your unique selling proposition, or USP.

A strong, instantly recognizable USP can make or break businesses operating in competitive markets and niche marketing industries, so it's essential that you leverage your USP and make it the cornerstone of your overall marketing strategy. Until you know what your USP is, and how to capitalize on it, your business will be just another voice clamoring to be heard.

In this guide to developing a unique selling proposition, you'll learn how to write a truly compelling unique selling proposition, with help in these five areas:

What Is a Unique Selling Proposition?

Simply put, your unique selling proposition is what makes your business different from everyone else in your market. A strong unique selling proposition can help you attract and retain customers and reduce client churn.

For some businesses, identifying a USP will be easier than others. For example, if your business really is the only dedicated supplier of lion-taming equipment in North America, this will be your USP. Sure, there are plenty of companies that sell general circus equipment, but your business focuses solely on high-end accessories for the discerning big cat behavioral performance artist - this is what sets you apart from the rest of the clowns.

However, for most businesses, identifying a unique selling prop is not this easy. In fact, for more conventional companies, it can be very difficult. Fortunately, there are a number of ways you can make a name for yourself, even if you make or sell a common product or service. Let's look at some unique selling proposition examples.

Unique Selling Proposition Examples: What Makes a Strong USP?

The best USPs directly address a specific need experienced by a company's ideal customer. A great unique selling prop, sometimes known as a value proposition, should also emphasize what individual quality separates a business from its competition. Here are some examples of unique selling propositions that work.

Saddleback Leather's Unique Selling Proposition

Credit where credit is due - if it hadn't been for the guys over at Fizzle, I might have gone the rest of my life without discovering Saddleback Leather. This company's USP (and website in general) perfectly exemplifies how it addresses customers' specific needs and highlights a truly unique quality of its products.

Now, you might think that finding a unique - and memorable - USP for a leather satchel company would be difficult. However, take a look at Saddleback's "About Us" page.

Amateur bullfighting. Escaping from a corrupt Mexican Federal Police officer. Trading puppies for 100 tacos in Juarez - Saddleback's "About Us" page reads like a pilot for a new AMC show. This ties in perfectly with the rugged, adventurous aesthetic of the company's products.

As if that weren't enough, Saddleback also offers a 100-year(!) warranty, which the firm half-jokingly refers to as its "They'll Fight Over It When You're Dead" warranty. How many companies remind you to mention a product warranty in your will? Not only does this make a bold statement about the company's confidence in the craftsmanship of its products, it also appeals to its ideal customer - daring, thrill-seeking travelers who need bags that can survive their globe-trotting adventures.

Seriously, just writing about these bags makes me want to buy one. Genius.

Voodoo Doughnut's Unique Selling Proposition

Donut shops are ten a penny - especially here in Boston, where you can trip on a curb and practically fall into a Dunkin' Donuts - but Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon, manages to make traditional baked goods sexy in a highly distinctive way.

Although virtually everything about Voodoo is unique, its extensive range of donuts (and the obvious relish with which the owners devise their sugary creations) set it apart from any other donut shop. In their quest to create a truly unique menu, Voodoo's owners even fell afoul of the FDA after experimenting with two particular recipes that included Pepto-Bismol and NyQuil - stunts that could have threatened their business, but ultimately helped word of the small donut shop go viral.

A diverse menu isn't the only thing that makes Voodoo unique. Its hot pink rockabilly décor, cash-only policy and late-night opening hours have made Voodoo far more than just a donut shop - it's a tourist attraction. Sure, you can get a donut almost anywhere, but Voodoo's USP is the diversity of its menu and the experience of waiting in line for a decadent taste of what lies within.

The popularity (and notoriety) of the store has even allowed the owners to open a second branch in Denver, and additional stores are planned for other locations across the country. Voodoo's USP gets people talking in a way that few social media marketing campaigns could ever hope to accomplish.

Osmium's Unique Selling Proposition

The clothing and fashion industries are savagely competitive, and finding a unique selling proposition in this market is far from easy - but that doesn't mean it has to be complicated, either. This is exemplified excellently by Osmium.

The phenomenal rise in popularity of handmade goods in recent years has transformed traditional arts and crafts from a casual pastime into big business, thanks in large part to the success of online handmade marketplace Etsy. However, clothing remains one area in which mass-produced goods are still very much the norm, due to the substantially cheaper materials and overseas labor utilized by most chain retailers. This is how the simplicity of Osmium's USP helps the small company shine.

Every single garment sold by Osmium is made by hand, with the majority of the company's inventory being made right here in Boston. The company places emphasis on its ethical production processes and the durability of its products, both of which differ starkly from most conventional clothing manufacturers.

Unique Selling Proposition Best Practices

So, now we've seen some strong unique selling proposition examples, what should you bear in mind when trying to create your own USP?

Get Inside Your Ideal Customer's Head

Before you start thinking about which qualities set your business apart from similar companies, you need to know almost everything about your perfect customer.

When you're identifying your ideal prospect, consider the following:

What does your perfect customer really want?

How can your product or service solve their problem(s)?

What factors motivate their buying decisions?

Why do your existing customers choose your business over your competitors?

Remember - it's not enough to merely target a rough demographic. You need to know exactly who you want to sell to and why. Once you know this, you can get to work on the next unique selling proposition best practice, which is...

Explain How Your Business Solves Your Ideal Customers' Problems

Consumers don't want to buy products - they want to solve their problems. This could be as simple as purchasing a reliable set of tools that will last for years, but it can (and frequently is) much more complex.

Take the cosmetics industry, for example. Companies in this space don't just sell make-up - they sell lifestyle ideals; glamour, confidence, and style. Think about this in a problem-solving context; people who may not feel glamorous, confident or stylish will if they use a particular product. This lies at the heart of most cosmetics advertising, and this concept applies to many other industries, too.

To create a strong USP, you have to examine the profile of your perfect customer and then market your products in a way that shows them you can meet their needs and solve their problems. You can't hope to write persuasive, compelling copy in the voice of the customer unless you know who they are. If your prospective customers choose your products, how will their lives be improved? What makes your business so different that prospective customers should choose your products or services? The answers to these questions should form the bedrock of your USP.

Make Your Business Irresistible to Your Customers

Now that you know who your ideal customer is and the problems they face, it's time to tell them precisely why they should choose your business over your competitors.

FedEx is the perfect example of this principle. Sure, there are dozens of package carriers people can choose from (including the USPS), but FedEx's slogan of "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight" transformed the company from just another logistics company to a market-leading global brand. Even though the company dropped the slogan years ago, FedEx's USP and branding helped it become a proprietary eponym - a trademarked name often used as a generic term, like Kleenex, Band-Aid and Coke.

Another USP best practice you should think about in this stage is making your customers a promise. FedEx, for example, guarantees it can get any package (from anywhere) to its destination overnight. This not only addresses customers' specific need (reliable package delivery), but also makes them a promise - to deliver their packages with care, on time, every time.

Create an Elevator Pitch

So, you've figured out who your perfect customer is, explained how your business can solve their problems, and told them why they should choose you instead of the competition. However, you'll rarely have the opportunity to wax lyrical about any of this at length. Just as advertisements have mere seconds to capture consumers' attention, your USP should be almost immediately obvious.

Thinking of your USP in terms of an elevator pitch is a great way to condense what makes your business different, and how you can use it as the foundation of your marketing efforts.

A Unique Selling Proposition Template

Let's see how this works, using our lion-taming equipment supply business as an example. Note that everything in brackets can be changed to suit the specifics of your company, and that this framework can apply to both companies and individual products.

For [lion tamers]

Who [need high-quality lion-taming equipment]

[Lucky Leo's Lion-Taming Emporium]

Is [the world's only dedicated online lion-taming equipment distributor]

That [provides the very best lion-taming equipment, delivered straight to your door].

Unlike [other circus equipment supply companies],

[Lucky Leo's Lion-Taming Emporium] is [the only e-commerce business in North America that caters specifically to these performers].

See how easy it is once you have all the pieces of the puzzle? If someone asks about your business, you can use this as a snappy, concise way to explain what your company does. Thinking of your business or products in this way allows you to focus on what really matters - your ideal customer - and identify any glaring problems with your USP.

How to Use Your Unique Selling Proposition in Advertising

Now you've nailed down your USP and condensed it into an elevator pitch-style summary, how can you use it in your PPC advertisements? By applying everything above to the principles of writing killer ads.

It's essential that your USP is highlighted in your ad copy. Preferably, it should be in the headline or first line of your ad. If you choose to feature your USP in the headline, make sure it's keyword-rich. Alternatively, if you include elsewhere in your ad copy, make sure it emphasizes the benefits of using your product or service. Many advertisers can't resist the temptation to rave about product features before moving onto the benefits to their customers, but this is a rookie mistake. By emphasizing the benefits of your service, you're placing greater value on the emotional payoff and appealing to your prospects' desire to solve their problems.

Safety was the primary benefit in this ad, but what about choice or specialized knowledge? You could create other ads that emphasize the diversity of your inventory or the specialized knowledge of your staff across both lines of copy in your ad:

However you choose to incorporate your USP into your PPC ads, be sure to target one highly specific need per ad. Trying to solve all your prospects' problems in a single ad will dilute its strength and result in lower conversions.

How to Use Your Unique Selling Proposition on Your Landing Pages

Now that you've written a series of compelling PPC ads highlighting your USP and its benefit to your ideal customer, it's time to turn your attention to your highly optimized landing pages.

Let's use the first ad above as an example. Creating a dedicated landing page for this ad could focus on the USP in several ways and reinforce the benefits of ordering from Lucky Leo's. How?

Your landing page copy could begin by reinforcing the inherent dangers faced by lion tamers, and how these risks are increased by using poor-quality equipment.

You could then highlight the quality and craftsmanship of your products - and the fact that Lucky Leo's is the only specialized lion-taming equipment distributor in North America - before...

Including a strong call to action and providing more information about your home delivery services.

It almost goes without saying, but you should make landing pages for each of your ads. This means that each landing page should highlight a different benefit of your USP, and include relevant calls to action.

Be Unique

What's your company's USP? Did you know what it was right away, or did you figure it out as you went? Tell us in the comments!

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How to Write a Ferociously Unique Selling Proposition

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Unless you're fortunate enough to be the only player in your industry (say, the only dedicated supplier of lion-taming equipment in North America), you'll need to differentiate yourself from your competition through your unique selling proposition, or USP.

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Intro to Assessment task 4
Includes deadline dates
Link to Padlet and Flipgrid
Class activity : "Assessing Market Demand"

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Here is an exemplar of today's class activity.

Read the annotated notes. If you haven't used secondary resources and statistics yet then you need to do more research.

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Evaluation Task Exemplar- Part 1 Assessing Market Demand

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You will use flipgrid to upload your 2 minute pitch presentations.

You will also use Flipgrid to give feedback to your peers.

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Flipgrid is where social and emotional learning happens! The leading video discussion platform for millions of PreK to PhD educators, students, and families.

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What is a Primary and Secondary Resource?

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What is a Primary and Secondary Resource?

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This article is very helpful in looking at examples of primary and secondary resources.

You need to include these in your Evaluation Task.

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When you do research, you have to gather information and evidence from a variety of sources.

Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. A primary source gives you direct access to the subject of your research.

Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews, and academic books. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources.

Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but good research uses both primary and secondary sources.

What is a primary source?

A primary source is anything that gives you direct evidence about the people, events, or phenomena that you are researching. Primary sources will usually be the main objects of your analysis.

If you are researching the past, you cannot directly access it yourself, so you need primary sources that were produced at the time by participants or witnesses (e.g. letters, photographs, newspapers).

If you are researching something current, your primary sources can either be qualitative or quantitative data that you collect yourself (e.g. through interviews, surveys, experiments) or sources produced by people directly involved in the topic (e.g. official documents or media texts).

What is a secondary source?

A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Common examples include:

Books, articles and documentaries that synthesize information on a topic

Synopses and descriptions of artistic works

Encyclopedias and textbooks that summarize information and ideas

Reviews and essays that evaluate or interpret something

When you cite a secondary source, it's usually not to analyze it directly. Instead, you'll probably test its arguments against new evidence or use its ideas to help formulate your own.

Primary and secondary source examples

Examples of sources that can be primary or secondary

A secondary source can become a primary source depending on your research question. If the person, context, or technique that produced the source is the main focus of your research, it becomes a primary source.

Documentaries

If you are researching the causes of World War II, a recent documentary about the war is a secondary source. But if you are researching the filmmaking techniques used in historical documentaries, the documentary is a primary source.

Reviews and essays

If your paper is about the novels of Toni Morrison, a magazine review of one of her novels is a secondary source. But if your paper is about the critical reception of Toni Morrison's work, the review is a primary source.

Newspaper articles

If your aim is to analyze the government's economic policy, a newspaper article about a new policy is a secondary source. But if your aim is to analyze media coverage of economic issues, the newspaper article is a primary source.

How to tell if a source is primary or secondary

To determine if something can be used as a primary or secondary source in your research, there are some simple questions you can ask yourself:

Does this source come from someone directly involved in the events I'm studying (primary) or from another researcher (secondary)?

Am I interested in analyzing the source itself (primary) or only using it for background information (secondary)?

Does the source provide original information (primary) or does it comment upon information from other sources (secondary)?

Primary vs secondary sources: which is better?

Most research uses both primary and secondary sources. They complement each other to help you build a convincing argument. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but secondary sources show how your work relates to existing research.

What do you use primary sources for?

Primary sources are the foundation of original research. They allow you to:

Make new discoveries

Provide credible evidence for your arguments

Give authoritative information about your topic

If you don't use any primary sources, your research may be considered unoriginal or unreliable.

What do you use secondary sources for?

Secondary sources are good for gaining a full overview of your topic and understanding how other researchers have approached it. They often synthesize a large number of primary sources that would be difficult and time-consuming to gather by yourself. They allow you to:

Gain background information on the topic

Support or contrast your arguments with other researchers' ideas

Gather information from primary sources that you can't access directly (e.g. private letters or physical documents located elsewhere)

When you conduct a literature review, you can consult secondary sources to gain a thorough overview of your topic. If you want to mention a paper or study that you find cited in a secondary source, seek out the original source and cite it directly.

Remember that all primary and secondary sources must be correctly cited to avoid plagiarism.

Frequently asked questions about primary and secondary sources

How can you tell if a source is primary or secondary?

To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:

Was the source created by someone directly involved in the events you're studying (primary), or by another researcher (secondary)?

Does the source provide original information (primary), or does it summarize information from other sources (secondary)?

Are you directly analyzing the source itself (primary), or only using it for background information (secondary)?

Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. letters, interviews). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source.

Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. However, it's up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.

Always make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism.

Is a movie a primary or secondary source?

A fictional movie is usually a primary source. A documentary can be either primary or secondary depending on the context.

If you are directly analyzing some aspect of the movie itself - for example, the cinematography, narrative techniques, or social context - the movie is a primary source.

If you use the movie for background information or analysis about your topic - for example, to learn about a historical event or a scientific discovery - the movie is a secondary source.

Whether it's primary or secondary, always properly cite the movie in the citation style you are using. Learn how to create an MLA movie citation or an APA movie citation.

Is a newspaper article a primary or secondary source?

Articles in newspapers and magazines can be primary or secondary depending on the focus of your research.

In historical studies, old articles are used as primary sources that give direct evidence about the time period. In social and communication studies, articles are used as primary sources to analyze language and social relations (for example, by conducting content analysis or discourse analysis).

If you are not analyzing the article itself, but only using it for background information or facts about your topic, then the article is a secondary source.

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When you do research, you have to gather information and evidence from a variety of sources. Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. A primary source gives you direct access to the subject of your research.

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This is the lesson for Thursday, 2/06/2022
Refer to this powerpoint to complete your pitch!

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More shark tank videos

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I really enjoyed todays lesson as Miss Z presented the slides in a clear and concise way.

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Today's lesson was engaging and informative with the shark tank videos and how Ms Zee gave constructive feedback which was used to improve on our assessment.

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Today's lesson was engaging and informative with the shark tank videos. Ms zee was very clear when speaking, giving instructions and while giving back constructive feedback.

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I liked that our class was lively, I prefer a talkative class to a quiet one. Miss Z was helpful in making our pitch

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I enjoyed today's lesson very much as it was very clear and informative, and I like how Ms. Zee used examples to teach us about the pitch. It was very helpful.