A “Unique Selling Proposition” sounds like a fancy catch phrase, but it's very important when it comes to marketing your business. It's also very important when it comes to attracting media attention, because without knowing your Unique Selling Proposition you really cannot come up with compelling story angles to entice reporters to write about your business.

So, what is a “unique selling proposition”? A unique selling proposition (USP) is that thing or things about a business that differentiates it in a positive way from its competitors.

It's important to note that you don't have to be the only one in the world offering a particular product or service to make it part of your Unique Selling Proposition. These days it's very difficult to be “one of a kind” in any industry.

You just have to find what it is that you do differently (i.e. – better) than your competitors. What makes you stand out in your field? For example:

• Do you offer a product that comes with the longest warranty in the business?

• Do you offer your clients a particular industry expertise that your competitors lack?

• Are you a “boutique” company competing in a field of big players and offering the same products/services with more personalized service?

Whatever it is, if you can identify what makes you unique in your industry, then you've found your USP.

The challenge in identifying your USP is that it is often very difficult for a person to take an objective step back from his or her own business in order to determine what is unique about it.

That's why it's good to get an opinion from someone who can objectively look at your business from the “outside.”

When identifying your Unique Selling Proposition, I suggest that you do not go it alone. If you do, you are certain to have a slanted and even myopic opinion. What's more, you may miss out on what indeed is most unique about you. Therefore, I suggest calling on the people who are most important to your business – your customers – to help you out.

After all, who better to identify what is unique about you than the people you are serving every day?

I suggest distributing a brief questionnaire to your customers, with questions that are designed to help you uncover possible Unique Selling Propositions. Such questions might include:

• What do you like best about our product/service?

• Why did you initially choose to do business with our company?

• Did you ever do business with any of our competitors?

• If so, what do you feel makes us different?

• Would you recommend us to your friends/associates?

• If so, why?

This is just a brief sampling of questions you can ask that are designed to help identify your Unique Selling Proposition.

Of course, in return for asking your clients/customers to fill out such a questionnaire, you must “entice” them with a special “thank you” offer. Be sure to give them a free product sample, a free service, or whatever it is that applies to your business. Never ask them to do you a favor without adequately thanking them in return.

Every business has at least one, if not more than one thing, aspect to it that differentiates it from its competition. By uncovering what makes you and your business different, you will also begin to uncover what is “newsworthy” about you.

Once you have determined your USP, it should become the focal point of all of your marketing – from publicity to advertising to your Web site and whatever else applies to your business.

Your unique selling proposition is what makes you “special.” It will not only help you to identify great story angles to help generate publicity, but it should also become an important part of your brand.

© Diana Laverdure