Blogging and The Unique Selling Proposition
I wrote a post yesterday on Something the Newbies Need to Know (https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/tguthrie61/blog/so...). A couple readers suggested I expand the discussion to include insights into what is known in business as the Unique Selling Proposition. So, I am happy to oblige.
Unique Selling Proposition Defined
In business the USP is defined as ... "a marketing concept first proposed as a theory to explain a pattern in successful advertising campaigns. The USP states that such campaigns made unique propositions to customers that convinced them to switch brands."
Ok, so that''s pretty boring. So, let me simplify it. A Unique Selling Proposition is the angle you bring to the marketplace that will cause people to want to do business with you instead of your competition. It is a promise of satisfaction and usually some sort of guarantee is attached to it. For example, when I owned my small carpet cleaning business I needed an angle that would separate my business service from the national franchises with huge advertising dollars. So I simply came up with the following USP:
"With Kleaneasy your carpets will be as clean as they possibly can be. If not, you'll owe me nothing."
Well, few companies will have such a USP. Why? Because in the cleaning business these franchises often hire less than stellar employees who simply don't care about cleaning carpets to the fullest. Many just see it as a job and rarely are willing to go the extra mile. Because of this the "go back and redo" rate is high among these franchises. If they offered a "no pay" USP then they would suffer financially... big time.
I knew was dedicated to serving the customer and I was not focused on money. I knew that if I were given the chance, the customer would see that I did the absolute best job possible cleaning their carpets and furniture. In 15 years I never once had to walk out of a customers home without being paid. The customers could see that the best possible effort was made to make their carpets as clean as possible.
The Unique Selling Proposition and Blogging
When starting a blog it is critical to narrow down a specific niche. But my readers were right in that leaving it at that is not enough. You really need to separate yourself from the other competition out there. This requires a lot of thought and consideration. The key is to determine what you can promise your potential customers/readers that the competition likely will not ... or can't.
In my blog my target audience is made up of people in the network marketing business. Network marketing typically is a very difficult business to find success in. The failure rate is well over 90%. The compensation plans are usually difficult to understand or explain to the average business prospect. This is only one factor that leads to the high failure rate.
My business is similar to network marketing but there is a big distinction. There is an USP that is appealing to many people interested in network marketing. It is simply this: "We are not the typical hype-y, hard-to-understand or promote network marketing business. We are a referral marketing business and we promise that it is easy to explain and market." And it is. I enjoy good success.
So, What about You?
What is your business? The competition can be minimized through solid niche selection (see https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/tguthrie61/blog/so...) and keyword research. But in the internet world you want every conceivable advantage. Creating a USP can help to narrow the competition even further.
Hope this helps.
Tony
https://morningcoffeecommute.com/
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Hello, Tony,
Another great analysis about IM and building a business. It helps me focus my own efforts to hear how you focus yours in your cleaning business. I would have hired you to clean our carpets if you were located in Florence, AL.
Thank you for the report.
Cordially, David
I am in Huntsville but retired from the cleaning game. ~ Tony