Why you? 2

USPWhy should customers buy from you? That’s your unique selling point which (if it’s what your customer wants) will lead to successful sales. So what’s the answer?

Are you the cheapest? Be careful because that’s the easiest to undercut. Just look at how successful Walmart has been–it’s difficult to be less expensive than a multinational corporation that employs thousands of people focused on making their products as inexpensive as possible.

Maybe your USP is that you are local and convenient. Maybe you deliver. Or it could be that you provide exactly what your customers want. Think of ZipCar, they discovered that there are a lot of people who need cars some of the time but don’t want to deal with them every day.

If you’re stumped, ask your customers. If you have a store, ask them while they are leaving (make sure to thank them first). If you run an online business, email or call some of your customers. Ask why they chose you and if they have any concerns or complaints. Don’t worry about scientific validity for your survey; you just want to hear what’s on the minds of your customers.

That should reveal your USP and what your marketing message should be, as well as if you are getting that message out as well as you could be. If you hear different answers, think about who’s offering them. The new parents might appreciate that the pharmacy is open late while the seniors might be more grateful that you always smile and treat them with respect. In that case, each group has its own USP.

But once you’ve identified your USP for a group of customers, double down on it. That should be the message of your ads. Just the simple selling point. For instance, that pharmacy might want to advertise on keywords relating to children’s medicine with:

Need meds late?
XYZ Pharmacy on 2nd St.
Open until 10 PM.

That’s far more likely to be successful than whatever your previous advertisements were.