UPS - Unique Selling Proposition
I own Photography and Design by Michelle Harbour. It’s my job to keep my clients connected to their clients. I help them do that primarily through inbound marketing techniques utilizing an online presence that includes an original design website and active social media accounts.
Marketing – You have to do it. As a small business owner, it’s your responsibility. No one else is going to sell your business for you. As much as we’d all like to have a client base built on word-of-mouth, for most of us, that just isn’t going happen; and one of the best reasons to market your business now is that your competition isn’t. In this economy, one of the first and most critical mistakes businesses make is to cut their marketing budget.
But what is marketing?
By definition, marketing is “the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships, in order to capture value from the customers in return.” In 2012, that means marketing is all about building a relationship between you and your customer or client – a relationship that is built on trust.
Think of a few of the more successful businesses in your area – the businesses that are well-known and growing, even in this struggling economy. What are those businesses doing in addition to providing great service or products? They aren’t starving their businesses by ignoring their marketing plan. They are promoting their businesses through advertising, the use of social media, providing limited free services or give-aways, and educating the community on who they are and what they do.
But before you can sell yourself to your customers, you need to first be sure of who you are. You need to define your brand.
Branding is the promise you make to your customer. It’s what distinguishes your offering from your competitor’s. You define your brand by knowing what your core purpose, your vision, your mission, your position, your values, and your character are. You can only market your strengths when you are able define your brand.
A great way to summarize your brand is with a Unique Selling Proposition. When a new client comes to me in need of a website or a marketing plan, one of the first things I ask them to do is to develop their Unique Selling Proposition.
How many of you have heard of a Unique Selling Proposition? Great. How many of you have developed your Unique Selling Proposition?
I have a worksheet print-out available for anyone who’d like to use it to help you write your own USP. Basically, a Unique Selling Proposition is a summary of what makes your business distinctive and valuable to your target market. It answers the question: How do your business services benefit your clients better than anyone else can?
Once you have your USP written – which is only one sentence in length – you will have your tagline, and a very brief introduction of who you are and what you do. You will have begun your marketing strategy by defining your brand.
Now how do you build your brand recognition? You build recognition through consistency. Marketing plays a role in that; but even before you develop a marketing strategy, you can begin to build your brand recognition. Your logo and your Unique Selling Proposition should be on everything related to your business. Most of us think about a logo for our business card, and then we stop there. You need your branding on your invoices, your letterhead, your “uniform”, your transportation, your email signature, etc. Everything you hand out or send out that is related to your business should be branded. I (almost) always have my business cards with me. My vehicle always has my magnets on it. My email is set up with a header that has my logo and tagline, and my email signature will repeat that or extend on it. If I’m going out to do business or I know I might potentially end up doing so, I wear my “uniform.” My uniform is one of the shirts I designed for my business. I make sure that when you see my logo, you think of me or my business. Case in point…
The other day I was on my Google Plus page catching up on posts of those I follow, when one of my daughters walked into the room. She’s the one who’s made it her mission in life to keep me very humble. She looked at my computer screen and seeing my logo said, “Every time I see that, I think of your face,” and I came back with, “That’s branding, my dear.”
I like it when I approach a new client and they say something like, “Oh, I’ve seen your van around.” Or, “Yes, I’ve heard of you.” That means I’ve built my brand recognition with them. And when you’ve already built that recognition, you are so much closer to the sale you’re hoping to make.
So, to sum it up, take the time to sit down and develop your brand. Write down what makes you different from your competitors. What is your core purpose, your vision for your business, your mission to your clients, your position, your values, and your character? Then use the Unique Selling Proposition worksheet to develop your own USP. Then you’ll have taken the first step in developing an effective marketing plan.
Print the worksheet here.
Micki – your web gal
804.642.2363
330.591.1070
connect@michelleharbour.com
http://www.michelleharbour.com
Photography and Design by Michelle Harbour 
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