The concept of utp. How to create a unique selling proposition? How to create your own USP

USP (unique selling proposition, USP) is a unique selling proposition, one of the key marketing concepts.

USP - a concept developed by Rosser Reeves, one of the founders advertising agency Ted Bates, who argues that advertising should offer the consumer a rationale for purchasing a product that is clearly different from that of competitors.

Purpose of USP formulation. In accordance with R. Reeves' USP concept, all successful advertising campaigns were based on the uniqueness of the offer for the client. In addition, the concept of USP is important for every employee of the company, who must clearly understand what they are working for, where their efforts are directed, how the company's business is developing.

The concept of the unique trade offer(USP) is based on three main principles:

each advertisement must offer a certain benefit to the consumer;
this benefit must be unique to the advertised product;
this benefit must be significant enough to force the consumer to turn to this product.

USP in marketing. In marketing, the USP strategy is considered one of the main rationalistic communication strategies with potential buyers, product advertising strategy.

The definition of USP indicates that R. Reeves emphasized a creative marketing strategy that cannot be outdated.

USP is determined not only by what is inherent in the product itself;
USP is determined by what and how it is said about this product in advertising.

In order to skillfully use the USP strategy in today's environment, it is important for marketers to understand what claims about the product are perceived as unique, and to be able to predict the characteristics of the perception of such advertising.

The task of the marketer, in relation to USP, is necessary:

evaluating the conformity of the marketing offer with the consumer's established ideas about the complex quality of the product.
anticipate unwanted reactions of potential consumers and try to neutralize them;
evaluate the uniqueness of the competitors' offer and use a counter-offer in communication or disclose other uniqueness;

R. Reeves contrasted the proposed concept of USP with traditional "showcase" advertising, in which, behind the abundance of beautifully formulated phrases about the product, there is absolutely no basis, nothing that could separate and elevate the advertised brand from a number of similar and goods with similar consumer properties.

I will try to give my own interpretation of the ideas of R. Reeves: uniqueness is not the same as saying that one product is better than another. A marketer developing a product strategy based on USP must be able to talk about the product in such a way as to surprise the consumer so that he looks at it in a new way - in a way that he is not used to looking at products in the same category. The marketer must find out whether the consumer perceives this feature as important and useful. A marketer, formulating a strategy, must ensure recognition, memorability and trust in the formulated distinctive properties of the offer.

American advertising researcher Alfred Politz, founder of Alfred Politz Research, formulated: "An advertising campaign that emphasizes the microscopic difference of a product that the consumer is not able to grasp accelerates the failure of the product." In other words, if the usefulness of a unique property is not obvious, then the main advertising efforts should be directed to explaining its importance, otherwise it will fail. marketing communication and the product itself is inevitable.

Number of impressions: 48839

The first step in developing a unique selling proposition is the selection of product characteristics or criteria that influence the decision of the client.

This step is the most important (although it is often skipped), as the characteristics chosen determine the fate of the USP: whether it will really show the benefits of your product or equalize you “with the rest”.

Therefore, our task at the first stage is to analyze our products or services and determine the 10 most important characteristics of each of them for customers. The best way to do this is to select the top 10 customers that bring your company the most profit, and ask what product features are most important to them and what criteria / factors influence the purchase decision.

If you output New Product to the market, and there are no customers yet, you can brainstorm and independently determine the most important characteristics. Or interview those who are most likely to become a buyer of your product. After real customers appear, you can repeat the analysis and select characteristics based on real data.

All responses received from respondents should be recorded in a separate file.

2. Filtering and ranking data

After Feedback received from clients or brainstormed, our task is to select 10 characteristics and rank them in order of importance.

Make it simple. Among the answers received, we select the most frequently repeated options. The characteristic with the most repetitions will head the list, the rest are placed below it in the same way.

It's a paradox, but many marketers don't even know what it is. USP is a kind of unique offer that a company offers to the market and which is fundamentally different from the competition. On the one hand, everything is banal here, on the other hand, many simply turn a blind eye to this and do not work with this important category of marketing and business at the proper level.

Why do you need a USP at all?

USP is needed for one important goal - to make a profit in business. If this is a USP on the site, then getting a high conversion. If a user sees an offer on the site that correlates with the solution of his problems, he will 100% become a buyer, even if the competitor has a lower price. A good USP is effective method get away from price wars. With the current level of competition, the buyer can easily find similar products. But he will stop at where the offer will hook him. Here it is very important to offer the client something non-standard that will awaken feelings of excitement, cause certain emotions, something that will make his life easier.

Who first spoke about USP?

The term "unique selling proposition" was first introduced by the American advertiser Rosser Reeves. It was he who put forward the hypothesis that the advertised product should be different from others. And the higher the competition, the more acute the need to stand out is brewing. The advertising guru formulated three main postulates of the USP:

What is USP in advertising?

The hottest example that begs for a good USP is Dodo Pizza, which created an offer that focuses on delivery speed: 60 minutes or pizza for free.

But here it is important to really fulfill the stated promise to customers, otherwise the reputation may suffer greatly.

USP - what is it in marketing?

A unique selling proposition must meet the following criteria in marketing:

Be specific. The USP should be clear and understandable. If the client read the offer and did not understand anything, then it's time to work on it more thoroughly.
The USP must be unique. Competitors cannot repeat it or simply do not do it.
The USP should provide real value to customers. For example, an offer: the highest quality renovation in an apartment does not mean anything. And here is the USP: Doing repairs in the apartment? We will remove the wallpaper for free" is a completely different matter. Everyone knows that the most unloved occupation during repairs is to tear off old wallpaper, so such a USP is the best way to show that the repair company will take care of all the routine work. And there you can already competently and agree about services for major repairs.

What are USPs?

A unique selling proposition is true when the company claims real benefits for the client, and false when the offer is based on a fictitious uniqueness or benefit.

An example of a false USP is the following - It's not just cigarettes - it's Davidoff! By and large, it's just a play on words, without much meaning.

It is very difficult to come up with a true USP, in rare cases it is possible to create a masterpiece message that will settle in the mind of the buyer for a long time.

There is a special formula by which USP is built: Properties + asset

Properties are certain promises to the market, they are built on decision-making factors. For some buyers, low price is important, for others - high quality, for third - a guarantee, for fourth - fast delivery, for fifth - geographical accessibility of the place of purchase, etc. There are a lot of such decision-making factors, each buyer has his own. Asset - evidence of how we will fulfill these promises. As a rule, there are 4 types of assets - people, material resources, methods and technologies, history. For example,

We have the most qualified experts from the best European companies
Our confectioners have been trained by Belgian chocolatiers
innovative method allows you to produce windows with hidden fittings

How to look for ideas for a USP?

First you need to create a field of ideas - a mind map, where information about target audience, her needs, strengths and weaknesses competitors, business assets. You need to know the answers to these important questions How:

Who, why, when buys?

What do they buy, what do they ask before buying?

What is the product?

This is the case, there is a company already operating in the market and it has information. What to do when there is no such information?

You can take a walk through the forums, monitor discussions in VK - questions, reviews, track which topics are of most concern to the audience in in social networks, youtube, see the most high-frequency queries on your topic on Wordstat. As for Wordstat, it is best to install the yandex-wordstat-helper plugin. It is very convenient to work with it and arrange the categories of keys.

Let's say we open a window company and we need to find a USP that would radically distinguish our company from competitors. Windows are a technically complex commodity, and the market is falling and stagnating. The main positioning is built around the price, so it is almost impossible to meet any creative in the field of creating a USP on the window market. For buyers, plastic windows from different manufacturers are no different - everywhere there is a white profile and German quality. And over the past couple of years, window companies, in order to save money, do not pay attention to the competence of their sellers at all, which ultimately results in the low quality of window sales and the inability to explain to the buyer the most elementary characteristics of a window. The market is forced to follow the path of price wars, even to the detriment of quality. But let's get back to the USP. There are several on the market major players with a smart marketing approach.

window factory became known in the market due to the introduction of the philosophy of sincere service into its work, which was offered by its owner Artem Agabekov. A friendly attitude towards the client as a friend gives rise to positive emotions and encourages you to order windows again and recommend them to your family and friends. Another important USP is climate-controlled breathable windows, which save you from drafts and allow you to ventilate the room even with the window closed. These unique offers really exemplify a good USP.

Window plastic created a USP based on the decision-making factor - efficiency and speed of delivery.

St. Petersburg company Labrador was the first to offer its customers a unique technology - windows without seams at the joints of the profile, which can significantly improve appearance windows and make it even more attractive. The company declares: the unique glazing of your cottage or dacha will favorably differ from the standard glazing of your neighbors' houses. It is noteworthy that when the company was just entering the window market, it gave each client a toy Labrador puppy when buying windows.

Seamless windows from the Labrador company - the first windows in Europe WITHOUT welding seam.

Moscow company Velis Plast Focused on cleanliness. There is a special hole in the technological hole of the frame, where dirt is constantly clogged, which makes cleaning windows even more dreary and takes a lot of time for the owners. You can close this technological groove with a conventional sealing plug, which will prevent dirt, moisture and dust from entering the frame. A trifle, but how much time and effort it takes!

These are perhaps the most interesting USPs that are based on specific customer benefits. Therefore, to form an interesting unique selling proposition, you can find a lot of interesting ideas.

For example, you can play with soundproofing. This issue is especially relevant for residents of a large metropolis near busy highways and highways, bus stations and airports. Why not remember Ogilvie's outstanding statement about the ticking of the clock in advertising campaign Rolls-Royce?

The windows are so quiet that the only noise you can hear is the ticking of the clock.
Add more silence to your window
Silence in the midst of a noisy city
Our windows can reduce motorway noise to a whisper

Now the interior theme in the windows is very relevant. Manufacturers of profiles and accessories constantly offer innovative solutions that can diversify the interior of an apartment or house, bring a zest of novelty and charm there. These are hidden hinges in the window, various shades of lamination and painting, interior handles. Moscow windows used to have double-glazed windows with Swarovski crystals. In the conditions of a modern metropolis today, more and more people are thinking about smart home technologies - so that the windows close and open themselves, the blinds are lowered using the control panel, so that the weather is shown on the window glass and you can watch TV. All these technologies are already slowly beginning to come from Europe to Russia. You can have time to bite off a piece of a delicious pie from the Smart technologies market and formulate an interesting USP for the category of buyers - innovators who are the first to test the new product and only then tell their friends and acquaintances about it. There are still a lot of free highly specialized niches on the plastic window market where you can find your buyer.

When analyzing competitors, ads in Yandex are a very good source of search. Direct and Google. Adwords - there you can also find interesting USPs:

Colored windows for the price of white ones

Windows from 70 profiles for the price of 58

Windows for three days, etc.

What are the most common mistakes encountered when creating a USP?

The misconception that a low price is a USP. It is not right! Practice shows that competing on the basis of price is a very bad strategy and sooner or later can even lead to bankruptcy. Although BM has a different opinion on this matter, it is still better to differentiate from competitors based on another factor in the purchase decision.

It makes no sense to copy the USP of a competitor. It will no longer be able to shoot in the same way and attract the same number of buyers. The fact is that many businesses have become successful simply because they occupied a free niche at the right time.

The offer contains a lot of water and common phrases. Statements like "we have the highest quality", "we have the fastest delivery", "we have the most talented employees" say absolutely nothing to customers. It is imperative to indicate in the offer a specific benefit and advantage for the buyer.

There is no UTP at all! Unfortunately, this also happens.

Mixing planes. For example, mineral water can be sold in different areas: production, distribution to chain stores, just retail, research on water quality, you can provide consulting services on water. And here for each direction you need a separate USP.

How to make a USP - a cheat sheet from Denis Kaplunov

Copywriter Denis Kaplunov suggests using the following guidelines when compiling a USP:

Clearly following your niche. This method consists in finding some narrowly specialized niche and fixing in it. Next, you need to declare to your buyer in the USP that you work in this particular niche:
- High security windows
- Cafe 100 types of cupcakes
- Promotion of online stores
- Everything you need for 50 rubles
- Tasty and healthy food for 100 rubles
- commission mink coats
A benchmark based on the uniqueness of the product that others do not have. This is truly a real innovation that is difficult or impossible to copy.
- Extreme driving lessons on mountain slopes
- Exciting quest: The room of fears in an abandoned hospital on the outskirts of the city
- Excursion in the footsteps of the heroes of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
- Plastic windows like tablet and tv
USP can also be an additional service for the client. It is important that this service is provided to customers only by your company and no one else in the market.
- When buying windows in the first 5 years, the guarantee is free
- When creating a site, we give free step by step plan promotion of a resource on the Internet
- When buying a car OSAGO as a gift
- When repairing an apartment, we will install air conditioning for free
Targeting a specific customer segment.
- Hand-to-hand combat for girls
- Hairdresser for cocker spaniels
- Delicious lunches for truckers
- Cooking courses for bachelors
Focusing on some super unique feature that competitors do not have.
- A hotel made of ice and snow
- Only we have the most sober taxi drivers
- Photo session with a real crocodile Gena
USP based on leadership.
- The most visited store in the city
- Salon of cars of exclusive brands
- Sewing clothes of any size
USP based on a specific result
- 90% of our graduates immediately get a prestigious job
- Minus 10 kg of weight in 10 days
- We reduce advertising costs by 100%

When launching new projects, very often there is a problem with the client's USP (Unique Selling Proposition). When you ask the question "What are your advantages?", then most often in response you hear only a set of standard phrases "well, delivery is free, the master is experienced." Let's learn how to make a unique selling proposition that will set you apart from the mass of competitors!

1. Unique feature

This technique is suitable for manufacturers in highly competitive niches. The task is to find something unique in the product and present it as an innovation and achievement. A great example is the TWIX advertisement (left and right sticks).

2. What do competitors not notice?

Any technological process or a service can become your USP if competitors don't use it.

There are interesting examples when new properties are discovered in products, which are presented as USPs (toothpaste that whitens a little is called "whitening").

A good example that just about anyone can play on is delivery and service levels.

“Calculation of quantity for 1 hour. If you do not receive an answer within an hour, we will give a discount!”

“Pizza delivery to any part of the city in half an hour. If the courier brought in an hour, you can not pay!”

3. Method of John Carlton

This technique is often given in trainings and master classes. It has proven its effectiveness in practice for the service segment. Just plug in your details in the following formula and get a ready-made USP that your competitors don't have!

“With the help of ________ (service, product) we help _________ (TA) solve ______ (problem) with ____ (benefit).”

TA - target audience

For example:

“The service “Husband for an hour” will allow a woman to solve the problem with plumbing and electrics in the apartment”
“Laying laminate will allow the owner of the apartment to make it more comfortable and save on materials”
The course "Blog in 3 days" will allow a person to create his own own blog in 3 days and reach a high level of expertise.

This formula can be detailed to a specific representative of the target audience (Maria Petrovna (housewife), Vasily Ivanovich (owner of a two-room apartment), Ivan Grishin (accountant, consultant)). This is necessary to create landing pages for different segments, but about this technology we won't talk today.

4. Innovation

If your product or service solves a customer's problem with some novelty, be sure to tell us about it!

For example, it can be eco-friendly packaging that has reduced the cost finished products or the new kind work with a client, when his application is processed not within an hour, but in 15 minutes, etc.

5 B client's role as USP

We know that people are looking for solutions to their problems. But if they have "pain", then they tend to make decisions very quickly. Pain can be of a completely different plan, and it can be used in the USP.

For example:

Are pipes leaking? We will solve the problem within an hour!
Does your tooth hurt badly? Our dentistry will accept you without an appointment at any time of the day!
Broken hard drive with valuable information? We will restore it in 2 hours with departure to you!

6. Offer with gifts

People love to give and receive gifts. Let's use this in our USP. As a rule, there are no problems with writing a USP for this scenario. Do not be afraid to give gifts to customers, kindness will always come back to you 🙂

Buy 2 pizzas, we'll give you the third one!
Order a laminate for the entire area of the apartment, we will give you a substrate for free!
Order a leather sofa and get two ottomans

The main thing here is that the gifts are real, otherwise you will not wash off the people's wrath!

7. Play with biceps

Any business should have its own biceps, which, when demonstrated, make customers upset. Just hit your virtues "on the forehead."

For example:

lowest price in town
only sober movers
the fastest delivery
a bunch of awards and diplomas

This technology must be used very carefully. Clients have little confidence in her, because. almost all companies use this approach, because it is the simplest.

8. Disadvantages = advantages

A completely non-trivial technique that gives excellent results! The bottom line is that you need to find the shortcomings of the product and expose them as advantages. Let me explain with an example:

fitness trainer who will have no mercy on you

The disadvantage of "you will not be spared", i.e. you are driven in the hall so that you will literally crawl out of training.

Advantage - after such intensive training you will get an excellent result!

How to use all this?

Just take a pen, a piece of paper and write down all the advantages and disadvantages of your business. Combine them and turn them into your USP!

Look at it in a few days and make final edits. I know you can do it perfectly!

If you are completely stupor, then we will help you with the preparation of USP. Leave a request in the form below this article and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter! There will be a lot of useful and interesting things!

This note was prepared based on the materials of my book "Effective Commercial Proposal", which was published by the publishing house "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber" in 2013 and has already become an official bestseller.

Nevertheless, my mail continues to receive requests from readers for help with the development of USP.

They refer to the book and would like to know what other examples of unique selling proposition scenarios there are.

Immediately I ask you not to treat the examples harshly and critically, because I cite them as an impromptu. You must clearly understand that USP is not created at the click of a finger and “from the air”. But I am sure that you will receive additional food for more intelligent, mature and conscious reflection.

I will briefly describe each landmark and offer a few examples for your consideration.

Landmark number 1 - A clear "niche"

Your tactic is to gain a foothold in a specific market niche and inform the consumer about it. This is done so that in the future the name of your company is associated with the chosen direction.

Tax litigation lawyer.
Rock karaoke bar.
Creation of selling business card sites.
Essential goods store.
Advertising photography specialist.
Commercial real estate agency.
Promotion of online stores.
Food from Italy.
All gifts for 100 UAH.
Courier delivery of oversized cargo.
Movie replica shop.

Landmark #2 - Unique Product

You offer the market a unique product or a unique service that has not been presented before your appearance. This is a real novelty, which has no analogues.

Excursion "Criminal Odessa".
Store goods that are only in one copy.
Extreme off-road driving lessons.
Three romantic dinners in three romantic Italian cities.
Writing a corporate book about the company.
Shooting range with medieval weapons.
Development of a detailed copy of your car in 1:18 scale
Car coffee maker.
Skype conversations with celebrities.
Dry car wash.
Panic room for 18+.

Landmark No. 3 - Unique additional service

The fact that today a product or service is accompanied by some additional service (in the form of a bonus) will not surprise anyone.

You can be surprised by the variety of service. The main task is that only you have this add-on, and it is focused on the target audience of the product or service.

When developing a selling page - a set of 10 ads for contextual advertising as a gift.
When buying a ticket in the VIP box - a joint dinner with the speaker.
When buying a 3-month subscription - 5 visits to the pool as a gift.
Every day is a new cocktail.
Gift edition of the bestselling book.
GPS navigator with profanity.
Thai massage - three masseuses at the same time.
When buying a car insurance for the 1st year as a gift.
Laundry + repair of clothes.
We help each applicant to prepare a great resume!
When buying a laptop - licensed Windows, Office and antivirus as a gift.

Landmark #4 - Targeting a specific customer group

The audience should be specific, with general criteria.

Toy store for boys.
Women's driving school.
Oratory courses for public people.
Dietary meat menu.
Fitness club for professional athletes.
Hairdresser for pets.
Gift sets for all professionals.
Delicious meals on the go.
Bank for entrepreneurs.
Dating service for intimacy.
Hotel with the possibility of hourly rental apartments.

Landmark #5 - Unique Distinguishing Feature

Expensive slogans are good, you should explicitly declare important feature or characteristic, which this moment competitors cannot boast.

You become the first and only one who ... Well, then think about it.

Sober and polite plumbers.
Topless DJ.
Vocal lessons with a folk artist.
Photo sessions with expensive accessories and in elite interiors.
Professional patronage from retired employees of the SBU and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Big pizza for the price of a small one.
Hotel with the possibility of check-in / check-out at any time.
Taxi driven by women.
Playing billiards with professional cues.
High-altitude work from professional climbers.
Wi-fi + charging in airplanes.

Landmark No. 6 - Sign of a leader

Suitable for those who consider themselves a leader (it is necessary to explain why), as well as those who are officially (or according to indicators) recognized.

The trick and feature of this landmark is that here you can also connect a narrow "niche" where you declare your superiority.

Bank No. 1 in Ukraine in terms of deposits.
Over 7000 car accessories.
The newspaper is today's bestseller.
Delivery service - only email is faster than us.
#1 after breast milk.
Our database contains antidotes for the largest number of viruses.
The biggest screen in the city.
15% discount from manufacturer's price.
Selling jeans for all ages.
Internet car dealership of exclusive cars.
Every seventh fifth person has a rest in our club.

Landmark #7 - High score

The peculiarity is that the product or service you offer provides the target audience with a higher or more attractive result in terms of specific parameters.

87% of our students find a job within 3 months.
Our boxing school has brought up 5 Olympic champions, 10 world champions, 19 champions of Kazakhstan in 15 years.
We create selling pages with a conversion of 7%.
In 2 months we turn your $100 into at least $1000
We found buyers for 1200 houses and 4600 apartments.
For 7 years, our clients have not paid a single fine.
We have helped our clients recover more than 3 billion rubles from developers.
Minus 12 years in 1 month.
"Our record is that a client out of 16 tenders won 18."
We reduce the cost of aerated concrete by 35%.
We will sell your apartment in 3 months.

As a dessert, I offer you such a stylish visualization of the specified material.