Are You Clear On Your Value?

What is it, exactly, that makes your business uniquely qualified to serve your target audience better than anyone else offering a similar solution? In other words, why should individuals or businesses choose to work with you over your competition?

It’s a fair question to ask any business owner, and if they can’t provide a clear and compelling answer, then there’s a problem. After all, if a business owner can’t clearly articulate why their prospective customers should choose them over the competition, how can they reasonably expect prospective customers to make that choice?

That’s why being crystal clear on the unique value you offer is so critically important.

Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

Sometimes called your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), your UVP is a concise summary of the distinctive elements or qualities that set your product or service apart in a meaningful way. It’s that exclusive blend of all the various benefits you bring to the table that precisely meets the needs of your target audience.

Here are some examples of qualities or attributes to consider when defining your UVP:

• How do you solve your target audience’s problem differently than your competitors?

• More quickly?

• More economically?

• More effectively?

• More efficiently?

• What makes your product better than alternatives?

• Quality?

• Unique design?

• Cutting-edge technology?

• Innovative approach or methodology?

• How does your product meet the specialized needs of your target audience?

• Addresses a unique requirement?

• Customizable?

• Meets or exceeds industry “best practices”?

• How do you ensure an exceptional customer experience?

• Simplified, proven process?

• Exceptional aftermarket support?

• Extended service hours?

• Guaranteed results?

• What do you and your team bring to the table?

• Superior knowledge or expertise?

• Similar beliefs and values?

• Continuous improvement philosophy?

If you haven’t developed a UVP for your business, creating one will help you clarify which elements of your offer are most important to your target audience and thus will have the greatest influence over their decision whether to buy from you or not. These are the elements you want to consistently talk about in your marketing content, not only to promote your offer but also to differentiate yourself from the competition.

There is no one magic formula for developing a UVP. However, your UVP should be short and concise and focus on the key benefits of doing business with you from your target audience’s perspective. Use language that resonates with your target audience, eliminate unnecessary detail that dilutes the message and avoid industry jargon or other potentially confusing language.

8 Ways To Create Your UVP

Since there are no hard and fast rules for creating a UVP, you can approach it in various ways.

However, I know from experience that a lack of structure can make it hard to know where to start, so here are eight possible approaches you can explore to get your creative juices flowing. If you do find yourself struggling for inspiration, pick the option below that resonates with you most and iterate from there.

1. Problem-focused approach, where you identify and address your target audience’s pain points or challenges.

2. Solution-focused approach, where you emphasize your solution’s unique benefits and advantages.

3. Confidence-building approach, where you focus on instilling trust, credibility and confidence in your target audience.

4. Outcome-driven approach, where you highlight the specific results your audience will get and emphasize the transformation they’ll achieve.

5. Emotional approach, where you tap into your target audience’s aspirations, fears and desires to create an emotional connection that motivates them to choose your solution.

6. Social proof approach, where you leverage social proof to establish trust and confidence in your offering.

7. Innovative approach, where you emphasize the innovative or cutting-edge nature of your product or service.

8. Cost-savings approach, where you highlight the cost-savings benefits of choosing your solution.

Leveraging Your UVP For Content Development

One of the key benefits of a solid UVP is that it guides you to focus on your unique approach and perspectives when developing content, so that your sales and marketing message aligns with the needs of your audience at every step of their buyer journey. And a messaging strategy that correctly aligns with your target audience’s needs will attract more potential buyers into your content ecosystem and more effectively nurture them until they’re ready to buy.

You can incorporate your UVP into many elements of your marketing message – website copy, blog posts, videos, social posts, lead magnets, advertising, product sell sheets and other promotional content. Doing so will build a consistent brand identity across all platforms. However, the length and wording of your UVP may need to be adjusted slightly based on the platform.

Consistent cross-platform messaging that promotes your UVP will keep your audience engaged and build trust and authority over time. This, in turn, will develop loyal followers who are more willing to buy from you when the time is right.

Bottom Line

You may find it takes some thoughtful introspection until you feel like you’ve nailed your UVP. But even though you might struggle a little, I highly recommend you do this exercise, because it will clarify the most important things to emphasize in your messaging. It will also help you zero in on the key factors that set you apart from your competition and more clearly articulate how you’re different and why that matters for your target audience.