What is a USP?
No it isn’t a new Internet provider. USP is a major factor in your your branding efforts. It may the most important aspect of your brand. USP stands for Unique Selling Point. The acronym used to mean Unique Selling Proposition. The term came from Rosser Reeves, one of the forefathers of modern advertising, and was coined in his book Reality In Advertising in 1961.
- The proposition to the customer should be: “buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit.”
- The proposition itself must be unique.
- The proposition must be strong enough to pull new customers to the product.
But that was the sixties. This is today. Unique Selling Proposition has given way to Unique Selling Point. With the explosion of TV and now the internet, Selling Point is a better term. The clicking advertising of todays market means that the propostion angle is too slow for todays consumer. The speed of which todays purchases are made means brand recognition needs to capture just as quick.
So how do you incorporate a USP to your personal brand. Well it falls into the what is special about you discussion from previous posts. Your USP has to accomodate what is unique about you. Is it your physique, your humor or you juggling ability? Ask yourself these question when throwing out a “pitch”. And what about these aspects makes you unique? How is your nose different or your jokes funnier and how many things can you juggle. Then how can you show people these qualities. The uploading site of todays internet like Youtube.com can give a huge audience to you and your brand.
Following the simple rules of the older USP and transferring them to the newer USP can be a valuable tool in promoting you to the world.
