One of Janet Jackson’s biggest hits was the song, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” Remarkably, this is the very question your customers have in their heads (whether they realize it or not) whenever they shop at your ecommerce site.
So, what have you done for them lately?
And, how do they know?
Well, you tell them all about it each time you’re communicating your unique selling proposition (USP). However, before you can do so, you must first figure out what yours is.
Get to Know Your Customer
Who is your key customer? How old are they? What level of education have they attained? Are they married? What is their gender identity? What do they do for a living? What are their recreational pursuits? What are their key responsibilities? What are their pain points? Why do they need what you sell? How can your product make their life easier, more fun, or just plain better?
Get to Know Your Competitors
Identify your strongest rivals and examine their marketing materials. Scour their websites looking at their sales philosophies, their customer service procedures, return policies, shipping policies, etc. What are their key strengths? Where do they appear to be weak? What can you do that they are not doing?
Get to Know Yourself
What are your core values? Why does your company exist? What are your key strengths? What are you willing to do for your customers that your rivals are not? What makes you different? Why should anyone come to you for something they can get from any number of other places? In other words, what are your competitive advantages?
What Makes You So Dfferent?
Make a list of all of the possible answers to that last question—keeping in mind the nature of your ideal customer. Once you’ve completed that list, synthesize it into a series of statements. Then, reduce the essence of them into one or two sentences at the most. That will become your USP. However, before you rely upon it, stack it up against that of your main rivals to be sure it has legs.
Communicating Your USP
Once you’re convinced you have something nobody else does, make it the centerpiece of your marketing materials. Incorporate it into your tagline and run it with your logo. Don’t have one yet? Take advantage of a free logo maker to design one and work your USP into it. That way, your USP will appear everywhere your logo does. Incorporate a USP bar beneath your site’s main navigation bar. List the benefits of doing business with you on your checkout page, your About Us page and at the bottom of your homepage. Tout it in all your social media presences. Make it an intricate aspect of all your marketing and promotional activities.
And then—live up to it.
Actions Resonate More Than Words
If you’re touting fast free shipping, be certain it is both fast and free. If you’re saying you have a “no questions asked” returns policy, don’t ask any questions. In other words, to become known for the thing you say you are, you have to be that thing consistently, relentlessly and unwaveringly. People always pay more attention to your actions than your words. It’s not enough to just say you make the ultimate driving machine; you must actually produce it.
In other words, communicating your unique selling proposition is just the first shot you’ll fire in your war for consumers’ minds. To build a cadre of loyal customers based upon your USP, you must live and breathe its tenets. Remember, in the backs of their minds your customers are hearing Janet Jackson singing, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”
You’d better have a darn good answer.
