At the heart of all of your sales and marketing activities is a proposition. You are offering something in return for their money.
Every business has a selling proposition, but not all businesses have a unique selling proposition (USP).
With so many options in the marketplace, unless you can put together an effective USP, your competition will consistently beat you out.
In this post, we’ll cover:
- The Basics of a Unique Selling Proposition
- How to Create a Unique Selling Proposition
- 10 Examples of Great USPs (in B2B and B2C)
What is a Unique Selling Proposition?
A unique selling proposition, or USP, is the key benefit that makes your business stand out from competition.
Said another way, a unique selling point is a unique aspect of a company’s products or services that sets them apart from what the competition offers.
A USP should make it immediately clear what value a customer gains from your product or service.
Often the best USP’s sound like a clever slogan or a bit of micro copy on your homepage – but it should be much more than that.
A great USP should do a few things:
- Communicate Value: A catchy slogan is nice, but what makes your product or service unique needs to be clear and memorable.
- Tell the Truth: Your business must be able to back up its claim.
- Focus on the Customer: Your USP must showcase a benefit that your target audience craves.
It’s worth noting that a unique selling point doesn’t have to highlight a unique product or service – it’s okay if your offering itself isn’t unique. But the unique value you bring to the table needs to be communicated uniquely.
How to Create A USP
At the core of a great USP are three things:
- What your business does best
- What your customer desires most
- What your competition’s messaging lacks
A unique selling proposition that connects what your business and with what your customers want, but doesn’t stand out from the competition – won’t stand out in the market.
A unique selling proposition that connects with your customers and stands unique in the marketplace, but can’t be fulfilled by your business processes will quickly lead to disappointed customers and a poor reputation.
A unique selling proposition that accurately portrays what your business can do, and is unique, but doesn’t connect with your customers will lead to an empty sales pipeline and little revenue.
The key is to find the perfect blend.
Here are a specific steps you can take for nailing down your own USP:
- Make a list of everything that makes your product or service unique. List all of your potential key differentiators.
- Research your competition. Take a hard look at your competitors, what they offer, and how they offer it. What from your list of potential differentiators is truly unique?
- Research your audience. Does your current product or service meet your customers’ needs? Is anything missing? Interview customers to find out.
- Study the data. Take the information that you’ve learned, and sift through it to single out your strongest differentiator.
Defining Your Unique Selling Proposition
Once you have a good idea, you need to define it and work it into your marketing messaging.
It doesn’t have to be a catchy slogan that lives on your homepage, though it certainly can be. But it does need to be clear and easy to understand.
Here’s a good sample template:
We offer [product or service] for [your target audience] to [your value proposition].
Unlike [one of your competitors], we [key differentiator].
Once defined, get creative with it. If you follow the template above, your USP probably doesn’t pack a punch. That’s okay. But when you start working it into your website copy and using it in ads, you’ll want to spice it up a bit. Take note from the examples below.
What if You Don’t Have a Unique Product or Service?
Your USP isn’t necessarily about having an entirely unique product or service. If you did, your selling proposition wouldn’t be all that important – because you wouldn’t have any competition.
You’re looking to identify what it is about your product or service that you do in a unique way, or in a way that adds unique value.
Even if you don’t do anything super unique compared to your competitors, the goal is to communicate your value proposition better than everyone else.
How Do I Create a Unique Selling Proposition for B2B?
In B2B marketing, there’s often a little less room for differentiation. There’s a good chance there are a number of other companies who do exactly what you do – unless you’ve created a software or product that really stands out in the market.
You’ll have to dig deep into what you do really well, and observe holes in the industry. For example, perhaps you provide your service much more quickly or provide a more pleasant experience than your competition. Maybe you approach one aspect of your business in a unique way no one else does.
Once you’ve identified a key differentiator, use social proof to help back up your selling point.
10 Effective Unique Selling Proposition Examples
We’ll look at five B2B brands and five B2C brands:
1. Saleswhale’s Automated Selling Point
Saleswhale is a sales and marketing platform founded in Singapore. They help sales and marketing teams optimise their pipeline at the bottom of the funnel.
Plenty of sales and marketing tools exist on the market, but what makes Saleswhale particularly unique is their ability to automate lead flow conversion with the help of AI.
They make this proposition abundantly clear on their website and throughout other messaging.
What makes their USP effective?
- A specific offering catering to a specific customer need
- Thoroughly spotlighting what makes them unique in the marketplace
2. Stripe’s Powerful USP
Stripe makes payment processing extremely easy for developers.
They’ve been able to define and target their ideal customer – and craft their messaging specifically for them.
“We bring together everything that’s required to build websites and apps that accept payments and send payouts globally.”
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Plenty of other businesses offer payment processing, but Stripe offers an integrated suite of products, giving developers everything they need to make payment processing as straightforward as possible.
Later on their homepage, they use the phrase, “Powerful and Easy to Use.” That’s a strong USP in a market full of complex solutions that often require additional products for a complete solution.
What makes their USP effective?
- It targets a specific audience, solving a big pain point
- It clearly stands out from competitors
3. Enovatek’s One-Stop Proposition
Enovatek is an energy company dedicated to energy-saving technology solutions.
Plenty of other companies offer energy solutions, but Enovatek makes it clear they’re a “One Stop Solution” who prioritizes practical solutions and energy efficiency.
They save clients time and hassle of dealing with multiple energy saving vendors and products.
What makes their USP effective?
- It hits on a common pain point for their target audience
- Their practical and efficient solutions stand out in the market
4. Fast’s Quick One Liner
Fast is another company in the payment and checkout space. Their popular tagline is, “One-click checkout.” Of course this doesn’t fully explain their USP in and of itself – but it does fully get the message across.
You can checkout in just one click.
It communicates everything you need to know: easier, faster, and streamlined online shopping for online retailers.
It is worth noting that Fast truly has a unique product. Sure plenty of other companies offer payment processing, but their product is actually a standalone in the market (for now). This makes it pretty easy to craft a winning selling point.
What makes their USP effective?
- They’re able to communicate value with three words
- Their offering is incredibly unique
5. HubSpot’s Paradoxical Selling Proposition
HubSpot is a great example of a company who does a lot, yet is still able to sum up their USP succinctly.
They offer a CRM, marketing automation tools, design tools, sales tools, service tools, and more. In a market saturated with different tools and integrations, having a software that’s strong yet easy to use is unique.
“Powerful, not overpowering.”
What makes their USP effective?
- It’s short and sweet, while communicating a whole lot
- It not only addresses a pain point, but a fear many have when engaging similar products
6. Canva’s Empowering Proposition
Canva is an online design platform that makes it easy to create and share beautiful designs.
Their USP is that they make design easy and accessible – even for those who wouldn’t call themselves “designers.”
When you consider their competition like Adobe’s suite of products, this stands out. Designing with Illustrator or Photoshop can be complicated and require some training.
But with Canva, anyone can design. And they make that clear.
What makes their USP effective?
- It taps into a pain point many didn’t even know they had
- It’s aspirational, appealing to making the world a better place
7. Orion Orthopaedic’s Unique Selling Point
Orion Orthopaedic is an orthopaedic surgery centre in Singapore specializing in world-class solutions.
Their USP: “Preserving Joints and Restoring Active Lives.”
Orion has honed in on the benefit of what they offer within their USP, restoring active lives. This is the greatest pain point for anyone struggling with joint issues or sports injuries.
Not only that, but the “preservation” route is one not many competitors take in their messaging.
What makes this USP effective?
- It gets at a unique benefit – not just a feature
- It highlights a unique approach
8. Lorna Whiston’s Targeted USP
Lorna Whiston is a school in Singapore offering preschool and enrichment programmes for children.
Their unique selling proposition is that they transform children’s lives and unlock their potential. Their target audience is parents – who want their children to achieve and find success in life.
Lorna Whiston’s USP communicates just that. It’s a tall claim, but they use testimonials and messages from parents throughout their marketing material to justify their selling point.
What makes their USP effective?
- It pinpoints a key aspiration for their target audience
- They bolster their USP with social proof
Learn how we helped Lorna Whiston use marketing automation to gain a 305% return on marketing investment.
9. ADDX’s Inviting USP
ADDX (formerly iStox) is a Singapore based investment company that makes it easy to invest in hedge funds, unicorns, and other companies that typically wouldn’t be available to the public.
They communicate their value in their homepage heading, highlighting the idea that this is private market investing for all.
Further down, they double down on the proposition: “It’s simple… This is how we’re changing a two-hundred year old system that has excluded most people.”
Not only are they opening the door for you to invest, but all who have previously been excluded.
What makes their USP effective?
- It clearly communicates what they do and what separates them from other investment platforms
- It’s aspirational, appealing to innovating the whole industry
10. Warby Parker’s Picturesque Selling Point
Warby Parker makes trying on and buying glasses easy and affordable. They use compelling copy to get this point across:
“Buying eyewear should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket.”
When communicating your unique selling proposition, there’s no better way to do it than painting a picture. Instead of saying, “We make buying glasses cheap and easy,” – which would be a fine USP – they paint a picture: “When you work with us, you’re happy and have more money.”
That’s a strong proposition!
What makes their USP effective?
- Their process stands out among competitors
- They communicate it with a picture, rather than being explicit
Take Notes from These USP Examples
If you’re struggling to define your own unique selling proposition, take inspiration from these examples.
As you probably noticed looking through these examples, the easiest products and services to craft USP’s around are those that are truly unique and valuable. If you can’t find anything that makes your product or service stand out – it may be a good idea to take a fresh look at your offering.
Take your time defining your USP, use these examples to help, and go stand out in your industry.
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