How to Define Your Brand USP & UVP

I’m sure you know your business’s ins and outs, yet you probably never sat down and put your thoughts on paper in some unified way. Which is why questions about your brand and business can be stressful for many business owners like yourself.

So I’m here to help you with defining your USP (unique selling proposition) & UVP (unique value proposition) so you can clearly articulate what you do and what makes you unique every single time someone asks.

In general, USP is a statement directly answering the dreaded question “What do you do?” It’s usually one main sentence directly describing the value your business brings to the table. You can add an extra description or few bullet points if needed.

How to define it:
Follow the below formula describing what you do, for whom, how it solves their problems/why you think it’s the thing they need. 

We help [your customer] do [what’s the #1 thing they want to achieve] by [describe specific results you offer based on your strengths].

How to use it:
USP is what you usually see first when you enter a website. It’s something about what you provide for your customers, not only about you. Honestly, people don’t care how unique you are, they just care how you can help them. Human nature 101. 

Example from my client’s website:

A good UVP is an extended USP that talks directly to the customer, addressing their problems, listening to their needs, introducing them to your solutions and makes them instantly see that they absolutely need to check out your offer.

How to define it:
The thing that you do – and who you are – that’s different from anyone else in your industry is what makes you unique, and it’s at the essence of what makes you valuable to your customer. For me, my UVP is that I work alongside my clients as partners and I help them to make the best decisions possible about their brand by offering them options, explanations and choices rather than telling them they need to make a decision about countless brand details they may not know about.

How to use it:
On the website, the value proposition is usually shown in short paragraphs quickly explaining the benefits of the offer/service. Note that you have multiple offers that are targeting different audiences/solving different problems, you may need multiple UVPs.

Example from my client’s website:

Sitting down and writing what makes your business unique compared to your competitors will help you write texts for your website, advertisement, social media & more.

It will help you form your pitch and articulate the most interesting thing about your brand in few sentences.