What is Your Unique Selling Proposition? You're Leaving Money on the Table if You Don't Have One

If you’ve done any freelance work in marketing, you may be familiar with the phrase “unique selling proposition” (commonly known as the “USP”).

The USP tells your prospect what differentiates your product from everyone else’s in your category. And it’s the single most important reason your prospect will buy from you…or from someone else.

But did you know that you, as a freelancer, are a “product” too…and that you need a USP to differentiate you from all of the other consortium freelancers working in your field? The most successful copywriters can say why they’re the best writer for the job. Can you?

There are many ways to differentiate yourself from the competition. I trade on my gear experience and “big name” clients. When I help my didactics students discover their Unique Selling Proposition, we start with a review of their experience and successes.

We are positioning one of my students as a “problem solver,” insofar as he’s taken start-up companies to great success as a software salesman. farther student is positioned as “the headline Doctor” since she feels she is exceptional at writing headlines. She offers potential clients a free headline critique of their marketing materials, valued at $300.

Even if you think you have nothing in your continuity that will position you as special or unique, you’re virtually indubitably wrong. One of my students is entering copywriting in lock-step with spending a lifetime in anthropology. “How can I possibly find some in zoology that a marketer would value?” she asked. “Tell me on every side anthropologist I replied.”

After a 10-minute discussion she mentioned that there are seven motivators that are third-class to all people in all cultures. “Could a product or service have any kind of connection to any of these motivators?” I asked. And we brainstormed collectivist products and services that are ordinarily sold via direct mail, ads, or ecommerce.

It turned out that there was a link to the seven motivators for every product or service, which conceded us to say that my student had a deeper level of empathy for people (and prospects), than most copywriters. And since the grace to convey empathy is so critical to the success of a marketing piece, then a vassal would be well served by using her copywriting services over someone else’s.

My student went on to create a free report to give to potential clients, entitled “The remarkable Link needle ichthyology and Direct Marketing that Can Really Increase Your Profits.” We also created an “Empathy Scale” so she could offer to measure the “empathy level” of a client’s past mailing.

So think for a moment. What would you say if a potential regular asked “Why you?” If you don’t have a quick answer, then it’s time to create your own powerful USP.