This video is a great example of the importance of being different:

This video is taking off and getting a lot of views … people love it.

Why?

Because the characters are doing things that you don’t usually expect them to do. And the song is being portrayed in a way that you wouldn’t usually see. Put them together, and they have a uniqueness that’s hard to top.

This strategy should apply to your business too. In order to be really successful you need to make yourself stand out. How can you be different to all your competitors? What can you do or offer that they can’t?

You have most likely heard of the term USP – your ‘Unique Selling Point’ or ‘Unique Selling Proposition’. Many small businesses come up with their USP, but often there really isn’t anything unique about it at all.

To be truly unique means to be doing something that none of your competitors offer. Being ‘reliable’ or having ‘the best food’ or ‘the greatest service’ isn’t unique. Who decides who is the best? The most reliable? The greatest? These are all very difficult to define, and no doubt every business will say they’re the best/greatest/most reliable.

Remember the first pizza company to state that they would deliver your pizza in 30 minutes or less or it’s free? That was unique. Or what about the first company to offer the lowest price around or they’d beat the competition’s price by 10%? Then there’s the bank that guaranteed that you would queue for no more than 5 minutes.

These were all services that nobody else offered. They stood out from the crowd and were remembered for it. What’s more, they often backed up their claims with a strong guarantee.

So, what’s your USP? What makes you a totally unique, one-off business? What do you do or offer that none of your competitors do?

The Importance Of Being Different is a post from: Donna-Marie Coggins