“Side-Step” Your Competition With Your Advertising Copywriting

Posted by David Tendrich on Dec 11, 2009 in All, Expert Copywriting | 2 comments

Hey there,

Today we’re getting right down into the nitty gritty, because if there’s one thing that’s going to make your copy blow away your competition – it’s your USP, or Unique Selling Proposition.

A quick story to help you understand what a USP is (then I’ll show you a real-life example of how to go about finding yours)…

I know this guy who’s extremely ADD, ADHD, and a bunch of other acronyms that basically mean he’s hyper as hell and has trouble sitting still.

Growing up they put him on all kinds of meds, like ritalin and stuff. It would help a bit, but he was still a really hyper person. But because doctors attached all of these labels and diagnoses to him, he felt there was a problem with who he was, and he got really insecure. He tried to change into someone else.

This kinda worked for a while – but his true nature would always slip out. I mean, if this guy sat down for more than ten minutes at a time you’d think his ass would catch fire because he’d jump up out of his chair and pace back and forth just to settle down some.

And then he met this girl in Miami…

And this girl really loved him for who he was – ADD, ADHD, and every other acronym and all.

And this did wonders for his self-esteem: suddenly he didn’t care about hiding his true nature, and he started to think that there was something wrong with the doctors – not himself.

And you know what? He was right.

See, when he accepted himself for who he was, this “weakness” of his turned into a strength. He became able to channel his energy into everything he did – and he quickly became extremely successful…

…because he figured out that his energy was contagious!

He could get other people feeling hyper as hell too, and motivated to go out and accomplish all of their dreams. And now, people see his ADD, ADHD, and every other acronym he has as part of his charm. It’s one of the many things that makes him unique. He’s not himself without them.

That’s his USP (unique selling proposition).

Do you kinda see what a USP is now? Can you maybe make the stretch to see how you can make this concept work for your business?

If you’re still on the fence, let me help you out…

Here’s a real-life example…

Say there are 10 personal training gyms in one area. All 10 get amazing results. And all 10 advertise like crazy.

How would you go about differentiating yourself from your competition?

First you’d probably want to see what your competition has going on, right? (duh!)

Okay, so say you checked’em out and all 10 have great equipment, and great facilities – friendly trainers, and clients who laugh and smile a lot throughout the workouts.

But there’s something that your trainers do at your facility that none of these other places do…

You have the most off-the-wall exercises that anyone’s ever seen!

Your trainers do stuff like giant tire flipping…

They’ll get on a bike, hold down the breaks, and make their clients drag them by a cable (my brother actually used to do this – no joke! and his clients loved it!)…

They do giant hammer swinging…

And a ton of other crazy, fun, outrageous exercises every time their clients show up that make them feel the greatest sense of accomplishment.

They never know what to expect when they come for a work out – just that they’re going to have a great time.

That could be your USP. Your gym has the top of the line equipment, but you prefer going outside in the parking lot and doing crazy exercises that are fun as hell. Your energy is off the charts.

If someone is looking for a complete and total experience in a workout – you’re the guy to call. Sure they’ll get results and have a great time at these other places…

…but if they want to experience something that they’ll never experience anywhere else in their entire lives, you’re the gym to call.

So basically, as you can see, a USP is a unique look at your business that separates you, and elevates you, above your competition.

It just puts you in a whole ‘nother league.

For a brand new business it could be that they’re going to work extra hard and give every project 110% because they need satisfied customers to compete with the other businesses who have been around for decades…

For an info product it could be that it’s presented in a really down-to-earth and entertaining way – not like those other products that might have great info, but are boring as hell…

It could be that your company uses the greenest way of doing things, so by choosing you people are helping out the environment…

Or it could be something as simple as when someone calls you, they won’t get a machine that tells them to press 1 for this and 2 for that – but they’ll immediately talk to a real-life human being…

Hey, it could even be that you’re extremely ADHD and contagious!

My point is, when you find what’s special about your business – what it is about you that no one else on this planet – then no one can compete with you. Literally.

Because if you’re completely unique – then there’s no one else like you.

And if there’s no one else like you, then there’s no one to compete with! When you set your foot down on who you are, and what’s unique about you and your business, you’re also making a statment to the world that says…

“This is who I am. If you’re like me, too, or if you like the way I do things, then we’ll make a great fit.”

You’re drawing a line in the sand, and people will admire you for putting yourself out there and making a strong statement.

Here are some questions to help you uncover your USP:

1. What is it about me that makes me a unique individual?

2. Why do people like me and want to do business with me?

3. Why do people constantly choose me over my competition?

4. What are my greatest strengths as an individual? As a business?

5. What was a defining moment in my life? Why was it such a defining moment? What did I learn about myself in that moment, and about life in general?

Then scroll down and post your answers in a comment!

Looking forward to reading’em

-David