In the A – Z of Marketing, Y is for … You!

Many small businesses struggle to work out their USP – unique selling point – that makes them different and makes them stand out from the crowd. Without a USP it can difficult to persuade a potential client to work with you, rather than one of your competitors. For many years I’ve wondered about USPs and what makes very small businesses (ones with only a couple of people in them) really different. For years I’ve tried to avoid one idea that kept cropping up. And then a few years ago, I gave in and accepted the fact that the thing that makes these small businesses different is mainly the people.

If you run your own business and there’s just you (or you are the ‘front’ or the ‘face’ of the business) then your USP is … you! You are what makes your business different. You might be an accountant, a sales trainer or a life coach. The service you provide to your clients is essentially the same as other accountants, sales trainers and life coaches, what makes your service different is the way in which you deliver it ? your knowledge and expertise combined with your personality and the way you do things.

How can you use ‘you’ to promote your business?

We all like to work with people we like. I’ve written about the Law of Attraction in other blog posts (click here to read one of them) but basically, it’s about finding people who are like you, because you’ll like working with them and they’ll want to work with you. You need to know who you are and what makes you tick, because when you do, you’ll be
able to look for people like you. I’m quite a bouncy, positive, creative sort of person. When I meet people who are loud and brash, or negative and always complaining about the weather, I find it really difficult to work with them. So I don’t! I focus on the other Tiggers who have loads of ideas about their business and a positive attitude and we have lots of fun together!

Let prospects meet ‘you’.

The other way in which you can use ‘you’ to promote your business is through marketing activities like networking. It’s not about standing up and ready off a one minute pitch about your business and how great you are. It’s about using networking to let people meet the real you, because if you’re the only one in your business, or you’re the face of the business, your clients will buy into ‘you’. Tell them who you are and what makes you tick and you’ll find it easier to attract the right clients to your business.

So if you’re like me and you’ve been looking for the USP in your small business, stop looking and just work on being you!