What’s your USP (unique selling point) or niche?
It’s a fact that, as a blogger – and for all businesses – you need to serve your reader’s/client’s needs to be successful. That’s true. But there are probably millions of other blogs that already serve your reader’s needs – so how are you going to make a difference with your blog?
Actually, why are you blogging as a business? What sets you apart from this overcrowded, highly competitive marketplace? What is your voice in this world?
To start off, most people look at what they can do, instead of who they are, their inner values, motives and desires. Looking inward to get somewhere outward is a good launching pad to finding out what your uniqueness or niche is.
Be you.
When we started out in our Eftpos and Point of Sale software business, we were just being ourselves, we just saw something nobody else saw – and that was, we are our own brand. We had integrity, paid careful attention to our clients and offered excellent, extra mile service.
That was simply what our niche or USP was. Alongside this, we started out at a time when competition was still low. Drawing on these two factors, we grew our business from there. It definitely wasn’t because of product differentiation because these products were the same ones our competitors used!
You are the unique factor.
For your blog, the key to your USP may not actually be the product or service you’re offering, it is really YOU. No matter what product or service, YOU are the unique factor in this equation. There’s no-one like you in all this world, there’s only one of you, ever.
Who you are, places an unmistakable stamp on your entire business, from your creativity, product or service, through to the way you treat your readers, staff and how you set up your systems. Everything. So let’s see how your uniqueness impacts on all you do: let’s break it down into:
10 steps on how to find your USP or niche:
- What do I value? The most, down to the the least?
- What are my strengths, abilities and gifts?
- What am I good at and enjoy?
- Why are my clients/readers important to me?
- How do I want to treat my clients/readers?
- Why am I offering this product/service?
- What do I get most worked up about?
- What do I get a lot of satisfaction from?
- Why am I in business?
After processing through and writing out your answers (maybe many times over) you’re now able to identify your USP or niche – the values that are you.
Your USP or niche forms your brand.
- How can you re-word these into a succinct, quotable sentence or two? For example “delivering proven and tested expert tips with a smile”.
- How can you deliver this practically to your customers/clients?
- Your USP is also a part of your brand or slogan and can be encompassed in your brand’s logo.
Was it that scary to delve deeper into who you are? You may have unearthed things you never thought about before, but remember, you’re unique and you can make a difference to your clients/readers.
What’s the USP you’re offering through your business? This is your niche.