Lesson 2: Finding Your Brand Voice and USP

Promoting Brand Voice and

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Your target customers will need a compelling reason to choose your product over any other on the market. So how do you make sure your storefront stands out among the competition? The key is having a strong brand identity. In this module, you will learn how to build a successful brand by setting clear expectations for your business and delivering on them consistently.

Make a promise

A brand is a promise that a business makes to its customers.Your brand identity is not only the image that your business projects, it is the set of expectations that your customers associate with that image. A good brand signals to your customers what your business stands for and what experience your products or services will deliver.

Define your brand

Establishing your brand identity begins with deciding what sort of promise you want to make to your customers. Are you a reliable supplier of quality agricultural inputs? Are you a low-cost wholesaler of maize? Are you a full-service custom manufacturer of metal products? Do you guarantee low-cost, high-quality items or pride yourself on having trustworthy customer service?

If you’re having trouble identifying what sort of business you want to be, try asking yourself the following questions:

• What are my store’s core values?

• Who is my target market, and what problems do I solve for them?

• What are the unique features and benefits of my products?

• What do I offer that no one else does?

• What types of feelings and experiences do I want my customers to associate with my store?

Form your unique selling proposition

Together, the defining qualities of your brand can be summarized and packaged to form a unique selling proposition, or USP. A USP is a bold, pithy statement that conveys the benefit your product offers over your competitors.

Think of it like an elevator pitch. If you sold high-quality sunflower oil, for example, you might say, "Next to making it yourself, this oil is the best money can buy.”

Lab Work

Try drafting a USP for your store and testing it at different points in the customer experience.

Why are so many businesses saying the same things at the biggest party of the universe, the marketplace?

Listen.

Before you write, make sure you listen. How do your customers communicate? Paying attention to your brand voice will help you to refine it properly. Your goal is to build brand affinity by using the diction and sentence structure that’s appealing to your audience and authentic to your offering.

Inspire.

Your brand voice should be inspiring. Speak directly to your audience. Use action verbs and short phrases.