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This contributor post was written by Genevieve of Lightbox SF.
Unique Selling Propositions or USP is a sales and marketing term that boils down to: What do you offer that makes your business stand out from all your competition? What makes you unique?
It’s actually a harder question to answer than you think. I was stumped the first time a marketing coach asked me. I knew that Lighbox SF wasn’t like every other creative business coach out there, but I couldn’t put into words why or how. After really mulling it over, the answer came down to a few things that made us different. Our various backgrounds that influenced how we worked and wanted to work with clients, our philosophy of marketing a business that focuses on storytelling, embracing uniqueness, and community and our focus on creating a sustainable life and business at the same time come together to set us apart. However, it took us almost a year to be able to really express it.
Today I’d like to pose the same question to you and I really want you to think about it. Do you do anything that no one else can or does? Do you offer something that can’t be found anywhere else? Is your design style so unique that no one else can come close? There are a few of you that may answer yes to one of those questions, but many of you won’t. Don’t despair!
A USP can be something as simple as how quickly you complete custom orders or the personalized service you give in your shop. It doesn’t have to be amazing new technology or even a product no one else has seen, but it needs to be something that people want to come back for. It needs to be a distinction that makes it easy for customers to decide to pick you over your competitors.
Think of your product from the customer’s point of view. You’re looking for a new pair of shoes and you see two pairs that look very similar and you like the style of both of them, but one is almost twice the price of the other. Seems an easy choice right? You choose the cheaper one. But what if you knew the ones that were more expensive would also be so comfortable you could wear them all day, running errands, to work, and even out for a night on the town and your feet wouldn’t hurt. However, the cheaper ones, even though they looked the same from the outside would give you blisters by lunch. If the expensive shoes fit within your budget, wouldn’t you buy them?
A USP is often about perceived value, not straight up cost or detail. Customers like things to be easy, they like to have experiences that make them feel special, and we generally buy because we want something, not because we need it.
Answer these few questions and you’ll be a lot closer to defining your USP.
1. How does your product make your customers feel?
2. What keeps them coming back?
3. What do you do that’s different from your competition?
4. Do you or can you solve a problem for your customers or within your industry?
Be specific. Give proof of your benefits. And most importantly can you consistently deliver on this USP every single time you make a sale?
I’d love to hear what makes you different from your competitors.
Leave your response in the comments below.
Genevieve Robertson writes about creative marketing strategies over at Lightbox SF. She helps makers, artists, and crafters brand their businesses by telling their stories and embracing what makes them unique.
This contributor post was written by Genevieve of Lightbox SF.
Your website is the face of your business and it’s often the first impression a customer has. I’ll be the first to tell you that much of running your own business is pretending you know what you’re doing and making stuff up as you go along, but if the first thing a customer sees instills them with the sense that you have no clue, they are not going to part with their hard earned cash.
So what can you do?
Here are 5 of the biggest mistakes I see and how you can easily solve them.
1. Giving Away Control
You know those websites that have “get your own domain” ads all over them, not professional. I understand needing to keep things cheap, but if your business can’t afford hosting, you’re not a serious business. There are a number of options for around $10/month, Bluehost and Dreamhost are just two of the hundreds of options out there. Your website needs to be entirely yours to control.
2. Bad Photos
If I can’t get a clear picture of what you’re selling, I certainly don’t want to buy it online. Dark, blurry photos, distracting backgrounds and over stylized or Photoshopped images are the biggest offenders. There are tons of tutorials out there on taking good product photos on the cheap. If you invest the time to learn, it will certainly pay off in time.
3. No Personality
We buy things for the feeling or experience it gives us. If I know nothing about who you are, why you do what you do, or even why your product is the best, I’m going to move on. We want to know the lifestyle or image we are perpetuating by purchasing. We want it to give us status, belonging, or a story to share. Be engaging, show your personality.
4. No Social Media Presence
Again it’s about engaging, giving your customers a chance to connect. At a bare minimum you should have a blog or Facebook page, but I would also recommend a regular newsletter and a Twitter account. This may sound daunting, but customers want to be able to choose how they interact with you. The more choices you give them, the better chance that they’ll like, follow or read what you have to say.
5. Hard to Find Information
Customers come to a website looking for information. This needs to be easy to find and easy to read. Your about and contact information should be on clearly marked pages with no searching required. Fonts also need to be basic and easy to read, your type is not the place to get fancy.
To have a serious business that people want to buy from you yourself need to take it seriously, that means investing time and (I’m afraid) money into crafting a polished, professional appearance that alludes to the amazing business you are working toward becoming.
image credit: personalized number poster by eva juliet
Genevieve Robertson writes about creative marketing strategies over at Lightbox SF. She helps makers, artists, and crafters brand their businesses by telling their stories and embracing what makes them unique.
This contributor post was written by Genevieve of Lightbox SF.
As December draws to a close many of us have the natural inclination to reflect on the year gone by and create big hopes for one quickly approaching. I’m not much of a fan of resolutions because of the “succeed or fail dichotomy” they set up, but I am a fan of big planning and dreaming. So I want to challenge you with an exercise I have many of my clients do in the early stages of our working together.
Give yourself an hour or two where you know you can write undisturbed. Set up your favorite writing tools, blank paper and pencil, your favorite lined notebook and fountain pen or your computer, maybe with a program like Omm Writer.
I want you to write out the details of your ideal day. Start from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep. This isn’t a getaway vacation day, but an ideal day in your everyday life. What work would you be doing? Where would you be doing it? Who else would you interact with? How many other things you enjoy would fit into your day?
Don’t let yourself get hung up on your current reality. If you have a toddler at home, but are secretly yearning for the day when he goes to school so you have your afternoons to yourself, write out that day. Dream bigger than you possibly dare.
Add in all the details you can. Think of how your entire life will be at this moment, not just your work experience. Are you in better shape and effortlessly fitting in exercise? Have you found the supportive, loving partner you’ve been searching for? Write out how he fits in. How do you feel during this day? What specific tasks are you doing? What is your larger role? This vision can be next year, 3 years or 10 years from now.
Imagining your perfect day allows you to see a new reality of what could be, it gives you something tangible to work toward. Use this vision you’ve created as a guide for what you want to accomplish in the coming year. Post your perfect day somewhere where you can see it. Use it as motivation when you have those “frustrating, just want to quit” days. If you can imagine it, it is possible.
What can you do right now to get one step closer to this reality?
painting by Lisa Coutts
Genevieve Robertson writes about creative marketing strategies over at Lightbox SF. She helps makers, artists, and crafters brand their businesses by telling their stories and embracing what makes them unique.
This contributor post was written by Genevieve of Lightbox SF.
When a new client comes to me I always start with their story. I ask them to tell me their story, tell me what makes them different, tell why I would buy their product over the competition. Most of them struggle; they don’t have the words because they haven’t really given it much thought. And to the ones that can rattle off confident answers to my questions I usually say, “Why doesn’t your website say all of that?”
Consumers want to find meaning; they want to know the why behind what they’re buying. It makes them feel like their making the right choice and it gives them a story to pass on. “I bought this handbag because the woman who made it is totally obsessed with vintage and every piece of fabric she uses is at least 20 years old.”
Look at the way you communicate with your customers, via your blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed, and website. Are telling your story? Do you share why you make what you do? Have you ever written about your process? Don’t be afraid to say what makes you different from your competition and if you solve a problem make sure that’s clear.
The obvious way to communicate your story is in your about page. Leading with a point of reflection or aha moment is a great way to bring customers in. They can relate to a struggle that lead you to design the “perfect” messenger bag for a more girly girl. Rewrite your about statement to include an aha moment and what really makes you different from the competition.
Your blog is also a great way to engage and connect with your fans. Post pictures of your process, talk about finding inspiration, tell us your backstory. Depending on how often you post make sure to work in one more personal or behind the scenes post every week or month. Some of you may have really personal blogs already, but are you sharing the things that set you apart or are you just sharing your life? There is a difference.
Your Twitter and Facebook posts are also a great way to tell more of your story. Post pictures of things that inspire you. Share blog posts that are part of your research. Talk about the problem you solve and how you are a great solution. Don’t be shy we really do want to know all of this.
What are some of your favorite crafters and designers that really share their story?
photo by Tascha
Genevieve Robertson writes about creative marketing strategies over at Lightbox SF. She helps makers, artists, and crafters brand their businesses by telling their stories and embracing what makes them unique.
This contributor post was written by Genevieve of LightBox SF
It may only be October, but many of you are already in a tizzy over prepping for the holidays. While I don’t really want to add more to your to-do list I would like to share some easy ways to give your shop a little makeover for the holiday season. Whether you sell through Etsy or directly through your own website you can easily implement these simple tweaks over the next few weeks.
About Page
Your about page should help you connect with your customers not be a resume. I challenge you to read your own from your customer’s point of view. Do you get a sense of why you love your work or what inspires you? Buyers don’t purchase an item they purchase an experience. When selling online the best experience you can give your customers is a story to retell or connect with.
Quick Fix: Add a sentence or two that tells the customer what difference your product will make in their life. Will they be more stylish, will they feel more confident, will their hands now be extra toasty?
Major Overhaul: Rewrite your about statement to appeal to your customer’s point of view. Share personal anecdotes and explain your inspirations. Tell them what need or want your product fulfills. They don’t care about degrees or areas of special study, your customers want to get a sense of who you are and feel confident you’re the right one to buy from.
Item Titles and Tags
Whether you sell through Esty or your own website your titles and tags are how a buyer finds your item. Titles need to be descriptive and enticing, while tags should be as relative and specific as possible.
Quick Fix: Update your titles to make sure you’re using words that a buyer would use. You may name your items after flowers or characters, but add in Sterling Silver Necklace so that you can be found. Try to use three words that hit the important features of the item.
Major Overhaul: Answer as many of these questions as you can in both your title and tags: What is it (as specific as possible)? Who will want it? What materials are used? What relevant techniques are used? What color(s)? What style or trend does it fit into?
Item Descriptions
It’s ok to be a salesman, people want to details and they want to be convinced. The description is no place for subtlety.
Quick Fix: Your first sentence needs to grab your buyer’s attention. Start all your descriptions with the most important detail, the problem you solve, the material you use, the style trend it fits into, etc.
Major Overhaul: After you’ve sucked them in you need to get to the details quick. Lay out everything the customer would want to know, size, shape, color, materials, uses, etc. Use “I” statements as often as possible and be specific when describing details. Paint a picture the buyer can imagine, how exactly would they use the item, who is the type of person who would like this item. Remember they may be buying for someone else.
Put a few of these quick tweaks into action and your shop will be even more enticing this holiday season.
image credit: Yarn Wreaths by Christopher and Tia
Genevieve Robertson is a photographer, writer, thinker and co-founder of Lightbox SF. She helps makers, artists, and crafters brand their businesses by telling their stories and embracing what makes them unique.
