Crafting Your USP - It's Not What You Do It's How You Do It

There are very few totally unique business types in this world (and if they start out unique they don't stay that way for very long).That means there are thousands of businesses in the same industry as yours.

So what makes you different from them?Why should people buy from you and not them?

In the past, businesses focused on tangible things such as price, product range and decor to try and make themselves stand out.That is fine as far as it goes, but all of these can be replicated.

If you compete on price there will always be someone who will undercut you.If you compete on range then someone will extend their range or mirror your product range.These are all temporary solutions.

If you want to create a business with longevity you need to be aware that what people really buy is something intangible.Every business creates a feeling or emotion that goes beyond what you do.It is this feeling or emotion that is the true essence of your USP.

To start with you need to look at what human needs you are fulfilling.Abraham Maslow back in 1943 proposed that people have different human needs.At the base level are the physiological needs for survival - food, water and sleep.Without these needs being met, then the body shuts down.

Next come the safety and security needs - personal safety, financial security, health and well-being.These needs take over when the base needs are generally met.

Next come the social needs - a need for belonging, for close friendships and supportive communities.

Next comes self esteem, respect by others, respect for others, confidence and achievement.

Finally comes self-actualisation - the need to maximise your potential.

While Maslow has his detractors, it is still a very useful model to consider.When you are in business you are really in the business of satisfying one or more of these human needs.But it is how you satisfy these needs that makes your business stand apart from others.

Take motels which provide a bed to sleep in.If it were as simple as just providing a bed then all motels would be the same, but motels provide much more.Some provide a safe haven, others provide a family atmosphere.Some are status symbols that show a person has "arrived" and others provide opportunities for personal reflection and growth.

But within these options the motels you are happiest in are the ones that make you feel a certain way.Think about ...you can be staying at the highest quality hotel, but if you are treated like garbage then you won't want to return.If you are treated with value and respect, then you will feel important and want to replicate this feeling.

There have been some studies that have shown that the greatest predictor of whether or not a doctor will be sued is not whether he or she made a mistake, it is how they made the patient and their family feel when they treated them.If they made a mistake but still were caring and made the patient feel valued, then the likelihood of being sued was dramatically less.

What makes a business totally unique is the feeling they give to their consumers.This feeling is intangible and can be broken in an instant if you do not act consistently with the feeling.It can also be the strongest bond on earth that attracts customers to you as if by magic if your business is truly in alignment with this feeling.

It is this feeling that needs to be reflected in all of your marketing, in all of your copywriting, all of your business images and all of your thoughts and actions.When you do this, then customers naturally are attracted to you and your marketing is much more effective.

So how do you put into words the unique feeling you give to people?

First you need to discover what that feeling is.You can do this through a range of means: talking with your favourite clients, listening to your employees when they talk about your business, taking time to reflect or meditate on the peak interactions you have had around your business.You can even have someone interview you to quietly tease out the threads of this feeling and help you put it into words.

Generally you will get snippets of words, fragments of ideas and wisps of concepts.By weaving these wisps together and then testing them with people to gauge their response, you will begin to be able to craft together the right words.

It may take quite a few variations to get the combination of words right, but when you do will you will have a solid "yes" in your heart.

Creating your USP this way is more challenging than having a marketing company go away and "write one for you", but it is a more fulfilling and more successful process.A good marketing company or copywriter will help you through this process so your end marketing material resonates with the true essence of your business.

Once you know how you want to make people feel, then you need to review all of your business processes and actions to ensure you give that experience in everything that you do.

After all ...it is how you do what you do that really makes the most difference in business.

About the Author

Ingrid Cliff is a freelance writer and the Chief Word Wizard of Heart Harmony - a writing services studio that helps put your business into words.

For a free copy of the "7 Secrets of Compelling Copy & Powerful Words" visit her website http://www.heartharmony.com.au "> www.heartharmony.com.au .

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What I Wish I Had Known About Websites When Just Starting My Business

I have been around computers for years, but only really started to embrace websites in the past 5 years.

As I have learnt and grown there is a pile of stuff that I wish I had known about websites when I was first starting out.Recently a number of start-ups have been asking my advice for beginners, so here are a few of the things I wished I had known when I was starting.

1.Domain names and web hosting are two different things

Starting from the simplest things.

Your domain name is just like your registered business name.It is the name of your business on the web.It can be your regular business name or it can be your keyword or keywords.

Your web hosting is the electronic equivalent of the landlord who leases you office space for your business.Your web host is the location where your business lives.

The other big lesson about domain names and web hosts is it pays to shop around.You can and will save thousands per year by doing your own research.Check out the forums and reviews for the most reliable companies with the best prices.Don't take your web developer's word as gospel.Generally they want to sell you their own package (with a huge cut in it for them).

The other thing I wish I had known is to buy more bandwidth, email accounts and domains than you think you will need.1GB storage, 3 emails and only 1 domain will get you nowhere fast and if you are like me you will max it out at the most inconvenient time.

It's not that big a deal to change your hosting.If you find a good one, they will manage the transfer for you, making it all quite seamless.

2.80% of all web designers don't know what they are doing (but will charge you a fortune in the process)

This is the most frustrating thing I have learnt.

Most web designers (especially the ones at the budget end of the market) cannot build a website that will generate good search engine rankings if their life depended on it.They have absolutely no clue about SEO (search engine optimisation) and will sell you designs that are search engine poison.The problem is most of them can talk a good fight and will baffle you with jargon that hides that they have no idea what they are doing.

You may get an attractive site, but it has no way to be found in search engines.Often the sites are all in flash, the keywords are useless and there are no decent metatags.And it generally would have cost the poor business many thousands of dollars to do.

If any of your web designers tell you it will take at least 6-12 months for search engines to find you then run away.A good SEO designer can have you ranking in search engines in less than a week.

If your designer insists they will make all the edits for you and that you can't do it - sack them.They are just trying to keep you hooked in to them.

If your designer insists on building you your own personal programs to run the back end of your database, newsletter or autoresponder - they are ripping you off just to make you stay with them.

If you have been caught out don't panic!You can choose a new web developer to update your site or hire an SEO expert to go over your site and improve things.

3.Good SEO Copy is vital to your website

Your website has 2 audiences - humans and search engines.

Unless you write in a way that search engines like and "get", your human audience will never find you to read your information.But ...if you write only for search engines, then it will appear stilted and unnatural.

You need to write your copy so that it is persuasive to both humans AND search engines.This is an art form and a science that takes many years to master.

Most copywriters are not trained in SEO, so while you may get great persuasive copy for your human readers, you may not get the search engine results you are looking for.A good SEO copywriter will cost you, but they are worth it in terms of business and search engine results.

4.Buy pre-packaged rather than tailor made

Wherever possible buy commercial pre-packaged products for things like your auto-responders, affiliate programs, shopping carts, newsletter broadcasts.

This means that the bugs in the programs generally have been ironed out before you get to them, they work with the features that you want and need, and they are cheaper!

The most critical piece is your auto-responder.You get one shot at choosing the right one, as every time you change your auto-responder program due to tough anti-spam laws, all of your lists must elect to resubscribe to your mailing list.You can kiss up to 75% of your list good bye each time you shift.

5.Akismet and Captcha are your best friends

If you have any forms on your website, comments sections on your blog or other methods of interactivity, insist on some form of human identification such as Akismet or Captcha.

They are the boxes down the bottom that ask you to type in the letters you can see.75% of all comments on blogs these days are spam.Akismet or Captcha reduces the number you see, so you are not manually deleting them every few minutes.

If you don't have something like these on your website and you have a form, expect your email box to attract the attention of spammers when their robots (yes they have their own versions of spiders out looking for vulnerable sites) find your address.

6.Host your own blog on your own website

Blogs are brilliant - but don't be tempted to host your blog on a site such as Wordpress or Blogger.

If you are going to go to the trouble of hosting a blog, do it on your own site (and not just publish to your site).

7.You can learn to do it yourself

There are piles of courses out there to help you learn.

Some are great and some are very expensive wastes of time.Do your research before you sign up for anything and check out some of the free courses available.

About the Author

Ingrid Cliff is a freelance writer and the Chief Word Wizard of Heart Harmony - a writing services studio that helps put your business into words.

For a free copy of the "7 Secrets of Compelling Copy & Powerful Words" visit her website http://www.heartharmony.com.au "> www.heartharmony.com.au .

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4 Tips for Creating a Directory Submission Strategy

Internet marketing professionals and SEO experts know that 80% percent of the traffic to your website comes from search engines.If that's the case, then is there any point in submitting your site to web directories?The answer is a resounding yes.

While directories themselves may not generate an overwhelming amount of traffic to your site, they can greatly improve your search engine ranking.

Search engines place a premium on one-way links, and that's exactly what links from directories are one-way links.So simply having a number of one-way links from directories can improve your search engine ranking immensely.

Not to mention that directories can drive targeted traffic to your site in a way that lots of other linking strategies cannot.Now that you know the value of web directories, use these four tips to create your directory submission strategy.

1.Prepare Your Site.If you don't have a high-quality site then chances are you won't get listed by directories.Your content should be useful and relevant.It should be free of "under construction" pages and broken links.Make sure that you keep ads to a minimum, that you don't redirect users to other pages, and that you don't have duplicate content on another site.

2.Get Your Listing Details Ready.Keep the following information in front of you at all times to make directory submission easier: Your URL, the title of your website, a description of your website, your keywords, and your name and address.

When preparing your website title, remember that some directories will only accept your website's official name while others will allow some keywords.If you submit your URL to sites that allow keywords, don't succumb to the temptation to keyword stuff.

When preparing your description, just write two or three factual statements about your business.It should never sound like an advertisement.

Some directories require you to separate your keywords by commas while others require you to separate them by spaces.Write them out in both formats to make this job a little easier.

3.Find Good Directories.Use DMOZ and Yahoo to find more-specialized niche directories.When you're checking out each directory, pay attention to how it's organized, and spend some time determining which category or categories are most appropriate for your site.When you submit your site, note it on a log with the date of your submission.

4.Check Your Results.Some directories notify you when your site is listed and some don't.Be sure to check the directories to which you have submitted often to find out if your site is listed.If it's been over two months and your site still isn't listed, try submitting it again, but don't resubmit any sooner than that.

You can also talk to the directory owner and inquire about your submission status, but don't make a nuisance of yourself if the owner doesn't respond to you.There's probably a reason that your site isn't listed.Remember that not all submissions are successful.This may be one of those cases.

Directory submissions have the potential to be a time-consuming and tedious task.If you're up for the job then go for it!If not, don't hesitate to contact an internet marketing professional.This person can offer tons of assistance.

Not only can she tell you which niche directories are most appropriate for your site, but she can help you submit to those directories, and even help you decide how to integrate directory submissions into your overall internet marketing strategy.

Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, be sure to make directory submissions part of your search engine optimization plan.Drive traffic to your site and turn visitors into loyal customers!

About the Author

Seomul Evans is a senior search engine optimization services consultant with "SEO 1 Services".

Submit Url at add url cafe.Read more in our SEO Blog.

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Copywriting When Your Offer Sounds Too Good To Be True

Copywriters face a special challenge when you offer a "knock you socks off" benefit. Readers will notice the promise and tell themselves, "I dont believe it." They click away to another website.

Recently I saw a notice promising "free web hosting without ads." And I dismissed the promise as yet another "too good to be true." I was reminded of all those diet plans that promise you can eat all the chocolate and french fries you want and still lose weight.

But suppose you really can deliver a product or service thats truly unique. In the free web hosting example, maybe customers automatically receive an ezine filled with hard-hitting ads. The hosting company could sell space in their ezine or they could run their own adsense or affiliate ads. Now the business model makes sense and customers will believe the promise - if you tell them.

So if you have a "too good to be true" offer:

1 Promise only what you really deliver. That means no surprises and no hidden fees, charges or conditions.

Suppose that web hosting company doesnt charge hosting fees or show ads on your website. But instead you have to join a club with monthly dues of 40. Or you buy their design services, whether you need them or not. Or they charge a set-up fee.

In any of these cases, their offer would not be genuine. As a copywriter, I would have to make sure customers really knew what they were buying.

Sounds far-fetched Ive seen dozens of "free stuff" offers from big name marketers. When I say yes, Im directed to an order form to pay shipping charges. Usually theyre modest -- just a few bucks because the marketer wants to capture your name and physical address.

But once I saw a terrific offer to get a product for 20... if Id pay a 40 shipping fee to get 6 CDs and a notebook. The actual shipping costs less than 10 and packaging maybe another 2. This offer comes dangerously close to being deceptive.

2 Design a website that absolutely screams credibility. Use colors, words and layout to communicate sincerity and commitment.

You dont have to spend big bucks on design. Most of the top marketers spend very little. In fact, a simple design with easy navigation and magnetic copy will encourage visitors to trust and buy from you.

3 Include testimonials with full names and URLs of satisfied customers and clients. If your clients dont have websites, use their cities and ideally tell readers their occupations.

You have to convince readers that these testimonials came from real people. These days, "Mary S from Chicago" will actually cost more credibility than no testimonial at all.

4 Defuse the hype. Include a line like, "Heres how we are able to make this offer." You may have a system, ingredient or business model that allows you to offer special value.

Ideally, you will translate your unique quality into a benefit. For example, a client says, "Most consultants require 4 visits to analyze your system. We need just 1 on-site visit. The copy will read:

"With 20 years of experience in this specialty, we have developed a 3-step system that allow us to analyze your system with just one on-site visit. You benefit because you can continue your business without interruptions. Your increase in productivity will more than justify your entire investment in our services." systems that create savings in time and money. Therefore, we can offer solution that deliver higher return for your investment."

5 Use a news type headline instead of a claim or "struggle" headline. So instead of "Get a free web host without advertising," you could say, "New 3-in-one program delivers free web hosting without ads." The sub-headings will assure readers, "No hidden charges or cancellation fees."
About the Author

And now I invite you to learn more techniques to attract clients and generate website revenue by claiming your free download of 7 Copywriting Secrets to Increase Sales. Get instant access by visiting
7 Free Copywriting Tips
From Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., Your Website Makeover Pro.

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