Ok so we covered a bit about what sets you apart {or your unique selling point – USP} for your blog/business/social media or even your CV in 10 Steps to Build a Personal Brand. Definitely check out that blog post plus others under Business Life [see related posts below} but in case you missed it here’s a reminder:
Put simply, your USP is YOU! It’s your personality, expertise, quality, customer service, reliability. Once you know what sets you apart you can start to think about how you can provide content which delivers consistent expectations your readers or clients can count on.
For a Life twintastic, I like to think that my personality, authentic, down to earth style and useful resources and products attract readers, followers and customers.
alifetwintastic.blog May 2021
This post contains a FREE workbook which includes aspects covered in this post PLUS bonus questions to unlock YOUR unique selling point!
{Related posts}
So lets’s unpick how to find YOUR unique selling point a bit more….
The world {or internet} may have billions of people with their ideas and skills but there’s one thing no-one else on this plant has. And that’s YOU. Just to reiterate – your USP is {say it with me} YOU.
To quote Taylor Swift:
“I’m the only one of me
Taylor Swift ft. Bendon Urie “Me!”
Baby, that’s the fun of me”
{If you don’t know the song then check it out below!}
“Ok, so what’s so special about me?” I hear you ask. Well, other than being a one of a kind YOU my friend have sooooo much to offer, even if you don’t know/believe it yet. Let’s brainstorm:
- Personality
- Experience
- Experise
- Values
- Belief
Personality and personality traits
Are you bubbly and love small talk? Or maybe you’re more level headed and reserved. Maybe you put on a “mask” and act differently around different people/groups – you {or others} may perceive aspects of your personality in a negative way but hello adaptability and verstility! Your exuberance makes you reliable, your fearlessness trusting and being dutiful makes you persistent with an attension to detail. Take some time to jot down what you percieve to be your personality traits and ask those closest to you, collegaues and friends for a 360 review {see Take action below for a FREE workbook}.
Experience
Have you travelled around your country or the world? Are you a parent? Do you own a pet? Are you a carer or can fix your own car? Let me tell you a little secret when it comes to experience. YOUR LIFE IS EXPERIENCE. You may not believe this but not everyone knows how to curl their hair with straightening irons, or which washing detergents are best for allergies, or even how to add code to a website. You know so much more than you think just simply by living. Experience is gained from everyday encounters, adverntures and circumstances. There are hundreds of things you do {possibly on a daily basis} which you can use as part of your USP.
Expertise
Remember that shelf stacking job you had as a college student? Well I’m pretty sure that makes you somewhat of an expert in stock rotation and organisation as well as being accustomed to working as part of a team and a shift pattern, right?! How does this add to your USP? Experience working alongside studying,the ability to be flexible and adaptable to need, knowledge of stock rotation and how to ensure the appropriate systems are in place. Boom, USP. Then of course there is the college or university course itsself – did something random like Equine Studies {but now want to persue the fashion industry} – firstly, you have a qulification – whether it be an NVQ or Batchelors Degree – you have studied for and recieved a measure of achievement and with even just that you can pull out areas of expertise {as well as more experience!} Maybe you can then spin your USP as affordable fashion for college students etc.
Values
Your personal values and ethos will play a huge part in your USP. Believe everyone should be treated equally and with respect? Thats a great value. Do you always aim to be honest, dependant and loyal? Are you friendly, kind and always act with integrity? Do you strongly beleive in animal rights, equality, freedom and/or the rule of law? Together these can be summarised as your personal core values. For example, I believe everyone has the right to be treated with respect and kindness. I believe in empowering our peers {more on this in a moment} and equipping and enabling others. Together these form a huge part of my personal USP
Belief
Ok so you’ve got an idea of how you personality, experience, expertise and values can come together to form your USP {and we’ll brainstorm more under Take action below} – but do you believe in your USP? Do you believe you have something to offer than no-one else on the planet has? Beliving in yourself, your capabilties and what you can achieve, without limits, is going to be key in building your brand, blog or business. If you don’t believe in what you have to offer how are others going to believe and invest in it? Belief is a huge aspect of personal development and growth and is something we’ll dive into in another post, but for now it’s time to……
Take action!
A bit of homework for you – Take a peek at this FREE workbook which will take you through brain storming the aspects we’ve covered so far PLUS bonus questions to help really unlock your USP. Use it as a resource to come back to when your belief is wavering and as a motivational tool to pin point what you have to offer the world.
Sneak peek
Empower your peers
I have a confession. In the past I have been guilty of not only feeling jealous of others’ success but also not sharing my ideas for fear someone else will either pip me to the post or {even worse} do it even better!
But here’s the thing, no matter how “saturated” the world/interent may seem, there’s actually room for everyone. And why is there room for everyone {including YOU!} – because everyone has their own USP.
In a world where the internet is full of highlight reels and inevitable comparison – why not try celebrating your peers. This is where my encourage, empower and equip tagline came from. Equip clients with your knowledge, encourage your peers to reach their goal and empower your followers to have the confidence to step out of their confort zone.
Because one thing no-one else has in this world is your USP. How you create, deliver, put your own spin on content is unique to you. It’s called a personal brand because it’s about the personality behind the brand so let that shine through! And when your peers or competitors are on fire – be sure to fan their flames.
“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”
Jalal ad-Din Rumi
A quick word on plagiarism
Plagiarism is, basically, where you take and copy someone elses content without their consent and pass it off as your own. Oxford University states:
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional. Under the regulations for examinations, intentional or reckless plagiarism is a disciplinary offence.
There is a BIG difference between research and gaining ideas and plagiarism – make sure you ALWAYS either ask a creator’s permission or reference their work in your own work. Plagiarism is not an USP. Just don’t do it.
What have you discovered about your USP? Let me know in the comments!
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