“What makes you unique, Lisa?”
Wow! That was the subject line of an email I received this morning. The email was from a company who wanted to sell me items to help promote my branding and in terms of email marketing; they did a great job of getting my attention early on a Monday morning.
But if you step away from their intent and really look at the question they formatted, it makes one stop and think. What does make us or our business unique? How do we stand out from the “competition”? Why should someone hire us?
In this world of “sell, sell, sell… buy, buy, buy”, small business owners often feel like they are in a never-ending, marketing spiral. They spend huge amounts of money and time trying to sell their product or their services. Do we really need to be “selling”?
Take 5 minutes right now to jot down what makes you and your business unique. Maybe it’s your quick response time… maybe it’s your incredible customer service… maybe it’s that you do exactly what you promised and your customers never need to second-guess you. Whatever comes to mind, jot it down. Now build on those notes. Write down complete sentences about “What makes you and your company unique”.
Those are the points you need to share with your customers. Notice I did not write “Sell to your customers” but rather “Share”. Add those statements about your uniqueness to your marketing materials, and your email newsletters. When a potential client asks “Why should I hire you?”, tell them. Let your customers and potential customers know what makes you unique and how that uniqueness positively affects them. Show them your “uniqueness” when interacting with them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You don’t need to “sell” – just “share”. In your marketing efforts, share your uniqueness.
“What makes you unique?”