Look at the underlined words in the text and explain their meaning.

Look at the following information

Winning USP Examples

The following are 6 powerful USPs that alleviate the "pain" experienced by the consumers in their industries.

Choose one of the industries above and create your own USP. Use the text below to help you.

Three-part definition of USP

1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to the customer. Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each reader: "Buy this product, and you will get this specific benefit."

2. The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot, or does not, offer. It must be unique – either a uniqueness of the brand or a claim not otherwise made in that particular field of advertising.

3. The proposition must be so strong that it can move the mass millions (i.e., to pullover new customers to your product).

Identifying your USP (Five questions you should ask yourself)

1. Will my perspective customers perceive this as an advantage?

2. Is it significantly different from what my competitors are offering?

3. Why my prospective customers actually believe in this USP?

4. How will my customers benefit from this USP?

5. Will this USP motivate customers sufficiently to actually make a purchase?

Three steps to creating a great USP

6. Be different! Define your competitive advantage and your uniqueness

7. Focus on your competitive advantage, be specific about the value you offer to the customer

Keep it short.

UNIT 3

Branding

· What is a brand?

· Why are brands important?

· What do they mean to consumers?

· What makes consumers choose brands rather than goods?

· How can brands be built?

Read the text.

What Is A Brand?

Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big visibility for small businesses. Erin is passionate about helping her clients stand out in front of their competition and attract more clients. Her "Define Your Difference Branding Workbook" will help you with your brand definition - the most important step in the branding process.

Creating a brand is one of the most important things that you'll do in the establishment of your small business. But defining what "brand" means can be a tricky task. There are so many different approaches to branding a business and so many elements of a brand. The most accurate definition I know is: A brand is the collection of perceptions that your customer has about your business.

Here's another definition from Wikipedia: it is the symbolic embodiment of all the information connected with a product or service. A brand typically includes a name, logo, and other visual elements such as images or symbols. _____ (1). Such people include employees of the brand owner, people involved with distribution, sale or supply of the product or service, and ultimate consumers.

This definition usually makes a small business owner feel rather powerless over their brands. ______(2) For example, if a customer has a bad experience, or happens to be in a bad mood when they work with you, there's a good chance that their impression of your company will be less than favorable. However, there are a lot of actions that you can take to influence and to help shape your customers' thoughts about your business, and to work towards making those more positive.

Let's start by looking at how large enterprises approach "branding." Enterprises typically devote a rather substantial budget to "brand-building." Generally, the process of brand-building begins with hiring big thinking branding consultants to define a business's brand. Then, focus groups are conducted with current and potential customers to make sure that the branding is on the right track. After the branding has been refined, corporate messaging will be developed to reinforce the brand, and a brand identity will be designed to visually communicate about the brand. _____ (3). There are many more activities that large businesses can do to build brand awareness and to create equity in their brands.

But this approach makes branding a particularly difficult task for a small business. Small businesses typically do not have the budget for research, high-priced consultants, and nationwide ad campaigns.

There’s a much more compact-and economical-package:

• Brand Definition: This is the process of defining your business: Who you are, what you do, who you can best help, and what makes you different from your competition. You must have all of these factors well-defined to create an effective brand. _____ (4) Worse yet, you might wind up looking like you have "multiple personality syndrome," which can thoroughly confuse your customers.

• Brand Identity: also known as the graphic "face" of your business. Small businesses certainly benefit from creating a logo and a consistent set of marketing materials. _____(5) So having an iconic logo and a strong visual vocabulary used throughout your materials greatly increases your business's memorability - and makes it more likely that your customers will think about you. The colors, fonts, and symbols that you use throughout your Brand Identity can also communicate your Brand Definition to your customers in a visual way that's more powerful than using words alone.

• Brand Messaging: _____ (6). What is the main message that you want to tell people about your business? What do you want them to remember about you, and how would you like them to pass the word along to others they meet? You can influence many of the thoughts that your customers have about you, and how they talk about you, by having consistent messaging in your marketing materials.

• Brand Service: This is how you perform your tasks, relate to your customers, and deliver your products or services. _____ (7) But with the definition of a brand being so customer-focused, keep in mind that the way that you serve your customers is one of your biggest points of contact with them and the experience can really shape their opinions. Make sure that your service and business practices are in-line with your brand, whether you're relating to existing clients or new prospects.

If you address all four of these branding points in your small business, and keep your customers in mind throughout your brand-building efforts, your brand will be an effective way for you to form a connection with your clients and prospects, and will make your business stronger.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1398