Think about your favorite brands. The influencers you follow, the retail stores you can’t get enough of, the package free products you sit by the door and wait to arrive in the mail. Every brand that you’ve ever told a friend they just had to buy from had one thing in common, a unique value proposition. Something that made them different from the rest and gained your loyalty.
A unique value proposition is what you bring to the table that only you can bring. A voice that gets your customers laughing, values that align with your ideal audience, a product that really is new to the scenes, and fixes someone’s pain point or customer service that is unparalleled to another business out there. These are all unique value propositions that will help you stand out from the competition when you leverage them. When you own your uniqueness.
IMPOSTER SYNDROME
Here’s the reality, building a business is much more of a head game than it is a marketing game. I know this because it’s the number one thing me and my business coach talk about when we have our calls.
Your mind goes rampant on a search for all the reasons you’re going to fail at this. You hold on to every single way this could go wrong and then overthink every decision. To make yourself feel better (but actually make things worst) you decide to copy what other people are doing. Hey, if it works for them, it has to work for you right?
Maybe. It could move you along for now, but it won’t keep you moving and it won’t create the brand of your dreams, with your values. What other people are doing is great, but that doesn’t mean that it will work for your audience or match the way you think and run a business. Imposter syndrome ends up destroying you because it makes you feel small and it makes you think small.
OWN YOUR MAGIC
This is when the deep work comes into play both in your mindset and in evaluating what makes your brand different from the rest (hint: it’s most likely you who built it) and then leaning into that difference, hard.
When I’m working with clients and we’re trying to see what their unique value proposition is we look at the product they offer, the values of the brand, the audience they’re serving and the people who started this business. I then have them list all the ways that they are different, big and small, and put it down on paper.
Now that we have a list of ideas, we want to focus on 1-2 of these ideas to be a part of the bigger brand story. Like a yoga studio who’s niche audience is moms instead of everyone. (Read here about creating a detailed client profile). A sustainable clothing line that pushes for you NOT to buy their clothes because you don’t need 12 shirts but 1 that lasts you forever. A tech company that’s goal is to end the monopoly of fitness business management software and gives wellness brands the option of simplicity and ease with an updated interface.
YOUR UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION
There is something about your brand that is different from your competition. In most cases, it’s not what you sell but about the people behind the brand or the audience you serve.
Ask yourself:
- What are you good at?
- What lights your fire?
- What makes you angry?
- What makes you different?
- What are people most impressed with about your brand?
These could all be the unique value proposition you’ve been looking for. The thing that will help you stand out from the crowd and own your magic. No more feeling like an imposter but knowing that you get to build your brand your way.
So unfollow the brands that you’ve been basing your strategy off of. It’s not serving you. Instead, dive deep into what makes you different. What values your brand holds. Who you serve and the pain points they have. Then build your brand and the content you share around that.
If everyone else is doing it, you can almost be sure it’s not something you want to be doing. Instead, find your uniqueness and hold onto it. Make that the foundation of your brand, and watch as you connect with your audience and create lifelong customers. I’ll be over here, dancing on the sidelines for every raving fan you create!
