Martial Arts MarketingSchool Growth Potential
Multiply your Print Advertising Results, Quickly and Easily, without Spending Another Dime!
Part 10: The Anatomy of an Ad: Body Copy, Part 6Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Although you should replicate PROVEN successful marketing pieces and strategies, it’s also extremely important to separate your message from your “competition” and other marketing clutter in the marketplace.
In recent columns, I presented the concept of “agitating” the problem and invalidating all other solutions. Once you’ve explained to prospects why all other options are not as attractive as yours, you must convince them exactly why your solution is the best!
How would you describe EXACTLY why it’s better for students to train at your school than ANY other martial arts school in your town (or any other “activities” they may be considering)?
Does your USP address (solve) a problem of people in your market? Does your USP offer a benefit that the “market” wants, and is willing to buy from you?
Creating your USP starts with some serious thinking about how you want to be perceived in your market…
Creating your USP starts with some serious thinking about how you want to be perceived in your market, and why a prospective student should choose your school instead of any other available options.
Many (in fact, most) martial arts schools don’t have a USP. They (like a weather balloon) are COMPLETELY dependent on the trade winds of the current “economy,” or the fad currently popular in the marketplace. Their philosophy (or lack thereof) is simply to be one of many, with the sentiment: “If you’re looking for martial arts, then you can pick me if you like…I’m as good as the next guy…”
When the economy becomes difficult, these schools struggle and die the quickest, and ultimately give the “industry” a bad reputation for being unstable.
You can differentiate your USP in an infinite number of ways. These are a few. Are you the “cheapest” option (NOT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)? Are you the “we-teach-the-top-competitors” option? Do you provide the safest facility? Are your instructors educated and trained at a higher level? Do you teach a high-level character development curriculum?
You should challenge your sense of what your school is REALLY providing its students, and describe it in concrete terms. Write one or two sentences to describe your USP, keeping in mind that it must accurately describe the value and benefit you WILL ACTUALLY deliver to you students. You can’t create a good “sales pitch,” and then not fulfill your promise.
You USP will become a part of your school’s “culture.” Every member of your staff, every system in your school and every graduating student MUST be imbued with this benefit, and be living, breathing examples of how your USP impacts your students.
Another item to consider is what is the relative “value” of your USP?
Are there possible benefits that you can deliver to your students, for which they are willing to pay a premium? Are you providing a service that your students DON’T consider to be as valuable? What do your students REALLY want, and does it match what you REALLY want to deliver?
Differentiating yourself in the marketplace will allow you to virtually eliminate “price shopping” and price objections, as well as clearly carving a unique niche in your market. You can’t attract everyone, so use a strong USP to attract exactly whom you want!
