A USP, or unique selling proposition, is a core component to any good marketing and business plan. Your USP is what identifies and sets you apart from your competition and its used to help you position your brand as the best choice among all others. Whether you’re an author, a speaker or an entrepreneur, your USP needs to become synonymous with what it represents and stands for. Developing a USP with social media staying power is not as tricky as it might seem. Here are a few tips that will make tackling your USP easy as pie.

Since you’re writing a USP that will be shared via social media you’ll want to remember to use the ROAD model. An acronym, ROAD stands for: researching who your audience is and your competition, objectives that are defined and aligned with your target market, actions that include a  well developed strategy and plan to execute your brand via social media and devices that are the best social marketing fit based on your brand needs.

A USP needs to contain some basic parts in order to officially call it a USP. First, it should state what your brand is and what someone will get from it, in other words, the benefit. Next, it needs to be completely original from your competition. Your USP should differentiate your brand beyond just a benefit. Lastly, you ultimate goal should be to create a USP that is so strong it will compel your audience to take action and choose your brand over any others.

True, that’s a tall order to fill with USP, but no one said that this was an easy assignment. Writing a USP is a tough job and it shouldn’t be taken likely. If you feel like you’re grasping at straws before you’ve had a chance to put pen to paper try to find USP examples for inspiration. FedEx: “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight” and Avis: “We try harder” are just a couple of USPs for you to chew on.

Remember that when you’re putting your USP together that you want to begin with the end in mind. Think about how you’ll use the USP and where you’ll share it. Keep it simple, but succinct and most importantly, make it your own.