How to identify your app’s unique selling proposition
A winning app needs thoughtful planning and smart marketing strategies. Whilst there is no hard and fast rule for an app’s success, it needs to be unique to create the desired buzz among users. Positioning, which is all about making your offer stand out from others, and more valuable than your competitors, is vital for the success of your app. A truly successful marketing campaign of your app requires you to find a way to communicate uniqueness and connect it to the need of your target audience. Your unique selling proposition (or USP) will be reflected by your position and even a small amount of differentiation could lead to a much greater shot at success. To identify the USP of your app, start looking at the bigger picture in relation to your marketing efforts. Here are a few simple ways to differentiate your app. These aren’t the only ways, but it’s a starting point to get you thinking.
Step 1: Describe your target audience
Get as specific as possible if you want to increase the chances of your success. Make your description as complete as possible by defining the customers in terms of characteristics, attitudes and buying behaviors. For instance, your audience (for a screen lock app) may need innovative, high-quality and a fund app. Also examine what your competitors’ target audience is and determine their common characteristics and why they buy the way they do. But keep in mind that you may need to go beyond your target audience in future.
Step 2. Define your target market
Brainstorm ideas about the “population” whom you’d be selling. Identify:
• Age
• Location
• Gender
• Income level
• Education level
• Marital or family status
• Occupation
• Ethnic background
These questions will give you a good idea of how to approach certain ideas with your users. Determine whether your app fits into your target audience’s lifestyle, and how and when will they use the app. What features will be more appealing to them? With a clearly defined target audience, it is much easier to determine where and how to market your app.
Step 3. List the benefits of your app
In this step, determine 3-5 most important benefits that your app can offer to your users which they would not get from anywhere else. From the client’s perspective, these benefits should explain why your app is distinctive as compared to others.
Step 4. Analyze your competition
Try to find the number and characteristics of your top three competitors. Analyze what makes them unique from you and in what ways you can differentiate your product from those of your competitors.
Step 5. Promise less and deliver more
It’s always better to promise less and deliver more. That would certainly give a boost in your reputation since most of the customers are adhered of getting what was advertised for. But remember it is equally important to deliver what has been promised, otherwise, it would give a good reason to users to look at your competitors.
Step 6. Remember your audience can change
Keep in mind that there is huge possibility that your app audience might change. For example, say men in the age group “30-40” started liking your Ringtone maker app which you’re earlier pitching to below 30 age group. It is also vital that your app serves well in capturing other age groups besides your target audience.
