June 5, 2024
Pierre Bourdeau—Director P&C Marketing, CAA Insurance Company
In today’s competitive insurance sector, it’s essential to have something that differentiates you. That’s where your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) comes into play. You’ve hopefully decided on your USP and what your brokerage stands for. Now it’s time to create marketing content that supports it.
Remember, it’s not enough to say you stand for something. If you want people to believe you, you’ll need to demonstrate your USP at every consumer touchpoint. Start walking the talk and living your value proposition.
Showcase your USP in all parts of your marketing campaign.
How you talk about your USP will depend on each marketing piece. Some formats will give you space to explain your positioning in detail. Others will require you divide your story into snippets. Sometimes you’ll need to simply rely on an image. The key is to showcase your USP in everything you do.
- Your website. Usually a consumer’s first stop, your website is the perfect place to tell your whole story, so think about how to use it best. If you’re pushing the friendly local angle, include testimonials from local businesses or people, broker photos, personal quotes and direct links to each broker. Is your brokerage positioned as the ultimate online solution? Consider including sleek graphics and cool gadgets. Do you stand for excellent customer service? Provide opportunities to ask questions/chat on every page.
- Print ads. Unless you’re creating an advertorial-a great way to explain your USP in detail, by the way-your ad space will likely restrict you to feature one aspect of your USP per ad. Do you have a business promise or guarantee that supports your USP? This is the ideal place to highlight it. If you want to be known as the friendly broker, use images from the local events you’ve sponsored. If space constraints dictate that your USP becomes a single tagline at the bottom of your ad, remember you have other marketing materials to tell your story.
- Social media posts. These are designed to quickly generate interest, so create a series of them, each featuring a different point. You can showcase your community involvement, introduce people to a handy calculating tool you have, or even introduce the brokers in your company. Whatever you decide to feature should tie back to your USP.
- Blogs and articles. Online content is a very effective way to help build brand recognition that reinforces your USP. If you stand for tech, write an article about how tech is changing the insurance industry. If your brokerage pushes personalized service, discuss the five ways businesses should deliver. Or if your brokerage makes insurance easy, perhaps post a guide explaining complicated insurance terms. Then be sure to promote them on social media.
- Community Involvement. Get involved in community initiatives that reflect your USP. If you’re the family-friendly brokerage, sponsor a kids’ sports team and push the local angle. If you’re the tech brokerage, sponsor a local tech event. If you’re a good neighbour, support a charity effort. Be sure to mention your initiatives on your website, in ads, on social media, at the bottom of emails, even consider referencing it on your business card.
Once you start walking the talk, be patient. It takes a while to build a brand. Keep putting your brand out there and ensure all business decisions are made to support your value proposition. The more consistent you are, the more chances there are for your USP to take root.