U S P

[Corabar Entertainment]

Much is made in marketing terms of USPs, and it is referred to on numerous occasions on here.

I have a bit of a hatred of buzz-words and marketing or sales-speak, but do you think you (or anyone else) has a truly unique selling point, or are we all just trying to offer the best service we can and lift ourselves up above the less professional in the industry?

Discuss.

[Ecstatic Events]

My only UNIQUE USP is me.

I pretty much do the same as most, but really try and deliver a personal service. Not just turn up, play tunes and pack up.

Customer Service is key, you could be an AVERAGE DJ and gain lots of repeat bookings if your client facing skills are top notch.

[hammy]

I`m the same as Mike above and a lot of my feedback comes back about my personal touch

[Corabar Entertainment]

...but to play devil's advocate here, isn't that exactly the same USP that everyone has? Each person is an individual, and no two people are the same, so by default, you are unique.

[Javlingames]

Also does every client want that extra personal service, meetings, phonecalls etc? I know some of my larger corporate clients would be driven crazy if I insisted on pre event meetings, playlists etc for every gig. Part of the service is to take the hassle away from the client knowing they are in the safe hands of a professional DJ. Probobly slightly different for weddings and such like.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Also does every client want that extra personal service, meetings, phonecalls etc? I know some of my larger corporate clients would be driven crazy if I insisted on pre event meetings, playlists etc for every gig. Part of the service is to take the hassle away from the client knowing they are in the safe hands of a professional DJ. Probobly slightly different for weddings and such like.Obviously not every client wants the same thing, but that's not really the subject of this thread, is it?

...Unless you're saying that your USP is that you take the initial information and work from that without bothering the client again?

[Javlingames]

Sorry was meant to quote ecstatic events.

I guess I try to extract the facts at the time of booking to minimise hassling the client repeatedly at a later date yes. Wouldnt say that was my USP though. I will have to think of that and come back to you:)

[WWDJ]

My only UNIQUE USP is me.

I pretty much do the same as most, but really try and deliver a personal service. Not just turn up, play tunes and pack up.

Customer Service is key, you could be an AVERAGE DJ and gain lots of repeat bookings if your client facing skills are top notch.

I am thinking along the same lines, that the only thing that is unique is me.

But ...

The equipment and software that is available now to DJ's is astonishing, both from a sound and visual perspective.

Back when I started in the early 90s, it was about playing records and talking a bit on the mic. Now the facilities we have available to us have taken this to another level.

I have playlists setup in Traktor so I can plan in advance whilst sat on my sofa at home and at a gig I can refer back to previous gigs that I have done. I can find any track within seconds and (if I had a dongle) download tracks that I don't have from the internet. It is easier, IMO, to select the music for a party than it has ever been, so you need something else to occupy your time.

This is where the creativity comes in and as it is so easy to 'just play music', I like to add some effects, beatmatch etc even at normal parties. Younger audiences in paticular are more accepting of this. I would like experiement more with mash-ups and remixes which i why i definately take on the younder parties if they come my way.

[funkymook]

My USP is my website www.indieretrodj.com.

I haven't seen many other mobile DJ offering a site dedicated solely to similar niche genres. Not saying other DJ's couldn't quite easily cover the same music, but most sites list nearly every style of music going so can appear to be a 'jack of all trades' for someone searching for a specialist DJ.

It has definitely swung the deal for me on quite a few occasions - some clients have commented it was my site that convinced them I was the right DJ for their party.

[Cowlinn]

My USP is my website www.indieretrodj.com.

I haven't seen many other mobile DJ offering a site dedicated solely to similar niche genres. Not saying other DJ's couldn't quite easily cover the same music, but most sites list nearly every style of music going so can appear to be a 'jack of all trades' for someone searching for a specialist DJ.

It has definitely swung the deal for me on quite a few occasions - some clients have commented it was my site that convinced them I was the right DJ for their party.
:eek: :eek:

I've come across that site on more than one occasion while surfing the web, never realised it was yours

Lovely site, and definitely a USP :approve:

[Shaun]

It's very difficult to have a USP in this game I feel. The USP could be down to the personality of the individual DJ, or in Martin's (funkymook) case down to providing a dedicated niche service with regards to the music.




DJ'ing aside, a USP I have is my 'Name In Lights' service. Whilst it's true others can offer a similar service, my graphic design background ensures I can offer a unique, original and bespoke gobo projection service.

I've also provided a fair few custom designed invitations to clients. If you had received an invitation to Daz's 40th you would have seen an example of one of my bespoke designs.

[funkymook]

:eek: :eek:

I've come across that site on more than one occasion while surfing the web, never realised it was yours

Lovely site, and definitely a USP :approve:

Thanks :) It still needs a bit of tweaking to get it exactly how I want it, but most sites are works in progress.

[rossken]

I suppose my USP is not only me, but the fact that I play the Bagpipes. Many clients book a Piping and Disco package - especially weddings!

When someone enquires about disco and piping I always offer them a separate piper (I do the disco, and another member of my band will pipe), or me doing both the piping and DJing. Every single time I have been booked, they want me to do both - They say they like how its one guy doing everything musical. I suppose they like to kill as many birds as they can with one stone.

I think being a DJ and Piper is fairly unique.

[Shaun]

I think being a DJ and Piper is fairly unique.

Indeed it is. I've supplied a piper and drummer alongside my disco on one occasion....but I definitely can't play the pipes. It's a really good and unique USP you have. :)

[Jonathan Ford]

...but to play devil's advocate here, isn't that exactly the same USP that everyone has? Each person is an individual, and no two people are the same, so by default, you are unique.

This.

I try to do my very best to deliver a bespoke experience....but so do most. I suppose in some ways I'm a little odd, in that I'm pretty informal and can be quite dry and sarcastic. This really appeals to some, but also turns a fair few away, I'd imagine.

[JTRS]

Don't know if this is unique or not, but when I do a childrens party I always insist on payment at the end of the party because of the guarantee I give, which is if your child does not have a party that they really enjoy then you don't pay a penny.

So, at the end of every childrens party when the parents come up to pay before I take the money I always tell them I can't take it until their child confirms the party was everything they hoped for and wanted.

When I started doing this I thought I'd get the odd one or two who would try and avoid payment but to date not one has ever tried to avoid payment and word has got around (parents talk to each other), so quite often people ring me and ask if the guarantee is for real, when they find out it is and it's not a gimmick and it's a no quibble guarantee it invariably turns into a booking.

Most other DJ's I've talked to think I'm mad to do it like that, but it works for me (and it works well).

So, before I claim to be unique does anyone else do this?

JTRS

PS - And yes, if a child ever told me that they hadn't really enjoyed their party then I would waive the fee, but to date that hasn't happened.

[MikeW]

I suppose my USP is not only me, but the fact that I play the Bagpipes. Many clients book a Piping and Disco package - especially weddings!

When someone enquires about disco and piping I always offer them a separate piper (I do the disco, and another member of my band will pipe), or me doing both the piping and DJing. Every single time I have been booked, they want me to do both - They say they like how its one guy doing everything musical. I suppose they like to kill as many birds as they can with one stone.

I think being a DJ and Piper is fairly unique.

Hi Ross, do you know anywhere local that I can learn to play the bagpipes? :D

[Charlie Brown]

I'm a little odd, in that I'm pretty informal and can be quite dry and sarcastic. This really appeals to some, but also turns a fair few away, I'd imagine.

I would say I'm quite similar to you Jonathan.

Off the forum, I'm quite different. I'm a people's person, I can read people well and I'll take an instant like or dislike to someone - what you see is what you get. I'm also pretty funny. :o (it's hard to portray my humor on a forum)

For example today...

I took a lady round an apartment. She stepped onto the balcony and I shouted 'don't stand on there! it's not safe' ... we had a laugh. She then started taking pictures of the apartment so I said.. 'I'll sit on the kitchen table. do you want me to pretend I'm drinking?' She took me seriously at first but then realised it was a joke and laughed.

She took the apartment 20 minutes later and signed on the dotted line... ;)

It's all about showing you care and have a personality at the same time. It's probably not a USP but I know there are certain things (minor things that you guys would laugh at) that make me different to joe blogs.

[rossken]

Hi Ross, do you know anywhere local that I can learn to play the bagpipes? :D

I think a lot of pipe bands are struggling for pipers at the moment so anywhere will teach you - Kirkcudbright, Lockerbie, Lochmaben, Annan, Thornhill etc.

Or you could come to the Galloway Pipes and Drums in Dalbeattie and be taught by me! :D

[sandysounds]

I have several...but my most popular is offering ceilidh alongside the disco. For the scottish guys, that won't seem unique at all....until you work out i'm an english female doing scottish dancing in Northern Ireland.... and there's no other DJ out here in NI that can offer that. For the brides wanting something different...I win hands down with that USP.

One of my other USPs is offering children's entertainment before the first dance (complete with balloon modelling).... now that secures me a fair few bookings as there's none of my immediate competitors offering anything similar.

I do strongly believe that a USP can be your personality. I immediately think of a certain well known mobile jock in stoke on trent....there's not many clients that can resist his charm on the phone....so thats definitely his USP.

[MikeW]

I think a lot of pipe bands are struggling for pipers at the moment so anywhere will teach you - Kirkcudbright, Lockerbie, Lochmaben, Annan, Thornhill etc.

Or you could come to the Galloway Pipes and Drums in Dalbeattie and be taught by me! :D

Thanks for the offer, but I think by the time I had learned to play properly, my DJ career would be finished anyway! :D