Have a business idea that you think could work if you could just show people why it’s different?
That’s where your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, comes in. This isn’t just a trendy business term—it’s the foundation of how you tell your story, connect with potential customers, and stand out in a local market like Eau Claire’s. Whether you’re selling a product, offering a service, or launching something totally new to the area, your USP helps answer one big question: Why would someone choose you over any other option out there?
In a city like Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where creativity, community, and competition all run high, it pays to get specific. The good news is you don’t need to guess; there are simple, practical ways to uncover your USP just by talking to the right people and paying attention to what isn’t being said.
Let’s walk through five ways to find your USP right here in the Chippewa Valley.
#1: Take a Look at the Competition
If you’re excited to get your new business off the ground, it’s tempting to skip this step, but getting a clear picture of who else is offering something similar in Eau Claire is exactly how you’ll spot your edge.
Start by doing a little digital detective work. Hop on Google, Yelp, or even Facebook and search for businesses in your category. If you’re opening a boutique, search “women’s clothing Eau Claire WI.” If you’re planning a food truck, look at other mobile food vendors around town. See what pops up.
Next, pay attention to the patterns.
- Who are the big players?
- What kind of vibe are they going for—upscale, casual, quirky?
- Are there certain neighborhoods where these businesses cluster? (Spoiler: Yes, and knowing that can help you stand out just by not being there.)
- What are customers saying in reviews? What do they love? What do they wish was different?
For example, maybe you notice a lot of praise for friendly staff at local salons, but complaints about long wait times or a lack of online booking. That could be your in. Offering easy scheduling and shorter appointment windows could become part of your USP.
Don’t stop with online research either. Go check them out in person if you can. Walk around downtown Eau Claire, cruise along Clairemont Avenue, or browse the shops in and around Oakwood Mall. Grab a coffee, observe the customer experience, and take mental notes.
Here’s a quick way to organize what you find: Make a simple spreadsheet or handwritten list, and then pick 4–5 businesses similar to yours and jot down:
- What they offer
- Who their customers seem to be
- What makes them stand out (branding, service, pricing, etc.)
- What might be missing or underdone
You’re not doing this to tear anyone down. You’re doing it to figure out where you can add value. The goal isn’t to be better at everything. It’s to be different in a way that matters to your future customers.
Once you know what’s already out there, it becomes a lot easier to see where your business fits and where could shine.
👉 Try This Too: Don’t just look at direct competitors. Look at businesses that your target customers already love and trust. What are they doing that makes people come back? Could you incorporate some of those practices in a way that fits your brand?
#2: Ask Locals What They Wish Existed
Sometimes the best business ideas don’t even come from you. They come from conversations you overhear at coffee shops, casual chats with neighbors, or random comments on social media.
Instead of guessing what Eau Claire needs, just go out and ask! People love sharing their opinions, especially when someone might actually do something with their idea. You’ll be surprised how many folks are eager to tell you what they’ve been wishing for.
You can start simple:
- “What’s something you wish we had more of in Eau Claire?”
- “Is there a product or service you always have to go to the Twin Cities to get?”
- “What’s one small thing that would make your day easier if a local business offered it?”
These don’t need to be formal interviews. You can ask at a neighborhood barbecue, during a school pickup, or while you’re waiting in line for a waffle cone at Ramone’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor. The key is to listen for patterns—the stuff that keeps coming up over and over.
Try checking around on social media too, in both community groups and comment sections. For example, local news outlets such as Volume One, WEAU 13 News, and WQOW News 18 post lots of articles about incoming businesses or new developments, and they’re often flooded with comments from locals either excited about the news or vocal about wanting something else.
And many members of local Facebook groups and the Eau Claire subreddit are eager to answer questions. Just say something like:
“Hey Eau Claire friends—Curious what local business you wish existed but haven’t seen yet. Anything you’ve been hoping for but can’t seem to find?”
You might get a few random answers like “Trader Joe’s” (IYKYK), but you’ll also start to spot some real unmet needs:
- “Hardly anyone around here does late-night delivery that isn’t pizza.”
- “I wish there was a dog park with a café—somewhere I could grab coffee and let my dog play off leash.”
- “We need a plant store with more native species and local advice for beginners.”
Every one of those comments is a potential spark for a Unique Selling Proposition.
Look beyond what people say they want, and dig into what they actually struggle with as well. If a busy parent says, “I wish I had more time to meal prep,” maybe your USP is a locally sourced meal kit service with flexible pickup hours. If someone says, “I hate driving across town for basic printing,” that might inspire a mobile print and shipping van.
Eau Claire might not be a massive city, but that can be an advantage. Word travels fast, and niche ideas often gain traction quickly if they hit the right need at the right time. So, before you spend months perfecting your logo or building out your product, just ask around. What’s missing? What’s frustrating? What could be better?
Your next great idea might already be floating around in someone else’s head… You just have to listen for it.
#3: Talk to Your Future Customers—Not Just Your Friends
Your friends and family are probably your biggest cheerleaders, and that’s great! But when it comes to shaping your business and finding your Unique Selling Proposition, their feedback might be a little too nice.
What you really need is input from the people who could actually become your customers without knowing who you are in the first place. You know, the folks who won’t sugarcoat it. The ones who’ll tell you, “That sounds cool, but I’d never pay for it,” or “That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.” Those conversations are gold.
So how do you start them?
First, figure out who your people are. Are you trying to reach college students? Working parents? Small business owners? Retirees? Once you know your audience, go to where they naturally hang out.
Here in Eau Claire, that might mean:
- Tabling at the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market
- Chatting with students near UWEC’s Davies Student Center
- Hanging flyers with a QR code for a quick survey at places like SHIFT Cyclery & Coffee Bar or Menomonie Market Food Co-op
- Introducing yourself at community meetups, networking events, or even school board meetings, depending on who you want to reach
Then, start asking real questions. You don’t need a clipboard or a polished pitch. Just be curious.
Go with questions like:
- “What do you usually do when you need [your idea]?”
- “Have you ever tried a [your idea] before? What did you think?”
- “What would make a service like this really worth it for you?”
You’ll learn quickly what matters to people and what doesn’t. Maybe you’re opening a cleaning service, and you find that your audience doesn’t care about the eco-friendly products you planned to use as much as you’d hoped they would, but they do care that you’ll text them before arrival and offer weekend hours. Boom. There’s your USP.
Don’t try to pitch anything. Just listen. The more you let people talk, the more you’ll hear the honest stuff: the complaints, the habits, the problems they wish someone would solve. That’s where your Unique Selling Proposition lives—right in the gap between what’s available and what people actually want. Just make sure you’re hearing from the people you’re building your business for, not just the people who want you to succeed no matter what.
Your family and friends mean well, but your future customers will tell you the truth. And that’s the feedback that helps you build something that will really stick in the Eau Claire community.
#4: Zoom In On What You Do Best
When you’re launching a new business, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to be everything to everyone. But here’s the truth: the more specific you are about what you do best, the easier it is for people to both choose you and remember you.
Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) doesn’t have to be the only thing you do. It just has to be the one thing you do better, differently, or more intentionally than any other similar business in town.
Think about what you bring to the table. Is it:
- A particular skill or background?
- A personal story that connects you to your work?
- A super-focused niche no one else is targeting?
- A small but meaningful detail that improves the customer experience?
Let’s say you’re opening a bakery. Maybe there are already three others in Eau Claire. That doesn’t mean there’s no room for yours; it just means you need to narrow in on what makes yours different. Are you the only gluten-free bakery in the area? The one that delivers warm cookies after 9:00pm? The one using your grandmother’s recipes passed down through generations?
That one special thing is your USP, and it’s what could turn customers into regulars.
Here’s how to find it:
Start by writing out everything you’re planning to offer, then highlight the pieces that feel the most “you.” Ask yourself:
- What would I be proud to be known for?
- What do people always seem to compliment me on?
- If someone described my business in one sentence, what would I want them to say?
Sometimes it helps to imagine someone recommending you to a friend. Would they say, “Go to her salon—she specializes in curly hair,” or, “They’re the one to call if you want someone who actually answers the phone on weekends”?
Those details—those small moments of excellence—are your selling points.
And don’t underestimate your personality. In a city like Eau Claire, where word-of-mouth still holds a lot of power, how you treat people is part of your brand. If you’re warm, reliable, down-to-earth, or especially thoughtful about sustainability or community support, lean into it. That’s part of your difference.
The goal here isn’t to stretch yourself thin by trying to offer everything. It’s to double down on what you already do really well, so customers know exactly why they should come to you.
#5: Test, Tweak, Repeat
So you’ve researched the competition, talked to real people, and figured out what makes your business stand out. Now comes the fun part: putting your idea out into the world just enough to see if it resonates.
This doesn’t have to be a full-blown launch. In fact, it’s better if it isn’t. Think of this step as a soft preview, a trial run, or even just a small experiment to see if your Unique Selling Proposition actually connects with the people you want to serve.
Here are a few ways to test your USP without breaking the bank:
- Set up a simple landing page. You don’t need a full website yet, just one page that explains your core offer and what makes it unique. Add a short form where people can sign up for updates or pre-orders. If people are clicking, subscribing, or sharing it, you’re onto something.
- Post your pitch on social media. Try a quick graphic or even a friendly selfie video explaining what you’re offering and what makes it different. Then watch for responses. Do people comment “I’ve been looking for this!” or just scroll past? That’s real feedback.
- Host a pop-up, booth, or test event. Eau Claire has no shortage of opportunities to engage with the community at markets, art fairs, vendor nights, etc. Bring a scaled-down version of your product or service and watch how people react.
- Offer a “beta round.” If you’re providing a service (like coaching, design, or tutoring), recruit a handful of people to try it out at a discounted rate in exchange for feedback. Ask them, “What stood out? What didn’t land? Would you recommend this to someone else?”
- Use your feedback loop. Pay close attention to the language people use when they talk about your offering. Are they repeating your USP back to you? (“It’s awesome that you deliver after 9:00pm!” or “Finally, someone focused on styling curly hair!”) That’s your sign that your message is clicking.
And here’s the key thing to remember: Your USP doesn’t have to be set in stone. It’s perfectly normal (and smart!) to adjust it as you get real feedback. Maybe you thought your edge was your fast turnaround time, but customers keep raving about your packaging. Great! Run with that. Your USP should evolve as your understanding of your audience deepens.
This step is all about learning in the real world. You’ve done the thinking. Now put everything into practice, and let your future customers show you what’s working.
Let's Wrap Up
Your Unique Selling Proposition is what helps you stand out in Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s growing small business scene. It’s not about being the loudest; it’s about being clear, focused, and valuable to the people you want to serve. So, dig into what’s already out there, talk to real locals, reflect on your own story, and don’t be afraid to tweak as you go. When you find that sweet spot—the overlap between what people need and what only you can offer—you’re not just starting a business. You’re building something that matters.
About The Author
Kendall Williams
Marketing & Communications Specialist
Kendall implements the City of Eau Claire Economic Development Division’s marketing strategies, coordinates business assistance, and supports data-driven planning and analysis.
