The Beginners Guide to Diversity Recruiting

America has long boasted of embodying a melting pot of diverse ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds. More than ever, professionals are demanding to see this diversity at play in the workplace. So much so that Fortune Magazine recently announced a new metric in ranking its Fortune 500 list: diversity and inclusion. Today, diversity goes a lot further than taking a moral stance. Employees favor diverse organizations, and numerous studies reveal a positive correlation between varying viewpoints and innovation.

What Is Diversity Recruiting?

Diversity recruiting is an active process of seeking out talent from diverse backgrounds. This process involves creating an inclusive talent acquisition process, eliminating barriers preventing equal opportunity during the hiring process, and removing gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, and other biases unrelated to job performance from the recruiting process.

The Basics of Diversity Recruiting

One mistake organizations make when tackling diversity is thinking there is a single solution. While tools like diversity training, bonus programs, and company talks are useful, workplace diversity is an ongoing process. There are some basic principles behind every successful diversity recruiting strategy that are worth taking note of.

Diversity Policies Should Include All People

It’s easy to get hung up on one or two diversity metrics such as under-represented ethnicities and gender. While any progress towards a more inclusive workplace is better than none, such a strategy isn’t genuinely inclusive. The diversity hiring program should account for people of all races, life stages, ages, sexual orientations, educational background, work experience, and ability.

Diversity hiring is also just the first step in creating a more inclusive workplace. Promoting inclusion at every level across the organization should be part and parcel of your drive towards true diversity. It is easier to hire and retain talent when employees can see themselves represented in the…

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21 Unique Selling Proposition Examples (and Why they Work)

Your unique selling proposition (USP) is what separates you from the competition. For customers, it’s a reason to trust and choose you ahead of someone else. For you, it’s the linchpin that powers your sales and marketing efforts. But what does a USP look like?   

In this article, we’ll demonstrate what makes an effective USP by sharing some of the best examples from the worlds of SaaS, e-commerce, and DTC. 

You’ll learn why and how these brands get it right so you can follow their lead to unearth your own competitive advantage. 

What good unique selling propositions do well 

The best USPs often read like clever copywriting. They sell the customer on a product or service and compel them to learn more. But pulling this off in as few words as possible requires more than inventive wordplay. 

For a USP to hold up under scrutiny, it has to do three things well:

  1. Be memorable. A statement that can easily be copied, like “high-quality products tailored to your needs” is too generic to make a lasting impression. A USP has to communicate an unmatched benefit.
  2. Be tangible. Your message has to be backed by everything that you do. 
  3. Be customer-focused. It must showcase a feature or benefit that customers value and want.

Take FedEx’s classic USP:

“When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.”

  1. The boldness of its claim makes it memorable. FedEx is promising that they can deliver a parcel the next day; 
  2. It’s tangible because FedEx has the network and infrastructure to get a package to its destination on time, and; 
  3. It’s customer focussed. FedEx has found a unique part of its service that customers value.

Sure, other companies offer fast-track delivery. But back in the 1970s when FedEx introduced this USP, only they could help you meet a deadline. 

As catchy as the line is, it only works because it services a need and addresses a gap in the market. The examples in this article all share those fundamental qualities. These come from speaking and listening to your audience, and successfully differentiating your brand.

Examples of effective unique selling propositions in SaaS

Stripe

Stripe home page screenshotStripe home page screenshot

Stripe is an online payment processing provider that allows businesses to accept payments from their customers. 

It operates in the same market as PayPal, yet distinctly stands out. How? By going after developers. 

Rather than simply providing a payment gateway like PayPal, Stripe offers “Payments infrastructure for the internet.” It gives developers everything they need to manage their online payments. 

“Millions of businesses of all sizes – from startups to large enterprises – use Stripe’s software and APIs to accept payments, send payouts, and manage their businesses online.”

This level of control isn’t for everyone. But for developers and business owners who want to get hands-on with payments processes, Stripe’s software and APIs offer full control, eliminating the hassle of bringing together…

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