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Positioning is the intentional effort on the part of a brand to establish a distinct, favorable, and memorable impression in the mind of its customers. It is a foundational part of any brand strategy process.

Though some aspects of a brand’s positioning are beyond its control, businesses do have some say over how their brand is positioned in the marketplace. Brands that take a proactive approach to developing strong positioning will likely better resonate with their target audience and achieve a distinct competitive advantage. 

Why is positioning important?

Positioning is an internal exercise which helps to guide internal business decision making as well as influence the external brand marketing choices built upon it. The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has, in many cases, contracted the marketplace and made it even more competitive. Prospects and customers have fewer options and have to give increased thought to where their dollars go. Strong positioning is no doubt an advantage in today’s business environment.

How does positioning help your business?

1. Positioning ensures that you show up for your prospects, clients, and customers. It allows you to focus on crafting and presenting the right message to the right market at the right time.
2. Positioning allows you to develop a clarified, consistent experience which is very valuable to both the business and the customer. Studies have shown that a consistently presented and experienced brand is more valuable than one that is inconsistent.
3. Positioning helps lift your offering out of the realm of commodity and into that of a specialty good or service – by emphasizing its uniqueness and value. Everybody has a solution. You want to be the one with the right answer for the customer’s problem.

How Do I Create Positioning?

There are several different approaches to creating your positioning. Many frameworks exist in the market and a Google search would quickly reveal hundreds of methodologies and approaches. It always includes some type of internal analysis and competitive landscape research. The most basic approaches involve first developing a positioning strategy, and then a positioning statement.

Regardless of the approach you choose, it’s important to remember that your positioning will evolve with your business over time. As your business goals and growth change, so too will your positioning. Much like other aspects of your brand infrastructure and identity, your brand’s positioning is something that you will need to assess regularly as your business experiences different changes. 

Positioning Strategy

There are several positioning strategies that you may choose to adopt for your business. Below are some of the most common, courtesy of Hubspot, though there are a number of others. What’s important to note is that this is something you intentionally choose for your business. 

Again, the goal is to be proactive and forward-thinking. Your positioning strategy is a plan that influences and guides every aspect of your branding and marketing operations, from how and where you market to prospects as they inquire about your products/service, to how you engage with them after you’ve made a sale and they become your customers.

• Customer Service Positioning Strategy (highlights customer service/support)
• Convenience-Based Positioning Strategy (highlights ease of use/accessibility/delivery)
• Price-Based Positioning Strategy (highlights low price relative to competitors)
• Quality-Based Positioning Strategy (highlights high-quality materials/craftsmanship)
• Differentiation Strategy (highlights uniqueness/novelty of service or product)

Positioning Statement

After you have chosen a positioning strategy, the next step is to develop a positioning statement. This statement articulates your chosen positioning in a clear and concise way that can be executed at every level of your operation. We like to say that a great positioning statement operates in “4D” clarity. It declares (your offering), defines (who you serve), differentiates (your offering from your competitors) and delivers (value for your audience).

Though there are a number of approaches to how you put your positioning statement together, the basic components of a positioning statement are as follows:

1. Target (how you serve – broad)
2. Category (who you serve – specific) 
3. Differentiator (how you do it differently/better)
4. Payoff (why it matters – what it does for your customers)

Here’s one simple template we like:

[your brand name] provides [main benefit that differentiates your offering from competitors] to [your target market] who [the target market’s need] because [reason why target market should believe your differentiation statement.]

It might look something like this: 

Enthuse Creative provides outsourced brand strategy and design services to new and growing professionals and services firms who don’t have in-house brand or marketing leadership, because we have a system to deliver value through a clear brand vision.

Now, you try it, using the template and example above to guide you:

[your brand name] provides [main benefit that differentiates your offering from competitors] to [your target market] who [the target market’s need] because [reason why target market should believe your differentiation statement.]

A strong brand position serves as a reminder to every stakeholder in the organization not only what you do, but why you do it, how you do it, and who you do it for. Done well, it can give you an advantage over your competitors in the market, and help you align your branding and marketing with customers who know and understand and value your unique brand.

Enthuse Creative is a strategic branding and design firm based in Tysons, VA that provides valuable brand strategy, design, experience and leadership for growing businesses and organizations. We are experts in helping our clients develop and implement positioning strategies for their businesses. Contact us for a free consultation to learn more about how Enthuse Creative can help your business.