As a marketer, we’re sure you’re aware of brand positioning. But could you quickly and easily tell us your brand’s position if put on the spot? When brand positioning is done right, you know instinctively what your brand’s value is and how you stand out from the competition. In that same way, your customers have a deep sense of who you are, and why they would (or do) choose you over other options.
Let’s break down what brand positioning means, why it matters to your marketing strategy and how to sharpen your brand positioning statement if it needs a little work.
What is brand positioning?
Brand positioning is how you set your brand apart from others, creating a distinctive place in the minds of your customers. It incorporates your brand’s value propositions as well as your visual identity and voice, emotional connections, differentiation from competitors and even status. Brand positioning is your brand’s entire strategic ethos.
Having a unique brand position helps consumers create distinct associations between your brand and your value propositions. In other words, your brand lives in a clear space in the minds of consumers and they understand implicitly what makes you different and how that will impact them.
Why is brand positioning important?
Having a clear brand position helps both your marketing team and consumers. When consumers have a clear picture of who your brand is, where your value lies and how you fit into the larger ecosystem of choice, it can help shape their preferences, increase willingness to purchase and build brand loyalty. When your internal team understands where your brand sits in the market and what you stand for, you can make better strategic decisions about where to put your marketing and advertising efforts.
How to create a brand positioning strategy
To get started on a brand positioning strategy, first think critically about how you are currently positioning your brand. Are there elements of your current positioning that aren’t working? Is your audience too broad? Your value not defined? Then you can head into these 5 steps to further dial in on a brand position that leads to success.
Step 1: Define your target audience
Just like in any strategic marketing endeavor, the first step to creating a brand position is to define who your target audience is. When determining this, think beyond just demographics like age group or gender, and also study the pain points and wants of your target audience. How will your brand meet their needs or bring them joy? Which set of consumers is your brand best geared to serve?
Step 2: Conduct market and competitive research
Take a close, studied look at the competitive landscape and how your competitors are marketing themselves. Is there an opening in the market that you could own? Does your brand offer something that no one else is talking about? Finding an ownable angle is another important aspect of your brand’s position.
Step 3: Identify your value propositions
Write down your value propositions. These are concise statements that summarize why a consumer would choose your product or service over another brand. Essentially, it’s what makes your brand valuable to your target audience. Do you offer something unique? Solve a pain point better than others? You could have just one value proposition or a few.
Step 4: Write your brand positioning statement
Your brand positioning statement is a small paragraph that summarizes all the brand positioning elements you’ve now defined: target audience, market segment and value propositions. It can also feature aspirational elements of where your brand will go in the future. This positioning statement will serve as a guidepost for the rest of your marketing efforts, making sure that your value and what makes you different from the competitors is clear in the minds of consumers.
Step 5: Put your brand position into practice
Now that you have a guiding positioning statement, you can use it to reassess other pieces of your marketing strategy. Are your ads targeting the right people? Do they express your differentiators clearly? Does your branding match the story you’re trying to tell? For example, if you want to win a high-end gap in the market, is your branding appropriately high-end? Create an immersive branding experience that reminds consumers of your value and your place in the market at every turn and they will remember it.
Is your brand’s positioning working for you? A sharp brand position can help you make better strategic decisions across your marketing from the creative to the ad placements, helping you see better ROI, brand loyalty and growth. If you think you need to reassess your value propositions and your place in your market landscape, we can help.