.png){kind=small}
What’s Your Vibe?
So I find positioning hard to talk about. It’s like talking about the …vibe of your brand.
See, when you effectively position your brand it means you’ve grasped onto some secret priority in your ideal client’s mind. Then you encode that priority into your public identity.
See what I mean? Hard to talk about.
But it’s important. Because it’s this very “vibe” that can help you become not just a good choice, but the only choice - for someone looking for it.
It’s Not Really About the Product
Positioning is a marketing technique that creates an image of your brand in the marketplace. It’s what makes you relevant to a particular person who wants a particular kind of solution.
Say you have three different places to get coffee - Dunkin’, Starbucks, and a local neighborhood coffee house.
They all do the same thing. Sell coffee. But what sets them apart is how they’re positioned.
One is for someone who prioritizes a fast, no-frills, simple transaction.
One is for someone who values choice, access, and being in the majority.
And one is for someone who craves a community - a place where they know your name.
One product. Three different positions. It’s not just about the coffee.
In this blog, I want to make a case for being more intentional about your brand positioning.
We’ll talk about how it can help your visibility. We’ll touch on writing a positioning statement. And, hopefully, start you thinking about how your business can become essential to the right person.
Standing Out
Positioning your brand is like drawing a circle around the experience of working with you. What makes your service unique. Don’t think features - think identity, think underlying needs.
It’s a way of making you stand apart from others who technically do the same work.
Are you the good deal? Are you the cool option, dripping with status?
Are you adaptable, for the person who needs flow? Are you more convenient?
Your position isn’t about PR. It’s not a wacky campaign to turn heads.
It’s about a real quality that you’re consistently valued for. Your market position is why your clients pick you when they pick you.
People work out at Equinox to be part of a “Luxury Fitness Club” experience. People pump iron at Planet Fitness because it’s a “Judgment Free Zone.” They’re not selling gym memberships. They’re clarifying a priority.
Positioning helps your brand create a shorthand that sets your vision of service apart from someone else’s.
Positioning and Price
When I start working with a client, they’re usually charging way too little.
They think that price is connected to the job description - not to the real value of what they offer. Not to their market position.
When you link your service with your positioning, your pricing strategy starts to make a lot more sense to would-be clients.
For instance, if you’re positioned as exclusive, or you cater to some tricky emotional need, or you’re the one who gets remarkable results - that positioning makes your high pricetag a no-brainer.
“[W]hen the price of the products is high because of the quality and exclusivity,” says Forbes.com, “and the brand positioning emphasizes these factors, the cost automatically becomes reasonable in the eyes of the customers.”
A price-related positioning strategy can also work in the other direction.
Southwest Airlines positioned itself as a no-frills airline. There were passengers out there who didn’t care about the extras. They just wanted to get to where they were going for less.
Southwest filled a gap in the market - and this low-ball positioning made them an instant hit to the people who needed them.
A Consistent, Simple Story
It’s easy to create a webpage and then - while you’re out there hustling to make things work - kind of forget what you said there.
But a considered identity can keep your brand’s promise consistent.
A clearly positioned business stakes a claim on a sort of…storyline. It anticipates the character of your work and focuses your messaging on the underlying value.
It doesn’t mean you can’t tweak and adapt your position. But it does mean you’ll send out a coherent idea of who you’re for.
Positioning Helps You Matter
Staking out your place on the map can assign a sort of defacto significance to your brand. It makes you relevant. You’re less expendable because you cover a specific gap.
When a consumer is scrolling daily through zillions of ads about coaching, copywriters, legal assistance - whatever - it can start to feel like an empty exercise. Like these businesses only exist…to exist.
Brands that have clear positioning don’t have to defend their existence.
You don’t come across like a barker at a carnival. You have a specific role in the market. You matter.
A Positioning Statement
So look, I’ve already bugged you about creating a mission statement - so this can feel like a re-do, but I want to talk for a moment about your positioning statement.
This doesn’t have to take forever. But it’s worth a little brainstorming - and yeah you can look at your mission and vision statements for help.
Just take a moment to write down how your brand, product, or service fills a need in a way that other people in the same niche can’t.
Consider:
Who is your target market, your ideal client? What’s their secret need? They may not even know they crave it. Like status, safety, automation.
What do you do, literally? Maybe you give tax advice.
What do you do figuratively? I hold your hand like a mom through the pain of doing your complicated and risky tax return.
What’s your promise? I promise you’ll hand in an airtight tax return. You’ll barely have to think about it. The experience will feel safe. And I can give you as much or as little information as you need to relax.
What’s your brand's identity and values? Are you a warrior for the little guy? A sneaky tactician? Are you a take-your-shoes-off-and-let’s-talk kind of experience? Are you an efficient, silent assistant?
Here’s an example from Amazon:
For consumers who want to purchase a wide range of products online with quick delivery, Amazon provides a one-stop online shopping site. Amazon sets itself apart from other online retailers with its customer obsession, passion for innovation, and commitment to operational excellence.
Even Amazon differentiates its clientele.
They’re for people who are on a time budget and prioritize convenience. They’ve positioned themselves as a customer-obsessed and inventive brand.
However true you think that is - Amazon has a position. When you need to buy paper towels, headphones, and catnip - and you need it on your doorstep soon - you go to Amazon.
Help Them Find You
If you just put a teeny tiny intention behind your market identity, you’ll send a clear message to the people who need you most. Thoughtfully positioning yourself in the vast market gives them a chance to find you - and they want to find you.
Remember, your ideal client is wandering out there through a forest of offers. They can’t find you if you look like just another tree.
Ready to hit the gas pedal? We’ll talk all about ATTRACTING LEADS in our free coaching call. Tap the link to claim your slot.
Source:
Kommentare