What if you could instantly change how people think of your company?
Mad Men’s Don Draper had a simple saying. “If you don’t like what people are saying, change the conversation.”
By changing your brand positioning, you can change how the world sees you and your product. Read on to discover just how important this is for your future.
What Is Brand Positioning?
Brand positioning relates to the image of your company that you project to consumers. There are four basic ways to position your brand.
One way is to position yourself against the competition. This means pointing out how you are different from more established brands and why that is actually a good thing.
Another way to position is to associate yourself with a particular category. This means that consumers see the positive connection between your products and ideas such as “safety” or even “personal fulfillment.”
A different way to position is to point out how your company does business and how this benefits the consumer. This is a good way of underscoring how much money consumers can save with your company or how you offer consumers many different choices.
The final way to position yourself is to focus on how your product can change the consumer. You can do this by emphasizing a cause and effect relationship between consumption and consumer happiness.
Read on to discover more about how to better position your brand.
Discover Your Demographic
It is crucial that you understand who your key demographic is. One way to discover this is to collect as much consumer data as possible by using CRM software.
This lets you discover things like the age, income, and general location of your most influential customers. This information may completely change how you position your brand.
A real-world example is the wide difference between positioning for boomers and positioning for millennials. If you don’t know who your chief demographic is, you may drive them away with bad positioning.
Redefine the Problem
To a consumer, all products are potential solutions. This means they will not buy solutions to problems they do not think they have.
Part of your brand’s new positioning should be to discover what your demographic is worried about. Then you can market your brand as a solution.
One example is that millennial consumers fear missing out on exciting experiences. Therefore, a brand targeting these consumers should focus on the brand can make them feel like a part of something larger.
Focus On One Main Idea
The best-positioned brands focus on one main concept. This is easier for your audience to understand and easier for you to focus your marketing.
Chances are that you can think of several iconic taglines for companies. This includes things like Nike’s “Just Do It” and Burger King’s “Have It Your Way.” Each of these taglines focuses on a main concept that positions the brand and helps it stand out from the competition.
It’s relatively easy to come up with positive concepts you can position your brand around. However, it’s important to focus on one main concept so that you do not overwhelm any of your potential consumers.
Developing the Tagline
Many businesses make the mistake of thinking brand positioning and the tagline are the same thing. Ultimately, the positioning must come first as that is the core concept that will drive marketing.
The tagline must be an organic evolution of the positioning concept. The best taglines are short and simple.
That is what makes it difficult to come up with a good tagline. The line must be short and catchy while also fully engaging the consumer and creating positive associations with your brand.
One example of a classic tagline comes from the United States Army. Their line is “be all you can be.” While short and straightforward, this phrase clearly establishes a cause and effect relationship regarding how the Army will make those who enlist into better people.
Whatever your tagline, make sure it has those four key qualities. It should be short, simple, engaging, and positive.
Purpose of the Positioning Statement
It’s easy to think that brand positioning statements are primarily about marketing the company. However, there is a deeper meaning attached to it.
The statement itself is internal. It’s true that it will be the source of your tagline and other forms of advertisement. The primary power of the statement is aligning your entire company in a new direction.
A good statement reaffirms what your company’s core values are. Employees who read this statement will make sure everything from advertising copy to sales calls aligns with the positioning statement.
How to Write the Positioning Statement
In many ways, writing the positioning statement is the culmination of your previous research information. It involves synthesizing information about your company’s demographics, company purpose, and potential company taglines.
A good position statement is typically one or two paragraphs. It should be short, though not as short as taglines. It makes it easier for employees to understand position better if they are not faced with “information overload.”
Your statement should assert who your primary demographic is and discuss how you and your products help solve problems this demographic faces. You should also emphasize the particular market you wish to corner and provide distinct reasons why customers should place their faith in your company.
You may optionally include several ideas for company taglines. Seeing these taglines and the position statement in close proximity can help everyone decide which line best represents the company position.
The Bottom Line
Your brand is the single most important thing about your company. Your brand positioning helps determine both the success of your company and the direction it takes into the future.
Building a brand and writing a position statement can be very difficult. However, you don’t have to do it all on your own.
At Bear Fox Marketing, we are the premier experts in content marketing and brand building. To discover how we can make your company the face of tomorrow, come check out our branding services today!