Is your business constantly competing for attention against others in your industry? Are you looking for a way to set yourself apart and be remembered?
Our modern world is completely saturated by products and services, each one bombarding the consumer with different messages. To stand out among competitors is a great achievement, and to hit the consumer at the bullseye is the biggest challenge.
Brand positioning may be your answer. In today’s fast-paced and competitive market, it’s not enough to have a great product or service and advertise it on every single communication medium that’s available. Brand awareness does not mean anything unless your brand is able to occupy a place in the heart of your customer.
Customers crave connection and alignment with brands that resonate with their values, match with their profile, solve their problems, and deliver on promises. This is where brand positioning becomes your greatest strategic act in brand communication efforts. It’s the foundation for how your brand is perceived, who you attract, and how you differentiate from the competition to reserve a place in the consumer’s heart.
An emotional asset
Brands are emotional assets and are linked to consumer’s feelings and perceptions. If your brand is able to make a connection with one of these emotions, it will be more successful. That is why you must have a profound knowledge of your target group, not only the statistics, but dig deeper into how they think, feel, like and behave. Positioning shapes customer preferences, dictates buying behaviour, and serves as the basis for brand loyalty.
In theory, brand positioning is the process of defining your brand’s purpose, values, and unique place in the market. It’s about answering key questions such as: What makes your brand different? Who are you for? What emotional or physical need do you fulfill?
A well-positioned brand isn’t a mere product or service — it’s an experience, a story, and a solution that lives in the minds of your customers. A realistic brand positioning is important as it’s not just your marketing messages influencing your target market. The perception of your brand identity is affected by other marketing efforts like reliability, professionalism, customer intimacy, social media reviews, feedback from the channel partners and peers, as well as competitors’ messages and a prospect’s own personal bias.
This means that effective brand positioning is not just about marketing. If your customer service is poor or the product underperforms, then no amount of marketing will shift the customer’s perception of your brand. But you cannot divorce your marketing from your business strategy — your brand values have to be lived internally and externally. Every part of the business has to be on board with the brand; you cannot afford to say one thing and do another.
Emotional connection
First, it builds an emotional connection. Customers want more than a transaction — they want an association that adds some value to them. Brands with clear purpose and values forge deeper connections by aligning with their customers’ identities and beliefs.
Second, it creates competitive advantage. In saturated markets, differentiation is key. Strong brand positioning helps you stand out by communicating why customers should choose you over the competition.
Third, it drives customer loyalty. When customers connect with your purpose and values, they are more likely to become repeat buyers and brand advocates. Loyalty comes from trust, and trust is built through consistent, purpose-driven brand communication.
Last, it guides business decisions.
The next insight you need for your positioning is an understanding of your company itself. How your team experiences your brand is just as important to its success as how your customers experience it, after all. Strong positioning in marketing clearly establishes your brand’s value in your customers’ minds, making them more likely to pay a premium price over a less effectively positioned competitor.
It’s not only your competitors worth studying to create a strong brand positioning statement – there are also a few more “who’s” worth considering. You also need to figure out who your product is for. When you start your brand positioning statement with “who” rather than “what,” you put the customer first and avoid a lot of potential issues. You can achieve this by segmenting your audience into different categories and drawing lines around those you consider to be your ideal consumer and those who may not be a good fit for your firm. The more specific you can be with your “who,” the better.
When you have established a clear picture of your competitors and consumers, you can start thinking about the features of your product.
Consider what the benefit to your clients is and how it differs from what’s currently available. Put yourself in the shoes of your consumer and consider what you may do for them that they couldn’t do on their own.
Brand positioning is more than a marketing tool — it’s your brand’s lighthouse. It guides direction and every decision, from what you communicate to how you communicate and through what mediums. A strong position connects you with the right audience, sets you apart from competitors, and ensures your brand’s long-term success.
