Let’s say that you are preparing to launch a new product for your business. You’ve likely spent countless hours, days, or even months determining what sets the product apart from your competition and developing your brand identity. How can you make sure that your marketing efforts are aligned with your brand? This is where brand positioning and brand positioning statement comes in.
Brand positioning is the process of rightly positioning your company’s brand in the mind of your customers. A company’s brand positioning is also referred to as brand strategy, positioning strategy, or a brand positioning statement. A brand positioning statement describes a product or service and target market and how the service or product fills a particular need of the target market. Brand positioning and brand positioning statement is meant to be used as an internal tool to align marketing efforts with the brand and value proposition.
Your brand positioning impacts all aspects of your branding and how your market sees you. Brand positioning occurs whether or not a company is proactive in developing a position. If your business management takes an intelligent, forward-looking approach, it can positively influence its brand positioning in the eyes of its target customers. Brand positioning influences everything your business presents and shares about your product and brand with your target audiences.
Brand positioning statement helps you to:
- be descriptive in your unique value proposition
- define larger strategic goals
- determine who your competition is
- clarify your stance and position against the competition
- enable your employees to understand your mission and service offerings
What’s the Purpose of a Brand Positioning Statement?
To craft your brand positioning statement, you will need to get crystal clear on these aspects of your business:
- Who do you serve?
- What do you offer them?
- How do you offer it?
- Why does your brand do what they do?
- How this compares to what is already out there?
What are the Core Elements of Strategic Brand Positioning?
If you want to craft your brand positioning statement, you must first understand your positioning as a whole. This includes defining the following core elements:
- Target market - define a solid target audience by creating a buyer persona known as your ideal customer.
- Product Positioning - should lead with the benefits of the product rather than the features of it
- Market category - you need to define who the buyers are in the space, where they are searching for services and goods, and who currently has their attention.
- Customer pains - Your product or service should aim to address customer pains and provide a solution
- Brand promise - is ultimately what the target audience or buyer persona stands to gain from using your product or service
- Brand identity and values - is the personality of your business and includes logos and voice
- Mission - is the “why you do it” aspect of your brand
15 Factors for Your Brand Positioning Statement
Before creating a good brand positioning statement, you need to do your research and understand how to structure a brand positioning statement. Let us look at some of the factors and steps that need to be looked into before making building a brand positioning statement:
- Create a structured overview of the statement. Before digging into the process, have a clear layout created that offers an overarching plan to what things will be included.
- Explain your brand differentiation and keep it clear. Give the ways your brand is capable and unique at offering something your competition can’t.
- Define your customers and make it clear on how you plan to help them solve their issues. Locate the right market.
- Keep your brand positioning statement on the shorter side.
- Though we want the brand statement to be concise, it's been not to go overboard. A few sentences will cover the essential points
- You can look at other successfully positioned companies as a starting point.
- Consider tactics from other similar brands to brainstorm how you might want to frame your own positioning statement.
- Lead your brand statements with empathy by putting yourself in your customer’s shoes.
- Gain a clear understanding of who your brand customers are
- Send your customers survey forms and looking at this data and your support data is a good place to start.
- Keep your brand statement concise and transparent
- The best brand positioning statements give a lot of information clearly in just a few words. They are brief but comprehensive.
- A transparent brand positioning statement is an honest one. Be authentic and do not make promises you cannot keep.
- Beyond your service or product, a positioning statement should give customers a taste of your brand values.
- Understand the category/industry/vertical your brand operates in from a customer’s perspective
How to Write a Brand Positioning Statement?
Before writing a brand positioning statement:
- Create a vision board.
- Make it brief.
- Make it unique and memorable.
- Remain true to your business’ core values.
- Include what the brand delivers to consumers.
- Differentiate your business from the competition.
- Keep it simple.
- Consult a colleague.
To write your brand positioning statements, follow these steps:
- Pick the target customer group you want to focus on
- Develop a list of needs your audience group has that you intend to meet as per your customer profile
- List your service/product’s benefits that uniquely meet these needs.
- Use the lists of customer needs and service/product benefits to finish this sentence
- Evaluate your brand positioning statement by making sure it’s clear, simple, and consistent.
- Consistently communicate your brand positioning message in everything your company does for its customer group.
How to Evaluate your Brand Positioning Statement?
Your initial draft may not end up as your final brand positioning statement. Before you sign off on what you have written, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is your brand believable?
- Is it easily understood?
- Will it help inform your marketing decisions?
- Does it effectively differentiate your brand?
- Will it stand up to your competitors?
- Does it speak to your core audience?
- Does it motivate your audience?
- Does it paint a clear mental image?
- Will it withstand counterattacks from your competitors?
- Does it position your brand for growth and long-term success?
- Will it help you make more effective marketing and branding decisions?
- Is it different from your competitor’s brand positioning?
- Is it flexible enough to allow for growth over time?
- Is your brand statement consistent, across all aspects of your brand?
- Is it unique and is it difficult to copy?
- Is it memorable and motivating?
- Can you own it?
- Does the brand statement match customer perceptions of your brand?
- Does the brand statement produce a clear picture in your mind that’s different from your competitors?
Brand Positioning Statement Template
This brand positioning template above can be used to help you form a brand positioning statement for your business or start-up. You can add the details of your company, target market, and the main points that make your service and products stand out from competitors.
5 Examples of Brand Positioning Statements
The following are brand positioning statements that work for these popular companies, giving you insight into how a statement can be helpful:
Apple
Apple is a textbook example of a strong brand with a strong brand positioning. It focuses on tech-savvy customers. Apple stands out by giving unique experiences with its one-of-a-kind products. Apple makes you focus on the future of technology and the ways its product could change the lives of the people using it.
Key takeaway to consider: Apple now acts as a bridge between customers and the latest tech and gadgets.
Amazon
For people who want to purchase a wide range of products online with quick delivery, Amazon provides a one-stop online shopping site. Amazon delivers products to customers quickly using its dedicated fleet of excellent drivers.
Key takeaway to consider: Amazon’s aim is to be different from its online competitors through its efficiency and customer convenience.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola’s products inspire happiness and make a positive difference in customers’ lives. Coca-Cola is a classic brand that has remained the same but with the flexibility for a fresh, modern take. Coca-cola stands out by being a youthful, forward-thinking company that has been around for many years.
Key takeaway to consider: The company’s marketing and advertising campaigns always stay true to the brand’s identity: refreshing and fun
Nike
Nike is targeted for all types of athletes who want clothing that offers performance and comfort while also standing for something more. Nike initially started their product with a focus on performance and innovation.
Nike ensures its customers know they are getting an edge in competition with their apparel and makes customers feel like they are part of something bigger journey.
Key takeaway to consider: Nike gives their customers an extra intangible when it sells its athletic gear. Their branding and messaging focuses on empowerment, from their tagline “Just Do It”
Facebook is a platform for social-seeking people who want to stay connected to their old friends and meet new ones as well. It offers a way to digitally enhance people’s social life and keep their customers happy by helping them be part of the things they can enjoy.
Key takeaway to consider: Facebook is building up to be the platform in which people communicate in the future like how mobiles are now.
How Can Deskera Help you with Brand Positioning Statement?
To position your company’s brand in your customer’s minds, you need to start from within your business. Each member of your organization that has a touchpoint with the customer has to be the perfect expression of your position.
You can do this by going online with your business first. Then, you can use cloud platforms like Deskera to put your business online. Deskera is a all one platform which can be used for start-ups and companies to go online. You can use Deskera Shop to launch your business online.
Deskera Books is an online accounting software that your business can use to send invoices to your customers with your personalized and professional brand logo on the invoice to increase your brand awareness and position your brand.
Deskera CRM platform can be used to send out branded B2B email marketing campaigns and bring in customers and leads by using its sales platform. In addition, you can use the sales pipeline management platform to manage your sales funnel and deals. Using a good CRM system will ensure that your brand positioning is more positive.
Key Takeaways
At the end of the day, a good brand positioning statement is about identifying the experience you want your customers to have and guiding the internal teams who make it happen.
Ensure that you have first defined your :
- Target market
- Product Positioning
- Market and Customer category
- Customer Persona
- Brand promise
- Brand identity and values
- Brand Mission
Make and build a brand position statement by first creating :
- A vision board.
- Make it brief.
- Make it unique and memorable.
- Remain true to your business's core values.
- Include what the brand delivers to consumers.
- Differentiate your business from the competition.
- Keep it simple.
- Consult a colleague.
Finally, evaluate your brand positioning statements by:
- Is your brand believable and easily understood?
- Will it help inform your marketing decisions?
- Does it effectively differentiate your brand?
- Will it stand up to your competitors?
- Does it speak to your core audience?
- Does it motivate your audience?
- Does it position your brand for growth and long-term success?
- Will it help you make more effective marketing and branding decisions?
A brand positioning statement is a living document that should evolve alongside your product. Think about the value the brand positioning statement brings to your customers and what makes your services and product offerings unique. Most importantly, it would be best if you were authentic. Remember never to make promises you can’t deliver on.
