Brand Positioning: Build a Strong Identity for your New Business

Remember when you created your social media account and were asked for a display picture? Brand positioning is your display picture on your social media platform. The captivating glimpse spikes the curiosity and interest of any user who comes across it and gives them an identity to tie their account to.

The idea is about what you want to be known for and what you bring to the table. It influences your customers to follow a set narrative/ trail of thoughts.

Brand Positioning: What Does It Mean?

Brand positioning is a phenomenon that refers to establishing a unique place for your brand in the minds of your target audience. It is about carving a distinct image and identity for your brand so that it will stand out or be perceived in a certain manner by your customers.

Effective brand positioning helps the customers understand the reason why your brand is the best choice for their needs and preferences among your competitors. Four major elements characterize the concept:

• Audience: Your target audience will be a progeny of the kind of product you sell or the service you offer. When strategizing towards positioning your brand, they should consider what identity you want to promote for the brand.
• Unique Selling Point: a unique selling proposition is a brand’s competitive advantage over other brands in the same industry or niche. For a perfect brand positioning, your brand should identify and capitalize on the unique values, benefits or qualities a brand has to offer.
• Market placement: This has to do with determining where your brand falls in the marketplace. Is it luxury or budget-friendly? Do you plan to be a market leader, challenger or follower?
• Visual Identity: Your logos, colours and designs are a part of what constitutes brand positioning.

How you position your brand is how your customers will regard it.

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Examples of Brand Positioning

Take a look at Tesla, for instance. When most people hear the brand name, luxury comes to mind. Tesla does not only have a luxurious image. The brand portrays itself as a company at the forefront of electric vehicle technology and sustainability.

Another exceptional example is Coca-Cola. This brand has positioned itself to be the god of happiness and generosity. It is often associated with sharing moments of joy. Their ads mostly feature happy people in a social setting.

These brands have successfully positioned themselves as one thing or the other in the minds of their target audience. Effective brand positioning is what makes them stand out from others in their various industries.

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Why is Brand Positioning Important?

Positioning your brand comes with many perks, some of which include:

• Differentiation: Brand positioning helps your brand stand out in the ever-competitive market. It distinguishes you from your competitors by highlighting the qualities that make your brand unique.
• Target audience clarity: it clarifies your audience. Knowing your target audience, you can tailor your marketing efforts to suit their needs.
• Customer loyalty: effective brand positioning creates a strong connection with the customers. It builds a competitive advantage such that your competitors will find it challenging to replicate you in your target audience’s minds.
• Higher prices: a brand can increase the price rate of their goods and services at will because customers will often patronize brands that they are loyal to regardless of pricing. They are also willing to patronize a brand they perceive as superior value.
• Effective marketing: positioning your brand well gives you insights into strategies to employ in your marketing efforts. It ensures that your promotional materials align with your brand’s values.
• Growth: Efficient brand positioning serves as the premise of long-term growth and success.

What is a Brand Positioning Statement?

To position a brand, it is compulsory that such a brand drafts a statement. Such a statement is a balance of aspiration and reality. A brand position statement declares the values a brand has to offer.

A clear and concise statement that defines how a brand wants to be perceived by its target audience. A well-crafted statement includes the following:

• Target audience: Who are your target audience or customers?
• Category: Does your business offer products or services?
• Unique selling point: Why should consumers choose your brand over others?
• Evidence of impact: What do you have as a backup for your business?

It is important to know that this statement is similar to the brand’s tagline but not the same. A brand positioning statement is typically more comprehensive and detailed, serving as a strategic guide for the brand’s marketing efforts.

On the other hand, a tagline is a concise statement capturing the brand’s positioning that is often used as a marketing tool to reinforce the brand’s identity in the minds of consumers.

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Examples of Brand Positioning Statements

A brand positioning statement is typically confidential and is unavailable to the general public’s consumption. For this reason, this article’s examples will be based on hypothetical brands.

For a catering business:

• Name: Delight
• Target audience: Discerning hosts and event planners
• Unique Value Proposition: Exquisite cuisine, impeccable service and unforgettable dining experience
• Brand promise: To be the go-to culinary partner for its target audience
• Category: Market leader or challenger

The positioning statement can appear to be “To be the culinary partner that delivers exquisite cuisine, impeccable service, and unforgettable dining experiences for discerning hosts and event planners.

This statement conveys that Delight specializes in providing top-tier catering services for clients who value exceptional cuisine and service, making their events truly memorable.

Another instance is of a jewellery brand.

• Name: Tanium
• Target audience: Upperclass who appreciate timeless beauty and perfection
• Unique Value Proposition: luxury, elegance, impeccable quality, unconventional designs
• Brand promise: Consistency in delivering the epitome of luxury
• Category: Market leader

The brand positioning statement will be “For sophisticated upper-class individuals who appreciate timeless beauty and perfection, Tanium is the market leader in luxury jewellery, offering a captivating blend of elegance, impeccable quality, and unconventional designs.”

How to Craft a Powerful Brand Positioning Statement

Crafting a compelling and memorable positioning statement involves careful consideration of your brand’s unique attributes, target audience and competition. Here is a step-by-step guide to crafting one:

• Understand Your Target Audience: Define your ideal customers’ needs and preferences. Determine what sets your target audience apart from others in the market.
• Define Your Brand’s Unique Selling Point: What makes your brand unique? It could be the features, values or other factors of your product or service offers. Consider the problem your brand solves for customers or what benefits it offers.
• Research Your Competitors: Analyze your competitors’ positioning to identify opportunities for differentiation.
• Craft a Clear and Concise Statement: Use clear and simple language that anyone can understand while putting into consideration the who, what and why of your brand.
• Make it Memorable: Aim for a statement that is easy to remember and different from competitors.
• Be Authentic: Make sure that your statement reflects the authenticity of your brand. Avoid exaggerating.
• Conduct a pretesting: Share your drafted statement with your team and the target audience to gather feedback and make necessary corrections.
• Align with Your Brand’s Visual Identity: Make sure your brand positioning statement aligns with your logo and visual identity.

What are Some Pitfalls in Positioning?

Many business owners fall into different pitfalls when working on their brand positioning. Some of the pitfalls you should avoid include the following:

1. Overpromising and Underdelivering: This involves making bold claims about your product or service that you cannot fulfil because it can lead to disappointed customers and damage your brand’s reputation.
2. Inadequate Research: Not conducting thorough market research can lead to misinformed positioning decisions.
3. Ignoring Customer Needs: Failure to acknowledge and address the specific needs of your target audience can result in a statement that does not resonate with customers.
4. Lack of Differentiation: If your brand’s positioning does not clearly differentiate it from competitors, you may blend into the market rather than stand out.
5. Inconsistent Representation: This refers to Inconsistencies in how your brand is presented across different channels. It can confuse the target audience and liquefy your positioning.
6. Ignoring Competitor Actions: Being lackadaisical towards monitoring and responding to what competitors are doing in terms of positioning can leave you at a disadvantage.
7. Ignoring Cultural/Religious Sensitivity: Failure to consider cultural and religious sensitivities in your positioning can alienate potential customers or even lead to public backlash.

Conclusion

Brand positioning goes beyond predictions and research. It focuses on leveraging what you bring to the table. Remember the smart girl who used to participate actively in your class? What do you think her relationship with your lecturers is like? It would most likely be cordial if you observed properly.

This is because she has consistently displayed a trait that has now become her trademark. Both you and your lecturers now view her as a smart and outspoken girl. This concept mirrors brand positioning.

If you do not showcase your brand and stick to being remembered for a trait or statement, you risk becoming invisible in the market, or you may simply blend in with the crowd. Positioning your brand will give you a competitive edge over other brands in terms of your target audience’s visibility, resonance, and loyalty.

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