Brand positioning might seem like just another marketing term. But understanding brand positioning and knowing how to use it to your company’s advantage are two very important things.
What makes your company the one to choose? What makes its products or services better than the rest? Standing out in a competitive market won’t be easy if you can’t answer these questions.
Thankfully, you don’t have to go without answers for long. I’m here to help you learn how to position your brand and what it offers.
In this post, you’ll find out what brand positioning is. You’ll also discover several proven ways to use brand positioning to let the world know what sets your business apart.
What Is Brand Positioning?
Brand positioning involves a business understanding what sets it apart and making these qualities known to their target audiences. When used correctly, brand positioning should resonate with an audience in a way that fosters loyalty.
For example, you’ve likely said or heard someone say they need “Kleenex” when they’re sick and stuffy. Because Kleenex is synonymous with facial tissues, many people use this brand name in place of the product itself.
5 Effective Brand Positioning Tips
A brand has the freedom to position itself however it would like. When done well, brand positioning serves to strengthen a company’s popularity. When it goes bad, it can go really bad. Avoid the perils of brand positioning by following these tips.
1. Determine Your Brand’s Current Positioning
As Winston Churchill put it: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” In the context of brand positioning, your company needs to know how the world sees it now. This information gives your brand a foundation to build on with a new image.
During this step, you may uncover that your brand isn’t making the impact you wanted it to. Even large brands like Pepsi deal with this problem.
In its 2019 Super Bowl ad, Pepsi had a response for service industry employees asking customers: “Is Pepsi okay?” when they didn’t serve or have Coca-Cola on hand.
Find out how your target audience feels about your brand now, whether it’s good, bad, or somewhere in between. If people are bad-mouthing your company, find out why and resolve these issues. Who knows? They might even be part of your brand’s next marketing campaign.
2. Research Your Social Media Followers
You might think being a mind reader is necessary for successful brand positioning. Thankfully, it’s not. Instead, learn what your followers love and the accounts they often engage with.
Don’t worry—there’s no need to buy more business software or add to the many apps on your smartphone. All you need is a little time and an internet connection. As you look through these accounts, find out:
- What brands/social media accounts do your followers follow?
- What accounts do they interact with (likes, comments, shares, etc)
- How are these brands positioning themselves?
- How can your business use what others are doing to foster engagement?
3. Know Your Competition
Look at the competition if you can’t figure out what sets your brand apart. Chances are, your competitors are plastering their distinctive qualities front and center. Can your business match what its competitors offer or provide something better?
4. Choose a Common Brand Positioning Strategy
Thankfully, successful brand positioning doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel. If you’re unsure how to pinpoint your business, consider trying one of the tried and true solutions below.
- Price: Some companies stand out by being the lowest-priced product or service. If your business can offer something less expensive than competitors (and stay afloat), choose brand positioning based on being a low-priced solution.
- Quality: Other brands succeed because they specialize in offering higher-than-average quality products. These companies typically target people or companies only wanting the best (and not afraid to spend extra for it).
- Customer Service: Sometimes, it’s not about the product or service. Certain companies outshine the rest by focusing on the customer experience.
5. Put Your Brand Differentiators Front and Center
Whether you now understand how to position your brand or you’ve known all along, make this information prominent. That doesn’t mean hidden away in the seventh paragraph of your ‘About Us’ page. Whatever separates your brand from others, make it known on social media, your company’s website, emails, print campaigns, and in any other parts of your marketing arsenal.
Brand positioning is how the world views your company. Knowing how to position your business is vital for success no matter what industry you operate in. So, use the previously mentioned tips and be a brand that knows how to position itself.
