The importance of a positioning statement is commonly overlooked, yet it is a critical piece of any brand. A business’ brand plays a vital role in the life cycle of any successful organization as it exposes and promotes your products and services to hundreds of potential customers.
All the marketing efforts in the world are useless if the market does not remember your name/brand. This is the hard truth about marketing and unfortunately, it seems many business owners fall short in this category.
In previous blogs, we have written about the power of a brand and the critical elements that contribute. This blog is focused on the importance of one of those key elements, a positioning statement.
What is a Positioning Statement?
One way to ensure people remember you and your products and/or services is to come up with a brilliant positioning statement. A positioning statement should define what you do, how you do it, and position you within your industry all within a few catchy words. Some good examples include Apple “Think Differently” and Kentucky Fried Chicken “it’s finger lickin’ good!”. Both statements identify briefly what the organization can do for you in just a few simple words. Remember, the KISS rule definitely applies here! Keep It Simple, Stupid. Not our words, but a universally accepted sound business principle.
How to Develop A Positioning Statement?
It is critical to engage a marketing professional who is well versed in the branding process. A good marketer will assist you in developing a strong positioning statement, one that is aligned with your brand and considers these key steps:
1. Begin by reviewing your company’s Mission and Vision Statements and keep these in mind throughout the process. Understand the difference, mission/vision statements share how you plan to execute your strategies, while a positioning statement is part of your brand and states “how you do what you do”.
2. Make a list of your audiences and prioritize them.
3. For each customer type, figure out what their urgent needs are. Do not assume you know what your customers’ needs and pains are. Get out and talk to customers to get an in-depth understanding of their wants and their needs, and pain points.
4. Make a list of key features of your products and/or services and how you each solves the customer needs identified.
5. Analyze your competitors. Gather information from their website, printed materials, and other sources. Evaluate how they are positioning themselves and what their key messages are.
6. Now you have all the necessary information to identify your distinctive positioning, focus on how you meet the most urgent need, or top two if there is a close second. In solving those needs, what do you do that is unique compared to the competition? Identify the one most compelling reason for customers to do business with you. It is important to be focused. We tell our clients to think of how they would complete this sentence: Only we ______. Hint: it cannot be related to customer service; we hope that is a given!
7. Write a sentence that gives a distinctive advantage, not just presents your value as a superlative claim. Keep honing it until it is clear and feels right. Check it out with outside contacts for confirmation that it conveys a compelling reason to do business with you.
Once you have applied these steps, you should have in your hands an effective positioning statement that will soon become the single most important sentence in your marketing arsenal. Use this positioning statement wherever you can. Remember, keep it simple. There is nothing worse than a position statement that takes more than a few seconds to read, process, and most importantly memorize.
Hyve Marketing is a true, full-service marketing partner, we can manage all aspects of your marketing needs: branding and design, website development, digital marketing, social media management, paid search, content management, photography, and video production. Contact us today for a complimentary marketing analysis of your existing brand and collateral.
