When you think of your favourite brands, they no doubt conjure up an image or character in your mind. You know exactly what they stand for and what type of customer they attract. Your business needs to do this too, and the best way to ensure this happens is through a carefully thought out brand positioning strategy.
So how can you craft your brand positioning so that it really speaks to the customers you want to attract? It all starts with a brand strategy. Follow our guide for successful brand positioning.
What is brand positioning?
Brand positioning is the process of directing your business and branding activities at the customers that you want to target. Successful brand positioning can make sure your business is in the mind of the customer. Your brand should stand out, be unique and be the brand that comes to mind first when your target audience thinks about your industry.
With a brand positioning strategy, you are working to carve out a market sector, with your own marketing niche. Your brand has a unique selling point, and it is this that you need to demonstrate to make your brand positioning distinctive.
How to develop your brand strategy
1. Take stock
Where is your brand currently positioning itself? If this is successful, your strategy may just need fine-tuning. If you’re currently attracting the wrong clientele, it may be time for a brand positioning overhaul.
2. Research your competitors
A good way to determine where you should position your brand is to work out what your competitors are doing. From there, you can work out where you can stand out and how you can showcase your uniqueness.
3. Develop your idea
Where would your brand be best placed? This should be distinct and set apart from other brands in the industry.
4. Craft your brand positioning statement
This is a quick summary of just one or two lines that clearly communicates the value of your brand and demonstrates your uniqueness to your target audience. When crafting this statement consider:
• Who you want to appeal to and attract?
• Your position in the market
• Your promise to your audience
• The evidence that backs up your promise
• You can also see your positioning statement as the who, where, what, why of your brand
5. Form your tagline
From your brand statement, you can then craft your tagline or slogan that can really help to cement your position in the industry. Then, when customers think of your brand, your slogan should come to mind instantly.
6. Keep it consistent
Once you have defined your brand position, you need to make sure to maintain clear, consistent messaging that retains its position. You can always check back with customers and through social media to see if your brand position is working and then make amendments as you go to get to where you want to be. Remember, if your brand doesn’t stand out and come across as unique, your brand positioning statement may need altering.
