From iPhones to Geico, strong brands have a clear positioning strategy that helps them stand out in a crowded market. These brands are not just known for their products or services, but for the unique value they offer. This guide will walk you through how to discover your personal care brand’s sweet spot.
Unveiling Brand Positioning
Before we delve into the depths of brand positioning, let's clarify that brand positioning is not synonymous with brand identity. While the two are intimately connected, they are distinct concepts.
Brand identity is the face of your business, the visible elements that define how your brand looks and feels to the customer. This includes typography, colors, logos, and brand values.
On the other hand, brand positioning is about your fit in the industry and why customers choose you over competitors. To put it simply, brand positioning is the process of positioning your brand in the mind of your customer. Successful brand positioning results in customers who know what you do and why you're different.
Recognizing Poor Brand Positioning
Poor brand positioning, often referred to as "fuzzy positioning" or "under positioning," is a common mistake brands make. This happens when your unique value proposition (UVP) is unclear or non-existent, leading to a lack of differentiation.
Moreover, other positioning mistakes include over-positioning, confused positioning, and double positioning.
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Over-Positioning: This occurs when your brand is so focused on a single product or service line that customers are unaware of your full scope.
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Confused Positioning: This happens when your positioning doesn't align with the reality, causing confusion among customers.
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Double Positioning: This is when customers don't believe your brand positioning due to a poor reputation or inaccurate brand positioning.
Ingredients for Effective Brand Positioning
Understanding the recipe for effective brand positioning requires knowing why customers buy from certain brands. Customers tend to choose brands that offer the right solution, meet their criteria, and are trustworthy.
Here are the key ingredients of brand positioning:
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Relevance: Does your brand offer the right product or service solutions that solve a problem for your customers?
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Priorities: Knowing your customers' priorities and fears (pain points) is crucial. Do they prioritize budget or quality?
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Trustworthiness: Can you substantiate your claims?
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Appeal: Brands must be likable to make sales. Companies with a reputation for poor customer service or low-quality products don't last long.
Crafting a Brand Positioning Statement
A brand positioning statement is different from your UVP. It should encompass how you fit into your industry and how you resonate with your target customers. A well-crafted brand positioning statement should include:
- Target Customer: Who is your ideal customer?
- Market Definition: Who are your competitors?
- Brand Promise: What unique value does your company offer?
- Reason to Believe: Why should customers trust you?
An example of a positioning statement could be:
Flex Cosmetics is your go-to source for top-notch beauty products that are specially made to make you look and feel your absolute best! We're not just any cosmetics company; we're experts in formulations, which means we put a lot of time and effort into figuring out the perfect ingredients to make our products work wonders for you.
Our team of skilled professionals is dedicated to creating beauty solutions that are better than anything else on the market. We pay close attention to every detail, from choosing the best ingredients to perfecting the texture and scent of our products. When you use Flex Cosmetics, you're not just putting on makeup or skincare – you're experiencing the result of our passion and expertise.
Evaluating Your Brand Positioning Strategy
Once you've crafted your brand positioning statement, it's essential to evaluate its effectiveness using the following criteria:
- Differentiation: Is your brand positioning different from your competitors?
- Relevance: Does it matter to your ideal customers?
- Honesty: Is it true to your brand's current state?
- Values: Does it align with your company values?
- Comprehensiveness: Does it reflect your company's entire mission?
- Future-proof: Is it strong enough to drive your brand forward?
- Timelessness: Will it be relevant in 10 years?
- Uniqueness: Could your competition co-opt it?
- Appeal: Is it appealing to your target customers?
By understanding your competition, your customers, and how you're different, you can begin to carve out your company's unique space.
Final Thoughts
Without clear brand positioning, marketers may struggle to gain any ground. Developing a clear idea of how your brand "fits" into your industry and customers' lives and positioning accordingly can help you improve awareness, appeal, and more.