How to create a brand positioning strategy in 6 steps
In this section, we'll explore a step-by-step guide on how to develop a compelling brand positioning strategy that sets your brand apart and resonates with your target audience.
By following these six essential steps, you can craft a unique value proposition, communicate your brand's identity effectively, and create a lasting impact within a competitive market.
1. Understand your current brand positioning
Before diving into a new brand positioning strategy, it's essential to assess your brand's current standing in the market. Analyze how customers perceive your brand, what associations they make with your company name, and how it compares to competitors. Conduct surveys, gather customer feedback, and study market trends to gain valuable insights.
Understanding your current positioning will serve as a foundation for crafting a more effective and differentiated strategy. Brand positioning isn’t about getting the whole world to view your brand in a certain way — it’s about getting your desired target customer to view your brand that way.
The first step in influencing consumer perception is determining who you’re targeting. We recommend creating a buyer persona — a fictional character you envision as your ideal customer. Create a demographic sketch with details like:
- Age
- Relationship status
- Profession
- Income
- Gender identity
- Hobbies
- Habits
- Pain points (common problems the customer has)
To help create this sketch, do market research and survey consumers who champion your brand. Based on their feedback, identify common touch points among your customers.
2. Identify your competitors
To stand out in a crowded marketplace, you need to know who you're up against. Identify your main competitors and conduct a thorough analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, and positioning strategies.
By understanding your competition, you can identify gaps in the market, find unique selling points, and discover opportunities to position your brand in a way that sets it apart from others.
3. Create your unique value proposition
Your unique value proposition (UVP) is the core of your brand positioning. Define what makes your brand special and why customers should choose you over competitors.
Think about your UVP as the connection between your brand promise and your customer’s needs. Focus on the specific benefits and solutions you offer to your target audience. Your UVP should address their pain points and demonstrate why your brand is the best fit for their needs. Make it clear, compelling, and memorable.
4. Create your positioning statement
You want your target audience to see you as a unique brand informed by a mission and values that resonate with them. The first step in differentiating your products or services is to create a brand identity.
If your brand were a person, this would be their personality. It’s the reason your customers choose your brand over another.
Creating a brand identity starts with identifying your target audience. Once that’s done, you’ll want to take a few more steps to help flesh out your brand’s personality:
- Define your mission. What is your brand trying to achieve, how, and for whom?
- Identify your values. What core values support your brand’s mission?
- Establish your messages. Your messages should emphasize your values and unique selling proposition (USP).
Once you have these essentials established, consider how you’ll convey your brand identity in terms of words (tone, verbiage, etc.) and imagery (including fonts, colors, logos, animations, and pictures).
With a clear understanding of your brand's unique value, craft a positioning statement that communicates it effectively.
Your positioning statement should be a concise and powerful message that captures your brand's identity, target audience, and the benefits you deliver. It should answer the question of why your brand matters and what makes it different from others.
Keep it simple, easy to remember, and consistent across all communication channels.
5. Test to see if your positioning statement works
Before fully implementing your new brand positioning strategy, test it with your target audience. Conduct focus groups, surveys, or interviews to gather feedback and reactions.
Pay attention to how well your positioning statement resonates with customers and if it aligns with their perceptions of your brand. Based on the feedback, refine your positioning to ensure it effectively connects with your audience.
6. Reinforce your brand’s distinguishing qualities
Once you’ve established your brand identity and pinpointed the unique value your brand offers consumers, reiterate that message frequently. Consistency is key to reinforcing your brand positioning in the minds of customers and building strong brand recognition and loyalty. Affirm your brand positioning across all marketing channels, including social media, email, and content marketing.
That said, you don’t want to cram messages about your brand’s uniqueness down consumers’ throats. Create subtle brand messages that emphasize your core values and differentiators using brand storytelling techniques.
For example, try inviting consumers to share their experience with your brand’s services or products on social media. This way, someone else highlights what makes you stand out from the competition, creating a more authentic experience.
Customer testimonials are just one possible storytelling technique. Storytelling aims to incite an emotional response in consumers and create a connection with them. This creates a more authentic experience and relationships between brands and consumers, something modern audiences crave.
By following these six steps, you can create a powerful brand positioning strategy that sets your brand apart, resonates with your target audience, and drives success in the competitive market. Remember to regularly review and adapt your strategy as market dynamics and customer preferences evolve.
