We can get all fancy here, explaining brand positioning and why it’s important for your business. But to summarize the idea in one sentence, it’s the art of presenting your brand and giving it a distinct identity in people’s minds.
It’s the same way everyone thinks about Nutella when someone mentions chocolate spread. Or how we talk about getting Starbucks before work instead of coffee.
If you want your business to grow beyond ‘just another one of those companies, you need a strong brand positioning strategy in place and identify your unique selling points to make it work. Brands that are consistently presented to their consumers can gain a 20% increase in revenue with the right channels and methods in place.
To be one of those brands is every business person’s goal. With this guide, you’ll be three steps closer to that goal, and we’ll make sure of that. We are going to take you on this journey of effective brand positioning with us, one step at a time.
So buckle up and dive in!
What is Brand Positioning?
The first step is finding an answer to what is brand positioning and how it works. As experts, we will explain it in easier terms and analogies so that you understand it and implement it correctly.
Brand positioning combines strategies to “position” your brand in people’s minds and leave a lasting impression. If we consider major brand franchises, it’s about defining your niche and telling people that it starts with you. A brand positioning statement is more than a tagline or advertisement telling people why they should choose you.
Instead, it’s about telling your audience that if they don’t choose you, they miss out on an integral part of the service or product they want. It’s saying,”’if it’s not us, it’s nothing,” without actually saying it.
Why is Brand Positioning Important for Your Business?
When you put your enterprise out there for people to see, it’s going to have some impact and build a reputation even if you don’t actively seek it. However, to make that impact substantial and profitable, you have to take control of the way you want your audience to perceive your brand.
It’s important to create a brand positioning statement for yourself and your customers, so they know what you stand for as a company. It helps increase brand awareness, communicate your values, and justify your popularity and prices.
Whether it’s your web design, your logo, the color scheme of your brand, the content you share, and the channels you use to share it, everything determines how well your brand is going to be positioned.
This takes us to our next step, incorporating brand positioning in marketing strategy.
Brand Positioning in Marketing – the 5 Types of Strategies
The second step is the most important part of this guide, so you should take notes. In a digital marketing strategy or any marketing strategy for that matter, you have to consider several important factors. Professional marketers know how important it is to make brand positioning in marketing an essential part of the planning stage.
Similarly, it’s important for business executives to know what they should be focusing on when they think about organizational growth and expansion.
To give you a general idea of the different types of brand positioning strategies and the ways you can use them, here’s a list of our top 5 brand positioning strategies based on different buyer personas:
Quality-Centered Strategy
This strategy targets the type of buyers who prefer quality over cost. After you analyze your audience and your competitors, you need to decide how to establish your brand as a high-quality premium service to which your buyers will feel attracted.
The quality of products is marketed through showing exclusive craft, small-scale production, high-end materials, and sustainable or unique procedures your brand uses to make them. For service providers, this can be done by using starts to show high return on investment (ROI) or testimonials.
Customer service strategy
If your brand belongs to an industry where customer care is a major pain point, you can target your audience by highlighting your friendly and attentive customer care service. This especially benefits industries such as IT, technology, and e-commerce services, where customers are always seeking guidance.
If you offer complicated or tech-savvy products, it will do wonders to determine your brand positioning as a customer-centric and helpful brand. This is also where your satisfied customer base will become advocates to promote your brand for its friendly persona.
Cost-Oriented Strategy
If you could have a penny for every time you see ‘the most affordable’ in a sales pitch, you would be the one owning Tesla right now. This is a rather overused brand positioning strategy, and many organizations fail to see its drawbacks.
Although offering the cheapest solution can lead to more sales because no one wants to spend extra money, it can also give the impression of a low-quality product/service or jeopardize your company’s economic growth like the Subway $5 footlong that couldn’t survive more than a year.
Differentiation Strategy
While we’re talking about Tesla, let’s talk about how well they positioned their brand using the differentiation strategy. This is one of the best brand positioning examples, and if your brand offers a unique service or product, you should definitely opt for this.
Tesla introduced the very first self-driving cars to our modern era. Even though the idea existed before, they redefined the vehicle industry with their technology and use of AI. This strategy will target information-seeking audiences who are always open to more research and the latest products.
Convenience-First Strategy
A strategy that targets user convenience sounds convenient. This strategy could apply to most consumers in today’s time because we’re all running low on time and motivation to carry out even the simplest tasks.
If you’re the first to bring doorstep delivery into your industry or the first one to offer multi-platform access, you should use this brand positioning strategy to let people know that your brand is the most convenient solution to make their lives easier.
Trust us, your audience won’t only buy your services but also be thankful for all the hassle you save them from.
Brand Positioning Examples
You can already find a few examples mentioned above, but you have yet to discover some of the most historical examples of brand positioning. Most of these are big brand names we know today, and you might think it’s impossible to reach the same level of exposure. However, anything is possible in business.
If you’re working on it the right way, you never know at what point in time your brand might become the next global sensation. It’s better to be prepared. So here are some of our favorite brand positioning statements for inspiration.
1. Coca-Cola
Everyone knows the story behind coca-cola and its famous yet highly confidential recipe. This is one of the greatest brand positioning examples that revolutionized the beverage industry and continues to remain everyone’s favorite even after 125 years!
2. Starbucks
Starbucks used a blend of both customer-based and convenience-first strategies for its brand positioning. They made coffee a morning staple for everyone, and personalizing their customer experience became a part of their brand culture.
3. Nike
It is the epitome of dominating the competition by targeting an audience that needs its products regardless of the cost. Nike began expanding their business with athletes as its main consumers. A perfect example of quality over price because athletes depend on their shoes the most!
4. Amazon
The e-commerce store we all depend on. A leading example of using technology and convenience as their primary focus. They also started small, but now there isn’t a product you won’t find on Amazon.
5. Apple
Just like Tesla, Apple takes the differentiation strategy to another level. Their products have become a luxury status symbol everywhere in the world. Today, amidst serious competition, they use a customer-oriented approach to stay everyone’s favorite.
Final Word – Hire a Brand Positioning Agency
You must be wondering why you need to hire a brand positioning agency, or perhaps not because it’s obvious. This is the third step that will eventually lead you toward your goal, and it’s the most crucial step of all as well.
If you leave your brand in the hands of an amateur, or worse, take it upon yourself, your brand will face numerous difficulties and many years of struggle before making any progress. Hiring the experts will make the process more effective and save you time and money in the long run.
Let the masters of brand positioning and marketing assist you in becoming the brand you wish to see and want your customers to see as well. Consult the specialists at UPQODE to make your brand positioning strategy a fruitful one!
