Writing a Brand Positioning Statement: Everything You Need To Know

People rarely travel somewhere they’ve never visited without checking a map first. On the other hand, companies frequently continue down their current path without pausing to consider where they want to go.

Crafting a brand positioning statement will help you identify the type of business you want to be and give your marketing a unified voice.

The brand positioning statement will define the core of your work, whether you’re developing a new brand or upgrading an old one. It serves as the “backbone” of your marketing strategy, guiding everything from product creation to advertising campaigns to how you answer the phone at work.

Now, what is this brand positioning statement?

Discovering consumer insights provides you a competitive advantage by helping you to satisfy your consumers’ demands and convey them more effectively in your marketing.

You must, however, be aware of your brand. That may appear absurd: after all, you know more about it than anybody else, right? However, because a brand is a complicated beast, it’s simple for your marketing to become dispersed.

Is your opinion of the firm shared by the general public? Do you truly understand what your consumers think of your company?

A brand positioning statement explains what your firm does, who it serves, and what sets it apart. The goal is to carve out a distinct niche for your brand in the eyes of consumers in your industry. While you may sell to a wide range of consumers and provide several advantages, your customers should be able to detect one key difference.

But first, we mustn’t confuse ourselves with value positioning.

Positioning Statement vs. Value Proposition

Although the value proposition and the positioning statement are essential components of a company’s marketing strategy, there are some distinctions between them. A value proposition explains how your product or service differs from the competition. It provides an overview of the advantages of a product or service.

A positioning statement is more general, and it’s written after you’ve figured out what your company’s value proposition is. It also highlights the most critical consumer advantages or why someone would want to buy your product or service.

The path of brand positioning

Your positioning statement can be written in a brainstorming session, but it may be more beneficial to build it as part of a more extensive journey.

An introductory remark will still be helpful, but a more in-depth examination of the brand and industry will guarantee that your comment is placed in context.

To make the statement, consider where you’ve come from, where you are now, & where you want to go in the future. Then all you have to do is figure out how to get there!

Recognize your current situation.

What do your consumers think of you right now? Whether through polls, stories, or social listening, listening to your consumers may help you here.

Social listening offers the scalability of quantitative research with the added benefit of gathering client feedback. This allows for qualitative analysis, allowing you to decipher individuals’ words while talking about your brand.

To produce a comprehensive brand positioning statement, do a brand audit to get a clearer understanding of where you are now positioned in the minds of consumers.

Determine your destination.

Your brand positioning statement will aid in determining the company’s and marketing’s path. As a result, it’s critical to know what you’re striving towards.

Consider what the perfect product or service in your category would be. No matter how far away it seems, having the ideal product in mind might help you chart out your path to it.

Decide how you’re going to get there.

You must be aware of the advantages you may provide to the consumer. These benefits may be used to elicit an emotional reaction, which is a strong marketing technique.

Here are a few examples:

Volvo

Volvo is a car brand that appeals to a wide variety of people. Their vehicles drive like any other vehicle and endure a long time, yet Volvo is recognized for “keeping your family safe.” Their primary target group is parents, and they provide items for families. Their distinctive selling feature is safety. They want to possess and claim the market position of safety, even if they are good at other things.

But, indeed, other companies produce safe automobiles? Volvo has been able to own the hearts and minds of its target audience due to its consistent execution and delivery of its product and messaging. Volvo’s slogan in the 1970s was “Boxy Not Sexy.” Today, it’s all about “Volvo for Life.” The artistic expression has changed throughout time, but the brand concept has remained the same – a car that protects your family.

Bounty Paper Towels

Bounty Paper Towels are robust and durable (like Brawny) and can wipe up a wide range of messes, but they’re most recognized for their efficiency, which allows you to clean up messes quickly. Has anyone heard of a “quicker picker upper?” It hasn’t altered in more than four decades.

Coca-Cola

For those seeking high-quality beverages, Coca-Cola offers a wide variety of the most refreshing alternatives, each of which provides customers with a good experience when they drink a Coca-Cola brand beverage. Unlike other beverage alternatives, Coca-Cola products inspire enjoyment and create a positive difference in customers’ lives, and the brand is obsessively focused on consumers’ and customers’ requirements.

These businesses have been well-known because they have kept faithful to their brand positioning statement, even as their marketing and campaigns have changed. Rather than attempting to be everything to everyone, they discovered a niche that they could own.

White Dog Distilling

Carlo and Alecia Catucci, a husband and wife partnership, created White Dog Distilling in 2016 focused on passion, spirit, and the journey from grain to glass. With Carlo’s physics background and Alecia’s culinary and product development expertise behind them, they set out with one aim in mind: to create high-quality distilled spirits that would appeal to both novice and seasoned spirits consumers.

What is the best way to draft a brand positioning statement?

The positioning statement, rather than being a slogan, is usually utilized as an internal-only document. Regardless, it must be brief for it to be understood and remembered by employees.

It should only have four components:

1. The product or service category in which the company works

Although the category/industry/vertical in which your business works will most likely be evident, it is nevertheless helpful to consider.

Your product may fall into numerous categories, or your industry may be divided into sub-sections. Defining the precise area in which you operate might help you focus your efforts.

2. Who is the intended audience?

You may have more than one, but focusing on your primary target group offers you a competitive advantage.

3. The customer’s advantage

Not the glitzy new feature you’re ecstatic about, but the actual value your customers will receive from doing business with you.

4. The rationale for the brand’s commitment to this promise

Because there are no physical storefronts, a brand may be the most cost-effective alternative. A software firm may have the most sophisticated technology available, allowing for more functionality.

Whatever the case may be, there must be evidence to support your allegation.

5. One-of-a-kind and defendable point of differentiation

The heart of the brand positioning statement is the distinctive and defensible point of distinction. This is the one emotional or physical advantage you want to be recognized for – something you can claim (if others don’t already).

When deciding on your point of distinction, make sure it’s something you can genuinely claim. Banks, for example, nearly invariably profess to be reliable. This point of difference is unlikely to stand up unless you have particular reasons to show a potential consumer that you are MORE trustworthy than other banks and credit unions. Instead, think about a more specific value that you provide that others don’t or that you perform considerably better than others do.

A few more pointers:

•  All of the pieces must operate together.

Your point of distinction should be distinct within your industry and relevant to your target market. Select as broad a category and target demographic as possible without overstretching your brand.

• Make sure your product works.

A promise is what a brand is. Make sure your brand delivers on the distinctive point of distinction you’ve chosen.

• Don’t make your it too complicated.

Consider how your brand could change in the future. If you don’t have to, don’t limit yourself.

• In the customer’s own words, define the category.

Avoid the temptation to define the category according to your preferences. Instead, consider how the customer represents it. Consumers do not claim, “I have to go to my primary financial institution,” even if a bank tries to be their “Primary Financial Institution.” They make their way to the bank.

• Make a list of reasons to believe.

After you’ve completed your positioning statement, you’ll need to develop your “reasons to believe.” L. L. Bean, for example, has always prided itself on providing “outdoor quality that lasts.” A crucial incentive to believe and a key message was their lifetime guarantee. As the company grows into a lifestyle brand, it moves away from this fundamental message, yet its brand positioning stays the same.

• The position of a brand is rarely altered.

While campaigns come and go, strategic posture should remain constant. Take your time to get it perfect, then stay with it until the category shifts and your placement becomes obsolete. People’s perceptions of brands that alter positioning are frequently clouded.

• Participate in the development of a Brand Positioning Statement with others.

Consider involving workers and stakeholders from your company in the clarification of your brand positioning statement. Owners frequently believe that all of their workers are on the same page and understand their unique selling points.

 If you found this interesting, have any questions, or would like to learn more, our Branding Agency in Dubai can help, please drop us a line at puneet.ae