How to Create a Brand Positioning Statement in 7 Steps
A rock-solid brand positioning statement is crucial for standing out in a crowded marketplace. This strategic positioning guides your messaging, emotional branding, and product development. Read on to learn how to craft a compelling statement that sets you apart.
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A rock-solid brand positioning statement is crucial for standing out in a crowded marketplace. This strategic positioning guides your messaging, emotional branding, and product development. Read on to learn how to craft a compelling statement that sets you apart.
What is Brand
Positioning?
Brand positioning refers to how a brand is perceived in the mind of the consumer compared to competitors. It establishes your niche and showcases your unique value proposition.
An effective positioning statement conveys:
- Who your target audience is
- What key benefit you provide them
- Why your brand is better than alternatives
With a clear positioning, you can better attract your ideal customers. It also informs branding, product development, and marketing.
The Importance of Brand Positioning
A strong brand positioning provides many advantages:
- Guides Messaging – Gives direction for brand messaging and communications based on your differentiation
- Informs Design – Provides basis for visual identity and branding assets that reflect your essence
- Attracts Your Audience – Draws in your ideal target customers who identify with your positioning
- Sharpens Focus – Keeps brand direction focused on target customers and your value proposition
Thoughtful positioning pays dividends across all aspects of your brand.
Determine Your Current Brand Positioning
- Before defining future positioning, audit your current brand identity and essence:
Review Brand Identity and Assets
- What is your current mission statement, slogan, voice, color scheme, logo, and other visual identity?
- Analyze your website, product packaging, advertisements, and all brand collateral. What personality or image do they portray?
Create a Brand Essence Chart
- Make a chart with columns for functional and emotional words that describe your brand.
- Consider how both external customers and internal team members would describe your company.
Gaining an objective view of your current brand positioning is crucial context for future positioning efforts. Know your starting point.
2. Research Your Competitors
Now it’s time to analyze competitors’ positioning and branding:
Identify Your Competitors
- Make a list of direct competitors who offer similar products or services. But also look at indirect competitors fulfilling the same customer needs in different ways.
- Visit competitor websites and social channels. Sign up for demos and email lists to immerse yourself in their messaging.
Analyze Competitor Positioning
- What emotions are they trying to evoke? What language, imagery and values do they emphasize?
- Who is their target audience? Is it the same or different than yours?
- What are their advantages over you in terms of pricing, quality, or functionality?
Pinpoint Gaps and Opportunities
- With an objective view, identify potential gaps where competitors may be missing the mark with branding or positioning.
- Brainstorm differentiation opportunities where you could stake your claim compared to competitors.
Identifying competitors’ strengths and weaknesses provides openings for you to establish your differentiation.
3. Determine Your Unique Value Proposition
With a clear view of the competitive landscape, spotlight your differentiation:
Identify Your Key Benefits
- What specific needs does your brand fulfill for target customers?
- How do you make life easier, better, or more enjoyable for your audience?
- What value do you provide that competitors don’t currently offer?
Leverage Your Unfair Advantages
- What strategic assets, intellectual property, or unfair advantages does your company have?
- Does your team have specialized insider expertise in your industry?
Alleviate Customer Pain Points
- What pain points or problems does your brand alleviate for customers?
- How do you save them time, money, or frustration?
Pinpointing your unique value and advantages provides the foundation for your positioning.
4. Build a Positioning Framework
Now it’s time to develop a positioning framework and alignment:
Map Your Audience and Emotions
- Create audience personas – detail their demographics, psychographics, needs, desires, and emotions.
- What feelings and associations do you want to evoke? Trust? Confidence? Security? Pride?
Develop a Positioning Strategy
- Determine the functional and emotional positioning you want to own in the hearts and minds of customers.
- Will you lead with prestige? Superior quality? Low cost? Specialization? Convenience?
Ensure Overall Strategic Alignment
- Double check positioning aligns with your company vision, mission, values, growth strategy and existing brand identity.
This framework helps guide positioning efforts and keeps you on track.
5. Craft Your Positioning Statement
With research done, it’s time to draft your positioning statement. A simple fill-in-the-blank formula:
For [target audience] Who [need or want] [Your brand] is the [category] That [key benefit & differentiation] Unlike [competitor]
Make it Concise and Impactful
- Keep it crisp and memorable – a single sentence is ideal.
- Use vivid, visual language. Avoid generic claims. Be specific on your differentiation.
- Your statement should instantly resonate with customers and guide strategy.
Align With Brand Identity
- Double check your statement aligns with your existing brand identity, essence and assets.
- If needed, evolve visual branding to match your new positioning.
Keep it crisp and memorable. Your statement should resonate instantly with customers and guide internal strategy and branding.
6. Evaluate and Adjust Your Positioning
Once you roll out your positioning, measure performance and make iterative adjustments:
Audit Messaging and Experiences
- Does your website content, ads, sales collateral consistently reflect your desired positioning?
- Does your brand experience match stated positioning? Walk through customer touchpoints.
Track Performance Metrics
- Measure engagement, recall, sentiment, clickthroughs, and conversions to gauge positioning traction.
- Use surveys to evaluate if target customers understand and connect with your positioning.
Make Gradual Improvements
- Based on data and feedback, refine messaging or positioning details over time.
- Positioning is an ongoing process! Evolve to maximize customer resonance.
Refine over time to find the optimal differentiator and emotional connection with your audience. Positioning is a process!
7. Build an Emotional Bond With Customers
Beyond functional positioning, establish a deeper bond through emotional branding:
Understand Your Audience’s Values
- Conduct user research to identify the desires, values and ideals of your target audience.
- What emotions do they connect with? What feelings do they want from your brand?
Infuse Emotion Into Your Brand
- Develop meaningful positioning on an emotional level – not just rational benefits.
- Infuse emotional elements into visuals, language, videos, ads, events, and culture.
Build a Tribe or Community
- Foster social connections between customers related to your brand. Support user-generated content.
- Enable customers to bond over shared passions, quirks, or interests related to your products.
Connecting with customers’ hearts, not just minds, is powerful long-term positioning.
Take Your Brand Positioning to the Next Level with Moobila
Our team of experts can help you craft a strategic brand positioning statement that resonates with your audience while setting you apart from competitors.
Get in touch today to amplify your brand differentiation with branding by Moobila!
Entrepreneurs Also Ask
What is a brand positioning statement?
A brand positioning statement clearly summarizes the unique value your brand provides to customers compared to competitors. It’s a concise declaration that communicates what makes you stand out.This internal tool helps guide your marketing and branding efforts. The statement keeps the focus on what makes your brand special and how you differentiate from rivals in the marketplace.
An effective positioning statement highlights your competitive advantage in a compelling way. It should succinctly convey your brand’s unique promise and value to your ideal audience.
What is an example of a positioning statement?
“For busy urban professionals, Brand X is the only organic meal delivery service that offers personalized, chef-prepared meals made with locally-sourced ingredients, delivered fresh to your door.”
This example summarizes the target audience, key benefit, and differentiation from competitors in a clear, concise statement. It positions Brand X as the premier choice for urban professionals seeking healthy, customized meals sourced and delivered locally.
What are 4 elements of a positioning statement?
The four elements of a positioning statement are:
- Target audience: Who is your ideal customer?
- Frame of reference: What category does your brand compete in?
- Point of difference: What makes your brand unique vs. competitors?
- Reason to believe: Why should customers believe your brand delivers on its promise?
What is a brand positioning statement?
A brand positioning statement clearly communicates the unique value your brand provides customers compared to competitors. It is a concise, memorable declaration tailored to your target audience.
The statement articulates your unique value proposition and customer benefits. It guides marketing and branding efforts by focusing your team on brand differentiation.
Key Takeaways
Brand positioning is indispensable for differentiation and attracting ideal customers. By clearly conveying your unique value proposition and connecting emotionally with your audience, you can stand out from competitors. Take time to craft a compelling brand positioning statement and integrate it into all aspects of your brand. When you resonate deeply with your market, you unlock loyalty and growth. Now get out there and own your niche!
Written by: Rabeea,
Content Lead Moobila
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