What is Brand Positioning and Why Aren’t You Doing It Yet?

Brand positioning helps you leverage your unique benefits and take control of your reputation and how your business is perceived. It's essential for creating a competitive advantage. Think of iconic brands like Coca-Cola, Apple, and Amazon. These companies harness the power of brand positioning to become easily recognizable and distinctive. While they have vast resources, any business can carve out its brand position to stand out.

What is Brand Positioning?

Brand positioning involves enhancing the positive differentiation of your brand against competitors and shaping customer perceptions. It includes elements like your company name and logo but extends to the overall brand strategy. Think of your unique selling point (USP): What makes your business unique? What is your purpose? Why would customers choose you over a competitor?

Why is Brand Positioning Important?

Brand positioning helps you:

Leverage unique benefits
Control your reputation
Differentiate from competitors
Showcase your values and ethos

This consistent showcase of unique benefits can justify pricing and promotional strategies. Balancing centrality and distinctiveness is crucial for influencing brand perception, sales, pricing, and profitability.

B2C Branding Example

Consider two candle companies:

Company A positions itself as environmentally friendly, using organic ingredients and biodegradable packaging. This allows them to charge a premium.
Company B has no clear positioning, resulting in lost market share to Company A.

Benefits of Brand Positioning

Forbes highlights these benefits:

Brand recall
Emotional appeal
Increased sales
Improved customer loyalty

How to Identify Your Brand’s Position

Start by assessing your current brand identity:

Imagine your brand as a person: What qualities do they have?
Consider your customers’ perspective: How are you perceived?

Use these insights to develop your brand position. Define your brand’s key attributes and utilize a positioning framework to highlight your brand identity across key areas. Ensure your brand positioning is consistent across all touchpoints.