Why is brand positioning important?

There are several reasons why brand positioning is important for

businesses, including:

 It establishes value: Great brand positioning establishes

a product's or service's high value, compelling customers
to want to purchase it.
 It communicates brand association: Brand positioning
creates a brand association in customers’ minds so they
think of your product or service first. It helps enforce
consumer loyalty, product credibility and customer
preference.
 It differentiates you from competitors: A unique brand
position shows how your product is different or better than
a similar one. You can use your brand positioning to
emphasize how your product solves a problem or meets
your customers’ needs.
 It simplifies buying decisions: Brand positioning can
make buying decisions easier for customers by answering
questions they might have and making it easier for them to
trust your brand.
 It amplifies messaging: A brand positioning statement
helps you tell stories about your brand, products and
services more easily. With a concrete vision, you're able to
elevate each piece of marketing.

How to create a brand positioning strategy

Follow these steps to create a brand positioning strategy that will
stand out with your audience and lead to real business results:
1. Do your research

Before you can create your brand positioning, you need to look at your
competitors’ positioning. How is your product or service different?
What are your competitors doing to capture their customers’ attention?
Evaluate all of your primary competitors to understand their brand
positioning, assess how well they're doing and identify how you can
stand apart to outperform them.

2. Identify your target

The next step is to determine who you want to reach with your product
or service. This means identifying the audience, or target, that's most
likely to buy from you or is in the greatest need of your products and
services. Once you know this, you will focus your actions on targeting
this group. It's also important to fully understand what your target
audience wants. Reach out to current or potential customers to better
understand what they're looking for in a product or service, fully
understand the problem they're trying to solve and why they chose
you.

3. Identify the problem you're solving

After identifying your audience, the next step is to determine the

problem you're solving. In other words, identify the customer’s need
that's being met by your brand. This step is critical for your messaging
since you want your business to be the first thing customers consider
when trying to reduce or solve a specific problem.

4. Differentiate your brand

The next step is to determine how your brand is different from your
competitors. To do this, ask yourself why your brand is better than
other companies with similar products. How does yours better address
customers’ needs? Why should a customer buy your product instead
of someone else’s? For example, is it quality, pricing or a specific
part?
5. Choose your positioning statement

After identifying who you're targeting, what problem you solve and
why you're better than your competitors, you need to create a
positioning statement that will stand out with your audience and set
you apart from your competitors. You also should ensure that you're
capable of delivering upon the statement. In other words, don’t say it if
you can’t claim it.

A simple way to define your brand positioning statement is to sum up

your brand position in three words. For example, you might define
your brand as feminine, tailored and traditional. It's best to avoid
overused words like unique, successful and high quality since these
words define what every brand is ultimately trying to achieve.

Consider these elements in your statement:

 Who are you serving?

 What are you offering?
 How are you offering it?
 Why are you offering it?
 How does it compare with what’s already available?
Example of a brand positioning statement

The Adidas Group strives to be the global leader in the sporting goods
industry with brands built on a passion for sports and a sporting lifestyle. We
are committed to continuously strengthening our brands and products to
improve our competitive position.”

6. Develop an authentic story

The final step is to develop an authentic story that captures your

company's mission and incorporates its values. Give your target
audience an interesting story they can connect with, like how you
produced your first product, challenges your company faces or your
business’ origin story. This will help your organization to be more
relatable and trustworthy in the minds of your customers. Consider
publishing the story on your company’s website or social media posts
to introduce followers to how you got started.