Would you ask for a bandage to cover a scrape on your leg? Band-Aid and Coca-Cola are two examples of successful brands that have used their brand names as generic terms for products in the same niche. 

A strong brand positioning strategy is essential for all businesses who want to succeed. A strong brand positioning strategy is essential for any business to succeed.

What’s brand positioning? 

Your brand positioning is the way you position your brand to customers’ minds. Your business’ strategy is what sets it apart from the rest.

The brand’s perceived value to consumers and credibility is what makes it unique. Your customers will place you in their hearts.

Although being different to your competitors doesn’t guarantee success in the market, it is vital that you position your brand only when your company does something exceptional. “Any other brand is the only one that can compare.

What’s the value of brand positioning?

Your brand’s reputation is your responsibility, no matter how well you nurture it.

One century ago, a soda maker decided to make a new product. Today, Coca-Cola is a household favorite with millions of worldwide sales. 

Company’s brand positioning can help them stand out from their competitors. These distinctions can also be used to justify pricing and increase brand awareness.

But, not all branding strategies are the same. Your positioning strategy and messaging will vary depending on the industry you work in. Here are some common positioning strategies to get you started.

Different Brand Positioning Strategies

1. Customer Service Positioning Strategy
2. Convenience Based Positioning Strategy
3. Price-Based Strategy
4. Quality-Based Strategy
5. Differentiation Strategy
6. Social Media Positioning Strategy
7. Other Positioning Strategies

You have many options when it comes to positioning your brand in the market. Your strategy must be targeted to highlight the strengths of your product and eliminate the weaknesses.

These are some of the most popular positioning strategies that you can use to differentiate your brand from others.

1. Customer Service Positioning Strategy

At least once have you chosen a restaurant/retailer based on their customer service.

To stand out from their competitors in verticals that are known for inattentive customer service, companies in these verticals should highlight their friendly customer service to attract new customers. 

This strategy is the most obvious because it can offer great customer service. Apple products can be expensive but the support staff can be responsive and helpful.

These interactions are an important part of the flywheel. If a customer is initially dissatisfied, they might be a promoter.

This strategy must be carefully followed. Negative reviews, angry calls via email and phone, social networking calls out and even Better Business Bureau complaints will result.

Customer delight = experience – expectations.

Tip: Make sure your team has the right customer service software in order to keep your promises.

2. Convenience-Based Positioning Strategy

Convenience-based positioning strategies emphasize the reasons why a company’s product/service is more user-friendly than its competitors. 

This could also be due to the product’s design. Swiffer’s WetJet product has been promoted by Swiffer to be an alternative to traditional mopping pads and is therefore a viable option.

Customers will consider your product or service the most convenient. An O-Cedar mop is $10, while a Swiffer WetJet mop is $26.

But convenience comes at a price. Supporting them could prove costly.

Also, make sure your product is convenient. You can meet your customers’ needs by offering subscriptions or automatic refills.

3. Price-Based Positioning

A price-based positioning strategy is used by companies to position their products or services as the best. This will allow you to build large customer bases. Prospects won’t spend more than they need.

However, this strategy comes with its risks. Prospects are given the impression that production quality has fallen.

Economic issues can also affect your brand’s positioning over the long-term. A price battle is possible, but only for certain industries, like air travel.

4. Quality-Based Positioning Strategy

Companies use this strategy to emphasize the high quality of their products. Often, these products come at a higher cost.

Show the quality of a product through its handiwork, small-batch production, and high-quality materials. Highlight exceptional results, high ROI, and glowing customer testimonials to show quality service.

Budget-conscious customers may overlook your brand and choose something cheaper. Buyer persons can help.

5. Differentiation Strategy

Differentiation positioning strategies focus on the product’s uniqueness, innovative qualities, and relative superiority to traditional competitors. 

Before Tesla cars, there wasn’t a fully-electric vehicle. Now, it’s the most well-known tech company in self-driving cars and artificial intelligence robotics.

This strategy can attract customers who value innovation to your products and brand. Consumers who are driven by innovation often want to know how the product works. 

6. Social Media Positioning Strategy

This positioning differs because it is more focused on a set of channels. Your messaging is as important as the channels you use.

You don’t have to be on every social media platform. These are the factors to consider when choosing a platform for your brand strategy.

• Where your target audience spends leisure time

• Your target audience’s spending habits

• Wherever you are , your target audience is searching for information and advice 

These three areas may all be available on a single social media platform. These areas may not all be available on one social media platform. However, you can customize your messaging to reach your customers.

7. Other Positioning Strategies

These strategies don’t cover all options. You can position your brand as the answer to a wide range of problems. 

You could also compare your brand to other brands. Use this strategy to highlight the benefits of your product over theirs in your advertising campaigns.

Pay attention to the behavior of your target customers as you create your position. 

After identifying the potential approaches, you can start to create a positioning plan that positions your brand as the friendliest, most easy or cheapest.

How do you create a brand positioning strategy

1. Identify the current position of your brand.
2. Create a Brand Essence chart.
3. Identify your competitors.
4. Do competitor research.
5. Identify your unique value proposition.
6. Design a framework to position your brand
7. Create your positioning statement.
8. Determine if your positioning is effective.
9. Build an emotional connection between prospects & customers
10. Reaffirm your brand’s unique qualities during the sales process.
11. Add value.
12. Make sure your brand is represented in all interactions with customers.

You need to look at your brand and identify your strengths to develop a brand positioning strategy. 

1. Identify your brand’s current positioning.

Does your product or service sell as a generic item? Knowing your current position will help you to analyze your competition. 

Start by identifying your target customers. Next assess your brand personality and voice to determine your value proposition.

Matylda Chmielewska, LiveChat Partners Program states that “We all love connecting with brands that feel and seem authentic to us.” Instead, be human. Start by understanding your audience and then speak their language.

2. Create a Brand Essence Diagram.

Now that you know where your brand stands in the market, it’s time to get into the details about what your brand means to customers. The chart can also be used to inspire copywriting.

The brand essence chart consists of seven components:

These attributes are called attributes. It might be simpler for physical products than SaaS or technology products.

Benefits – What benefits does your customer get from using your product/service

Personality – These are your brand’s characteristics. To distinguish your brand from others, personality can and should be nuanced.

Source of Authority and Support This could include customer service through testimonials and reviews, or scientific research.

What it says about you (the client): This section can be completed by using inspiration from the personality area. 

What it makes you (the client) feel: This section of the brand essence chart will help you to identify a niche angle to brand messaging. 

Positioning/Brand Essence: Finally, you will connect all of these elements to make a simple statement that describes the benefits that your customer should get from your brand. Learn more about creating it.

3. Identify your competitors.

Conducting competitor analysis is crucial after you have completed an analysis of your own. This will help you determine what you can improve upon to gain an edge.

There are many methods that you can use to identify your competitors.

• Market research: Talk to your sales team about any competitors that might have come up in sales. You can also do a Google search using a keyword to find companies that are listed.

• Get customer feedback. Ask your customers to tell you about the products and businesses they like before you make a decision.

• Social media is an excellent way to connect with customers. Quora lets you ask questions about products and services.

4. Do competitor research.

Once you have identified your competitors you can start to conduct competitor research. You should keep your research as simple as possible.

• What products or services do your competitors offer you? 

• What are their strengths?

• What marketing strategies have they used to succeed?

• Current market position

5. Identify your unique value proposition.

It’s about understanding your uniqueness and what will work for you. Then, build your image around it. “

After conducting competitor research, you’ll probably notice patterns. When you compare your product/service with theirs, you might find that your strengths are one of their weaknesses.

This is your brand’s unique selling proposition and can be used as a positioning tool. 

6. Build a framework to position your brand

It can be difficult to position a brand. It can be overwhelming to position a brand with so many touchpoints.

This framework is top-down. This framework is a top-down approach. It begins with the main idea, and ends with examples of touchpoints that can help in tactical situations such as headlines for blog posts and captions for social media.

• Big Idea
• Value Proposition 
• Target Audience
• Mission statement
• Tone Of Voice
• Elevator Pitch
• Message Pillars
• Sample Touchpoints 

7. Create your positioning statement.

It’s now time to put your knowledge to work and create a brand positioning declaration. This is a one- to two-sentence statement that communicates your brand’s unique value to customers, in comparison with your main competitors. “

Before creating your positioning statement, you must answer four questions:

• Who is your target customer?

• What product or service are you offering?

• What’s the greatest benefit of your product/service to customers?

• Does this benefit exist?

The positioning statement can be concise and powerful. “Our vision is to be the most customer-centric company in the world. To create a place where customers are able to find and purchase anything online.

Amazon targets anyone, even though it may seem broad. 

8. Check if your positioning statement is correct.

This is just the beginning of positioning your brand in order to appeal to one customer. Now it’s time to test and get feedback from customers to see if your positioning is working.

Ryan Robinson, Close.io, states that “Investing time in positioning your brand to appeal to a specific vertical, type, or demographic of customers is only half the battle.” “

“It’s crucial to test, experiment, and actively solicit feedback from your target customers regarding whether your positioning is having an effect.

“We doubled our positioning by asking customers for feedback (and listening), and it is evident that both our content and its delivery style are key assets to our brand. “

9. Build an emotional connection between prospects, customers

Building trust before you enter the sales process creates trust. Prospects should spend time getting acquainted with their reps at the beginning of each sales process to understand how they see their product solving their problem.

10 In the sales process, highlight your brand’s unique qualities.

A strong brand positioning will allow you to quickly understand and refer to the unique properties of your company’s offerings. Make sure your prospects are aware of what makes your brand stand out during the sales process.

11. Add value.

Help prospects overcome their challenges or solve their problems. The solution of your company should be part.

12. Ensure that all employees who interact directly with customers are representing your brand.

Customers are your best ambassadors. 

Brand positioning map – The power of perception

A brand positioning map can be a powerful tool to help you compare your brand with others in consumer perceptions. Each axis is a brand attribute that influences brand selection.

A brand positioning chart is made up of attributes that are relevant for your target audience. By placing competitors on your map, you’ll be able see which brands are more successful in particular areas.

The attributes in the map are based on the values of your customers. Brands that place emphasis on common values win. 

Harvard Business Review states that “Build brand loyalty by sharing values with consumers.” It is not about how many interactions customers have with your brand, but the quality of those interactions.

Position your brand to grow with success

Strong brands are essential to enter and compete in any market. You can use the following brand positioning frameworks and strategies to position yourself in the sweet spot of your target market.