Market Positioning: Own Your Place in Customers Minds
Develop clear positioning strategy that differentiates your brand and drives preference.
You offer great product. But prospects ask how you differ from competitors. You explain features. They remain confused. Problem is not your product. Problem is your positioning—or lack thereof.
Market positioning is how customers perceive your brand relative to alternatives. Not what you say about yourself. What customers believe. Positioning occupies mental real estate. When customers think category, do they think you? When they think need, do you come to mind?
For marketers and founders, positioning determines whether you compete or get ignored. Clear positioning differentiates. Weak positioning commoditizes. Tesla positioned as premium electric performance cars—not cheap eco-friendly vehicles. Positioning enabled premium pricing and rapid growth.
Ultimately, positioning is strategic choice. You cannot be everything to everyone. Attempting to serve all needs for all customers leaves you meaningful to none. Positioning picks battles you can win and customers you can own.
🔍 Elements of Positioning
Target audience defines who you serve. Specific segment, not everyone. B2B versus B2C. Enterprise versus SMB. Technical users versus business users. Positioning for everyone is positioning for no one. Narrow focus creates clarity.
Frame of reference establishes category. What are you competing against? Uber positioned against taxis initially, not rental cars. Category choice determines competitive set and customer expectations. Choose category where you can win.
Point of difference explains why you are better choice. What do you do better than alternatives? Superior technology. Better design. Lower cost. Specialized expertise. Difference must be meaningful to customers and defensible against competitors.
Reason to believe proves your claim. Why should customers believe your point of difference? Patents. Customer results. Expert credentials. Third-party validation. Claims without proof are ignored. Evidence makes positioning credible.
Brand character humanizes positioning. Personality attributes. Tone of voice. Visual identity. Mailchimp is friendly and accessible. IBM is professional and authoritative. Character makes positioning memorable.
💡 Positioning Strategies
Attribute positioning owns specific attribute. Volvo owns safety. FedEx owns overnight delivery. Walmart owns low prices. Owning single attribute in customer minds creates lasting advantage. Hard to dislodge once established.
Benefit positioning focuses on customer outcome. Salesforce enables companies to sell more. Slack makes work more productive. Outcome-focused positioning resonates when attribute less differentiating.
Use case positioning serves specific scenario. Zoom for video conferencing. Dropbox for file sharing. Stripe for online payments. Use case clarity helps customers know when you are right solution.
User positioning targets specific customers. GitHub for developers. Workday for enterprise HR. User-focused positioning increases relevance for target while repelling bad-fit customers.
Competitive positioning defines yourself against competitor. Pepsi as young alternative to Coke. Avis as trying harder because number two. Comparative positioning works when competitor is well-known and you offer clear alternative.
🎯 Developing Positioning
Market research reveals customer perceptions. How do customers describe you? Competitors? What attributes matter most? Gaps between perceptions and reality? Cannot position without understanding current perceptions.
Competitive audit maps landscape. Who are direct competitors? Indirect competitors? What do they claim? How are they positioned? Where are white spaces? Positioning succeeds by zigging where competitors zag.
Customer insights uncover jobs to be done. What problems are customers trying to solve? What alternatives do they consider? Why do customers choose you? Why do prospects choose competitors? Deep understanding of customer motivations informs positioning.
Positioning statement codifies strategy. For [target audience] who [need], [brand] is [category] that [benefit] unlike [competitors] because [reason to believe]. Framework forces clarity. If you cannot complete statement, positioning is unclear.
Testing and validation proves positioning resonates. Do customers understand difference? Does positioning influence preference? Message testing, concept testing, and A/B testing validate before full rollout. Adjust based on feedback.
🚀 Communicating Positioning
Messaging framework translates positioning into language. Tagline. Value proposition. Key messages. Proof points. Objection handling. Framework ensures consistency across channels and team members.
Visual identity reinforces positioning. Logo. Colors. Typography. Photography style. Design system. Visual elements signal positioning before words read. Premium positioning needs premium design. Accessible positioning needs friendly design.
Website is primary positioning tool. Homepage communicates positioning in 5 seconds. Clear headline. Supporting copy. Relevant imagery. Obvious call-to-action. Website confusion signals positioning confusion.
Sales materials enable team to communicate positioning. Pitch decks. One-pagers. Case studies. Battle cards. Positioning only works if sales team can articulate it consistently and convincingly.
Marketing campaigns amplify positioning. Ad creative. Content themes. Event messaging. Partnership choices. Every touchpoint reinforces—or dilutes—positioning. Consistency compounds positioning strength.
📊 Positioning Mistakes
Following competitors instead of differentiating. Copying competitor positioning makes you weak alternative. Positioning requires courage to be different. Differentiation creates preference.
Generic positioning could apply to any competitor. Claims like innovative, customer-focused, quality are meaningless. Everyone claims same things. Positioning must be specific and distinctive.
Inside-out thinking focuses on what you want to say instead of what customers care about. Features you are proud of might not matter to customers. Positioning must resonate with customer priorities.
Positioning drift happens without discipline. Team members describe company differently. Marketing messages vary by campaign. Inconsistency dilutes positioning. Once established, defend positioning religiously.
Not evolving as market changes. Positioning that worked five years ago may be obsolete. Competitors copy. Customer needs shift. Market matures. Periodically reassess and adjust positioning to remain relevant and differentiated.
🧭 Repositioning
When to reposition: losing market share, target market is shrinking, merger changes identity, category is evolving, current positioning is weak or unclear. Repositioning is expensive and risky—only when necessary.
Repositioning process similar to initial positioning but complicated by existing perceptions. Cannot ignore what customers already believe. Must acknowledge current position and shift deliberately. Sudden repositioning confuses customers.
Change management internal and external. Employees must understand and embrace new positioning. Customers must be brought along. Partners and channels need education. Repositioning without change management fails.
Proof required when repositioning. Cannot simply claim new positioning. Must deliver evidence. Product changes. Partnership announcements. Customer wins. Repositioning without substance is ignored.
Timeline for repositioning is years, not months. Perceptions change slowly. Consistent messaging over time shifts positions. Impatience kills repositioning efforts. Microsoft took years repositioning from legacy software company to cloud-first mobile-first.
💪 Successful Positioning Examples
[Apple](https://www.apple.com/) positioned as premium, design-focused alternative to utilitarian PCs. Think Different campaign reinforced positioning. Product design delivered proof. Positioning justified premium pricing and created brand loyalty lasting decades.
[Southwest Airlines](https://www.southwest.com/) positioned as low-cost, no-frills alternative to traditional carriers. Point-to-point routes. No seat assignments. No meals. Positioning clarified what Southwest offered—and did not offer. Enabled operational model supporting low fares.
[Dollar Shave Club](https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/) positioned against overpriced premium razors. Viral video clearly communicated position: great shave at fair price without retail markup. Disruptive positioning attracted 12K customers first 48 hours.
[Basecamp](https://basecamp.com/) positioned as simple project management alternative to bloated enterprise software. Opinionated about simplicity. Direct contrast to feature-heavy competitors. Positioning attracts customers frustrated by complexity.
Market positioning is not branding exercise. It is strategic decision about who you serve, how you compete, and why you win. Without clear positioning, you compete on price. With strong positioning, you create preference independent of price. Your positioning determines your profitability.
📚 References
📚 References
Ready to Level Up Your Instagram Game?
Join thousands of creators and brands using Social Cat to grow their presence
Start Your FREE Trial
