Brand positioning refers to the “target consumer’s” reason to buy your brand in preference to others. It ensures that all brand activity has a common aim; is guided, directed and delivered by the brand’s benefits/reasons to buy; and it focuses at all points of contact with the consumer.
Positioning creates a bond between the customer and the business. It’s that friend of the customer who’ll always stay in their subconscious mind and will make them recall the company whenever they hear about any of its products or a particular feature which makes it stand out.
Examples of Brand Positioning
Colgate is positioned as protective.
Patanjali can be trusted as it is fully organic.
Woodlandruggedough and perfect for the outdoors.
Coca-Cola brings happiness.
Axe deodorants have a sexual appeal.
Characteristics of a Good Brand Positioning Strategy
Relevant: The positioning strategy you decide should be relevant according to the customer. If he finds the positioning irrelevant while making the purchase decision, you’re at loss.
Clear: Your message should be clear and easy to communicate. E.g. the Rich taste and aroma you won’t forget for a coffee product gives out a clear image and can position your coffee brand differently from competitors.
Unique: A strong brand positioning means you have a uniquely credible and sustainable position in the customers’ minds. It should be unique or it’s of no use.
Desirable: The unique feature should be desirable and should be able to become a factor which the customer evaluates before buying a product.
Deliverable: The promise should have the ability to be delivered. False promises lead to negative brand equity.
Points of difference: The customer should be able to tell the difference between your and your competitor’s brand.
Recognizable Feature: The unique feature should be recognizable by the customer. This includes keeping your positioning simple, and in a language which is understood by the customer.
Validated by the Customer: Your positioning strategy isn’t successful until the time it is validated by the customer. He is the one to decide whether you stand out or not. Hence, try to be in his shoes while deciding your strategy.
How to create a strong brand positioning strategy?
Before you decide on your brand positioning, ask yourself these three questions.
What does my customer want?
Can I promise him to deliver it better and/or differently than my competitors?
Why will they buy my promise?
What does my customer want?
Not everyone in the market is your customer. mustd to divide the market into ‘my customer’ and ‘not my customer’. This way, it’ll be easier for you to know what exactly is your customers’ wants are.
The division should be followed by you trying to be in your customers’ shoes. A good businessman speaks in the voice of the consumer.
Your research should not be based on secondary data. You should go out and look for what the customer actually wants, make the product fit those wants, and they’ll buy it.
Be Better and/or Different
If it’s not just you who is in the market, you’ve got to find a way to deliver your promise better and/or differently than your competitors. Make a brand which has a recall, which comes to the customer’s mind when they hear about the particular product category or the feature you’re offeriWhenevertime I hear about girls being attracted by a deodorant, I get an image of Axe deodormind.
Give them a reason to buy your promise.
Your promise should be one of the factors they consider while buying the product. Use this trick
Decide your product
List its various characteristics
Do research, and
Divide the characteristics into essential and add-ons.
Select only those categories, be they essential or add-ons, which customers consider while making a purchase. (E.g. aesthetics, fragrance, taste, shape, cost, etc.)
Find out what among these categories can you provide better than the competitors.
Whatever you decide, don’t lose your focus on the essential characteristics. (E.g. Taste will always be the most important characteristic that a customer considers while buying a food product)
Provide your unique feature along with the essential characteristics.
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