What is a Brand Position and Why Does Brand Positioning Matter?
Below I offer a CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE brand chat about why having a strong BRAND POSITION is really important.
I wrote two versions of the same branding advice for two different learning styles. Click the option below that appeals most to you:
Option 1: “Get to the point. Just the useful facts about building a brand position please.”
Or Option 2: “I like facts wrapped around a story because stories help me understand concepts.”
STORY VERSION
If a brand is a recipe, brand positioning is the secret ingredient.
A strong brand position is the ‘special sauce’ folks can’t immediately put their finger on, that punches up the rest of the ingredients and makes the whole dish memorable and loved.
I will now try to explain brand positioning using rabbits.
WHAT IS A BRAND POSITION AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?
Scene: Maggie’s autumnal garden.
Day one: Hmmm….did that plant’s leaves die a natural death?
Day 5: Wait. THERE WAS A BLACK EYED SUSAN RIGHT THERE. AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TINY HOSTA? WHO IS EATING MY PLANTS?!
Day 7: (Tells husband something is eating my plants.)
Day 8:
John: “I know what’s eating your plants”.
Me: “How do you know?”
John: “Because when I took out the trash last night. The flood light went on and I could see its giant eyeballs looking right at me.”
Me: “WHAT WAS IT?
John: “A rabbit. A very large rabbit.”
My brain:
What characters do you think when you hear the word ‘rabbit’?
Roger Rabbit and his wife?
Bugs Bunny and his sass?
Peter Rabbit and his naughtiness?
The Velveteen Rabbit and his sweetness?
Thumper and his anxiety?
Those are VERY different rabbits: Different outlooks on life. Visually VERY different. Different ages. Different attitudes.
Each rabbit is a brand position.
Brand Positioning is the flag a brand puts in the ground saying to the world “THIS is where we play. Of all the other brands that do what we do? THIS RIGHT HERE is how WE do it.” Brand Positioning defines your place in your industry for customers while AVOIDING generic benefits (All food has to taste great. ‘Great taste’ isn’t positioning. “Food as it should be”–Panera–is positioning).
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BUILD YOUR BRAND’S POSITION?
A brand position plants a flag; But how do you figure out what to say when you plant that flag? Here are the three things that typically go into a Brand Position, followed IN PARENTHESES by the section of my brand strategy program where we address it:
- What can you say about your brand that will resonate with your consumers (IDEAL CLIENT RESEARCH)?
- How are you different from your competitors (DIFFERENTIATED ADVANTAGES)?
- What’s the most brand-aligned tone of voice to say it in (BRAND PERSONALITY)?
WHERE IN THE BRAND STRATEGY PROCESS DOES A BRAND POSITION HAPPEN?
AT THE END of the process.
WANT TO CREATE YOUR BRAND POSITION?
Good, because a strong brand position helps customers connect to your brand.
^^^ That’s why it’s in my brand strategy program.
I offer at 3 month payment plan of $1800/month. We can start whenever you want. We meet once a week for 6 weeks and then your Brand Strategy is FINISHED and you can
- Pitch your brand to VCs.
- Get marketing off your plate.
- Train a sales person.
- Connect with the clients you want more quickly.
- Hire a designer to build your brand’s visual identity.
Let’s start building your brand: https://maggiebergin.com/brandstrategy
JUST THE FACTS VERSION
Welcome to JUST THE FACTS about Brand Positioning.
WHAT IS A BRAND POSITION AND WHY DO THEY MATTER?
Brand Positioning is the flag a brand puts in the ground saying to the world “THIS is where we play. Of all the other brands that do what we do? THIS RIGHT HERE is how WE do it.”
Here’s an example: Brand positioning is the difference between Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks: Both sell coffee and sweets. But who they are is VASTLY different. That’s brand positioning. Brand Positioning is the frame of reference that helps define your place in your industry while avoiding generic benefit descriptions.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BUILD YOUR BRAND’S POSITION?
Here are the three things about your brand that typically go into a Brand Position, followed (IN PARENTHESIS) by the section of my brand strategy program where we figure that out:
- What can you say about what you do that will resonate with your consumer (IDEAL CLIENT RESEARCH)?
- How are you different from your competitors in a way that matters to your consumer (DIFFERENTIATED ADVANTAGES)?
- How can we use a specific tone of voice to set you apart (BRAND PERSONALITY)?
WHERE IN THE BRAND STRATEGY PROCESS DOES A BRAND POSITION HAPPEN?
AT THE END of the process. It is the last thing we work on.
WANT TO CREATE YOUR BRAND POSITION?
Good, because a strong brand position helps customers connect to your brand.
^^^ That’s why it’s in my brand strategy program.
I offer at 3 month payment plan of $1800/month. We can start whenever you want. We meet once a week for 6 weeks and then your Brand Strategy is FINISHED and you can
- Pitch your brand to VCs.
- Get marketing off your plate.
- Train a sales person.
- Connect with the clients you want more quickly.
- Hire a designer to build your brand’s visual identity.
Let’s get you a brand position.https://maggiebergin.com/brandstrategy/
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