How to Develop Your Positioning Strategy (& Stand Out!)
I have to admit it - I’m a girl with a slight (um…extreme) obsession with coffee. I’ve tried to quit so many times, but the addiction is real. And tbh, I’m not mad about it. I love it. The way it smells. The way it tastes. The energy it gives me in the morning. The afternoon fuel to get me through the rest of my day. Why would I try and quit such a little slice of heaven on earth?
So when this cute little cafe opened up across the street from my house, I had to be the first to check it out.
This little hole-in-the-wall spot was understated, small, and very refined. They only have 4 tiny little tables and a couple of beautiful leather club chairs that look like something plucked right out of the latest RH catalog, with sleek charging stations all over the place. Their “coffee connoisseurs” are all refined, wearing all black pants and black collared shirts, hair pulled back, very sophisticated. They greet you with a warm, but sophisticated, “welcome to Java” when you walk in the door.
And their menu, well, it’s something out of GQ. A black chalkboard wall with a simple sans serif font that clearly communicates each menu item. Every item is poised, clearly communicated, and power packed. They serve coffee, a refined collection of teas, wraps, salads, and power bowls, each one packed with nutrients to fuel your body & brain. Bags of coffee displayed in simple natural paper bags with sleek black labels.
Below the menu are baskets hung on a black iron pipes with various vegetables, herbs, and other ingredients to go inside their recipes.
There were a few other people inside enjoying their little space, smiling to the tune of whatever they were listening to on their earbuds, typing away on their laptops, just like me.
How did this new, little hole-in-the-wall spot attract a collection of the same kind of people? How did everyone inside know what the vibe would be? What attracted us all to the exact same new spot? I started talking with the girl behind the counter and she said that they had another location in a different area of town and when the rent increased while their monthly income was decreasing - they couldn’t afford that location anymore - so they decided to move locations, AND to increase their customer base, they had decided to take on a rebrand and revamp their business.
Want to know what I heard? “We were trying to be the right choice for everyone and ended up being the right choice for no one. So we rebranded, we got clear on our audience and our offerings, we understand we now market where they are looking and now they finally find us.”
And that my friends is the secret. Brand positioning.
Why stay as the best-kept secret when you could actually be serving your ideal clients?
Because here is where most brands get it wrong: Trying to market to everyone.
As famed author & sales expert, Yuri Van Der Sluis said, "If you try to be everything to everyone, you become nothing."
Most people suggest that you grow your business by expanding and reaching broader audiences. After all, more eyes on your business means more leads right?
Hmmm… not quite. Instead of casting a wide net, be strategic with where you’re searching and only spend time in the areas where your ideal, dream audience is hanging out.
You truly become the expert when you can solve a problem and have a repeatable process to achieve results every time. Not by finding new problems to solve, but by being the go-to for a particular one that your ideal clients are struggling with.
Truth is, you need to have more of the right eyes on your business. Your ideal clients need to know you exist. And when they look at you, they need to know you are the right one for them.
You also need to know how to guide them through their customer journey. They start at the awareness stage and need to figure out they have a problem. Then you help them understand that your product or service will solve it for them and how long the process takes (clear results from that repeatable process you have developed). Finally, you explain the benefits of your company’s services, and how you’ll help them achieve their desires, fix that pain point and live the life they so desperately want so they’re confident in their decision to hire you.
Notice that I said benefits, no features. We buy emotionally, so be very clear on what are the benefits you bring to the table, don’t compete on price or a long list of “things you include”. Benefits as the result, always.
Today, I’m sharing some ways you can position your brand to get your ideal audience to see you as the trusted, premium expert in your industry. Let's dive in.
GET STRATEGIC IN UNDERSTANDING YOUR IDEAL AUDIENCE
Finding your ideal audience involves a combination of research, analysis, and understanding your products, services and offerings, and how they can help your clients finally achieve their deepest desires or fix their problems. Here are some tips to help you identify and define your ideal audience:
Demographic Analysis: Define the demographic characteristics of your potential customers. This includes age, gender, location, education level, occupation, income, family size, and more.
Psychographic Analysis: Dive into the psychological aspects of your audience. Understand their interests, hobbies, lifestyle choices, values, attitudes, and behaviors. This can help you connect on a deeper level.
Problem-Solution Fit: Identify the specific problems or challenges your product/service solves. Who are the people most likely to face these problems? Your ideal audience is likely to be those experiencing the problems you address.
Customer Feedback: If you have existing customers, gather feedback from them. Understand why they chose your product, what they like about it, and how it has benefited them. This can provide insights into your ideal audience.
Competitor Analysis: Analyze your competitors' customer base. Who are they targeting? Are there gaps they're not addressing that you can tap into?
Social Media Insights: Social media platforms provide valuable insights into user demographics, interests, and behaviors. Use tools like Facebook Audience Insights and Twitter Analytics to learn more about potential customers
Surveys and Questionnaires: Create surveys or questionnaires to gather data directly from potential customers. Ask about their preferences, needs, and pain points to refine your audience profile.
Segmentation: Divide your potential audience into smaller segments based on shared characteristics. This can help you create more targeted marketing strategies.
Create Audience Personas: Develop detailed audience personas that represent different segments of your ideal audience. These personas should include demographics, psychographics, preferences, challenges, and more.
Want to get started building out your ideal audience persona? Snag a copy of the Bingeable Brand Duo that will help you amplify your why, master your message, and captivate & connect with the right audience who's ready to convert from followers to buyers! Grab your copy here>>
UNDERSTAND YOUR SPECIFIC INDUSTRY MARKET
Conducting thorough market research is essential to understanding your target audience, industry trends, competitive advantages, and positioning your brand to stand out from the pack. When talking about your specific industry market, I'm not talking about the bigger picture of what you do, I'm talking about your brand, and the level you're at, industry market. For example, if you're a new local hair salon with 2-3 stylists specializing in cuts, color, and blow outs, don't research the bigger spa industry including massage packages, nail treatments, and the best facial products. You aren't serving that client. Research trends in color, cuts, hair treatments, pricing structures, etc. Here’s how:
Clearly outline your goals for conducting market research. Are you looking to understand customer preferences, assess demand, analyze competitors, or identify trends? Defining your objectives will guide your research approach.
Refer back to your ideal audience above and use them as the specific group you want to study.
Competitor Analysis: Research your competitors' products, services, pricing, positioning, and marketing strategies. Identify their strengths, weaknesses, and market share.
Industry Analysis: Study your industry's current trends, growth projections, challenges, and opportunities. Look for factors that could impact your business.
Conduct a SWOT Analysis: A SWOT analysis look at your brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat to assess your business's internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats.
Identify Key Insights: Based on your analysis, extract key insights that can guide your business decisions. Look for patterns, pain points, unmet needs, and potential areas of innovation.
Draw Conclusions and Make Decisions: Use the insights you've gained to make informed decisions about product development, marketing strategies, pricing, and other aspects of your business.
DEFINE YOUR PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND OFFERING TO STAND OUT
This one is a little more subjective, but you have to clearly outline what you're offering, and why it’s different or better than your competition. Here are some ways you can differentiation your products or services:
Define Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Your UVP is the core of your differentiation strategy. Clearly articulate what makes your brand special and how it offers unique value to customers. Focus on benefits that solve their problems or fulfill their desires better than anyone else.
Identify Your Brand's Personality and Values: Determine the personality traits and values that your brand embodies. Are you innovative, reliable, eco-friendly, luxury-oriented, or community-focused? Align your messaging, visuals, and actions with these traits, and align with the traits your ideal audience most values.
Target a Niche Audience: Instead of trying to appeal to a broad audience, consider targeting a specific niche. Become an expert in serving this group's needs, and tailor your brand message accordingly.
Innovate Your Product or Service to be different from other options on the market: Develop unique features, functionalities, or benefits that your competitors don't offer. Is there something you can add, remove or modify to fit into what your core audience is asking for? Innovation can set you apart and attract customers looking for something new.
Exceptional Customer Experience: Focus on providing an outstanding customer experience. Superior service, personalized interactions, and smooth processes can differentiate your brand in a positive way.
Distinct Visual Identity: Design a memorable and cohesive visual identity, including logo, color palette, typography, and imagery. This consistent visual branding reinforces your brand's uniqueness.
Embrace Sustainability or Social Responsibility: If feasible, integrate sustainability practices or social responsibility initiatives into your brand. Consumers are increasingly drawn to brands that align with their values.
Personalization and Customization: Offer personalized products, services, or experiences. Tailoring offerings to individual customer preferences can give your brand a competitive edge.
Collaborations and Partnerships: Partner with other brands, influencers, or organizations to create unique campaigns, products, or experiences that differentiate you from competitors.
Show them how to solve their problems with a step-by-step process. When you talk about your services make it so easy and effective, they just know you are the right one. This means leaving the heavy list of features out of the way and instead show them exactly what you will do together and how that will achieve their desired result. You are giving them clear steps to achieving their goal, and a direct call to action so they can book/purchase from you.
In today’s business world, the competition is fierce. Your clients want to know that you can deliver a high-quality product and service before they commit. When it comes down to it, most small businesses don’t have the time or resources necessary to create an effective brand identity for themselves. They need help creating a brand strategy and website design that will convert prospects into customers and keep them coming back for more.
I’ve seen my brand and web design process work for my clients over and over again, sometimes faster than they (or I) expect. Like with Heather, after working together on her new brand, crafting personality-packed sales copy based on the SB7 framework, designing her new website on Wix Studio, incorporating a strategic workflow to introduce her business coaching services as the prime solution for businesses in the product-based small business market.
Weeks (not months) after launching she was already booked out for 6 months - all because we were strategically positioning her as the solution for brands looking for coaches to help them grow to the 6-7 figure market in the product-based industry. By showing her work in the right way leading with benefits, having a clear process, and showing real results so her ideal clients can see she is the right one for them.
Stop being the best-kept secret.
You can grow your business by positioning yourself as the expert. Positioning yourself as an expert is about being clear on who you serve, what problem you solve, and why you’re different for them with a repeatable process that brings consistent results.
Don’t be the best kept secret in your industry- step into your market like an authority! The more people know, trust, and buy from you because of how knowledgeable and trustworthy they think you are, the faster you’ll grow to bigger heights.
Ready to position yourself as the expert in your industry? Let me help you make sure that happens. I create brand strategies, craft custom copy and design innovative websites for small businesses in the beauty, health and wellness industries. When we work together, I’ll help you get clear on your brand and how to make the most effective website possible to grow your business and revenue. Click this link to book a complimentary discovery call to see how we can partner to jumpstart your business.
So grateful and glad you're here!
Kelly
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for man." - Colossians 3:23