In a market where hundreds of brands compete, brand positioning is important to help your brand stand out and lead its own niche. 

But, what is brand positioning in marketing? Brand positioning refers to the process of building a brand's identity and place in the minds of consumers relative to competing brands. 

So, it's about defining how a brand wants to be perceived in the marketplace and ensuring that this perception is relevant to the brand's values, products, and messaging. 

With brand positioning, you can highlight brand uniqueness, showcase your value proposition, build a strong emotional connection with your audience, and stand out differently from your competitors. 

However, to achieve all that, you need to conduct the right strategies. Read this article to learn more about types and some of the best brand positioning strategies you can try. 

What Is Brand Positioning?

Brand positioning refers to how you position your brand in a crowded market to create a unique identity in the minds of potential customers.

Positioning your company's brand is critical to helping consumers understand why they should choose your brand over others. 

The main goal of branding and positioning is to connect with customers on a deeper level, shaping their perceptions, driving loyalty, and influencing their purchasing decisions.

This process brings together various aspects, including the way you deliver visual imagery, messages, and others to resonate with your target audiences. 

Why Brand Positioning Is Important?

Why is positioning your brand important? The answer is simple. Now, being just "different" isn’t enough to win in the market. 

You need to know where to place your brand to become the gem amidst the sea of options available to consumers!

By strategically positioning your brand, you can:

• Stand out in a crowded marketplace and capture the attention of your target audience.
• Create a strong emotional connection to communicate your brand's values, personality, and story.
• Justify premium pricing, especially when consumers perceive your brand as offering unique value or meeting their specific needs.
• Foster brand loyalty and customers are more likely to choose your brand over competitors.

6 Types of Brand Positioning Strategies

When deciding how to position your brand in the market, the key is to highlight what makes your product special and point out where your competition falls short. Here are some strategies to help your brand noticeable.

1. Customer Service Positioning Strategy

Think about a time you chose a store, restaurant, or service because of great customer service. Businesses with complex products can attract customers by highlighting their strong support systems.

Great customer service can justify higher prices. For example, Apple products are expensive, but they offer excellent support. Good service can turn unhappy customers into promoters of your brand.

However, you need to also note that, if you promise great service but don't deliver it perfectly, then you can’t run from bad reviews and complaints. So make sure to do what you promise!

2. Convenience-Based Positioning Strategy

This strategy shows why your product or service is more convenient than the competition’s. Convenience can be about location, ease of use, accessibility, or multi-platform support.

Busy customers are drawn to convenience, even if it costs more. However, offering convenience can be costly. 

For instance, if you offer a product across multiple systems, you’ll need a strong development team to handle issues, which can be expensive.

You need to make sure your product is truly convenient. For example, offer automatic refill programs to avoid inconveniences like frequent trips to the store.

3. Price-Based Positioning Strategy

This product positioning presents your product as the most affordable option. It’s easy to attract customers by being the cheapest, but it might give the impression of lower quality. 

Thus, it's crucial to strike a balance between affordability and value to ensure that your product is perceived as both cost-effective and high-quality.

4. Quality-Based Positioning Strategy

Emphasize the high quality of your product, which often comes at a higher price. This can include high-quality materials or sustainable practices. 

High-quality service can be shown through great results and customer testimonials. However, this strategy may appeal to something other than budget-conscious shoppers, so check if your target customers value quality over price.

5. Differentiation Strategy

Highlight your product’s unique or innovative features. This strategy attracts customers who value innovation but might need extra effort to prove the new product’s reliability. Tips! Provide research and testing information to reassure innovation-driven consumers.

6. Social Media Positioning Strategy

Digital storytelling on social media is a modern way to position your brand. Use interactive ads and narratives to create an engaging experience.

Choose the social media platforms of your target audience. Focus on where they spend their time, and money and look for advice. Create your messages to meet customers on these platforms.

How to Create a Strong Brand Positioning

Understanding how your brand is perceived by others helps highlight your unique value for your brand position. Here’s how to build a strong position for your brand.

1. Determine Your Current Brand Position

Are you presenting your product or service as just another option, or are you highlighting what makes it unique? Understanding your current positioning is key to figuring out your next steps and analyzing your competition.

Start by identifying your target customers and defining who they are. Then, clarify your mission, values, and what sets you apart from others in the market. Finally, evaluate your value proposition, brand persona, and brand voice.

2. Define Your Target Audience and Market

Research the demographics you're targeting to know who are your customers and what attracts them by making a list or summary of your customers to understand their interests. Once you know this, you can focus on communicating with the right people.

Understanding the market segment and your competitors can also help you establish a sustainable brand position for achieving long-term goals.

3. Define Your Value

Defining your value to differentiate your brand from others. What unique value do you offer your audience? A distinctive value sets your brand apart and makes it unique and relatable to your customers. 

Having a clear brand position helps you develop better branding and marketing strategies. Success comes from aligning how you present your brand with how your audience perceives it. Ultimately, it's about differentiating your brand from the competition.

4. Build a Brand Positioning Statement

Now that you have a solid understanding of your brand, it's time to create the statement. This statement should succinctly describe your brand’s unique offer and explain how it meets your customers' needs.

A positioning statement focuses more on what sets you apart and the primary benefits you offer your customers.

The better your positioning aligns with helping customers achieve their goals more effectively, the stronger your brand will resonate with your target market.

It is recommended to your positioning statement after developing your value proposition, as it will help you determine what to emphasize. To guide you, consider these four questions:

1. Who is your target customer?
2. What’s your product or service category?
3. What’s the greatest benefit of your product or service?
4. What’s the proof of that benefit?

5. Evaluate Your Positioning Works

Positioning your brand to appeal to a specific customer is just the first step. Once you've crafted your positioning statement, the next phase involves testing, experimenting, and gathering feedback to ensure your positioning resonates with your audience.

In essence, continuously refining your positioning based on real customer feedback is vital for ensuring it effectively meets your business goals.

6. Build Emotional Connection with Prospects and Customer

Connecting with your prospects on a personal level before pitching your product builds trust and creates a more positive experience with your brand.

For instance, at the start of the sales process, reps should spend time understanding your prospects and the problems they aim to solve with your product. 

The importance of forming an emotional connection with your audience when developing your strategy for positioning your brand.

Conclusion

Having a strong branding and positioning is essential when entering or competing in any market.  A unique brand positioning strategy helps you stand out, capture your target audience's attention, and grow your brand successfully.

Therefore, visibility is key for any online business, and this is where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) comes in. SEO enhances your website's visibility on search engines, which is very helpful in establishing your brand's position in the market.

Consider partnering with cmlabs, where we specialize in SEO solutions such as optimizing website content, conducting keyword research, and building quality backlinks. Try the SEO Services by cmlabs or discuss your business needs with our Marketing Team today!