Suppose you’re in the business of marketing or entrepreneurship and have been working on your brand positioning. In that case, you must have scoured the internet searching for the perfect brand positioning template that can bring your ideas to life.
If you want to understand what exactly brand positioning means, what it entails, how you can create a great market position for your brand to keep your consumers effectively and organically hooked, and where to find a brand positioning template that suits your vision, then this article is for you!
1. What is Brand Positioning?
Brand positioning is an indispensable aspect of the planning process either when you’re in the planning stages of your brand or when you’re planning to expand your market.
It is the process of a business showcasing its brand identity, brand essence, and its products. Including where it stands in the market, how it’s different from other competitor brands, and the best fit for the target customers.
Positioning is a fundamental marketing and product strategy as it will affect all the facets of your branding, especially your brand identity. Its basic function is to create brand associations in the consumers’ minds’, and ensure that your brand stands out from competitors.
A detailed brand positioning template can be a helpful guide for you to better understand the concept and how you can apply it practically.
2. What is a Brand Positioning Statement
Putting a brand position into operation for your organization begins with a brand positioning statement. It describes your target market, painting the portrait of your target audience, and how they should perceive your brand.
This statement outlines the ‘who, what, how, when, and where’ of your brand identity.
Certain questions should be considered when creating a brand positioning statement:
- Who is the target audience?
- What product/service are you offering?
- How will your product/service impact and benefit your target market?
- When can the impact and benefit be seen?
- Where should this marketing strategy be applied?
You will find most of these questions answered in a detailed brand positioning template.
A company showcases a clear value proposition that makes them stick out by answering these questions in a brand positioning statement, and more importantly presents the brand value to consumers.
A positioning statement is an organization’s internal positioning framework used to express and promote the brand essence and value to the target audience. It’s a brief about their products, and how they fulfill the target market’s specific needs better than their competitors.
Since positioning statements are an important aspect of an organization’s marketing strategy, they should be equal parts to expectations and reality.
And what better than a brand positioning template, and a positioning statement template to describe how you can go about creating the perfect brand positioning statement?
2.1. Examples of a Good Brand Positioning Statement
When a customer sees your social media, visits your company websites, or views an advertisement about your product, the content should convey your brand’s essence, personality, and values. An effective positioning statement helps to do that. A few positioning statement examples are:
2.1.1. Amazon
Amazon’s brand positioning statement is to be a customer-centric company where their customers can find everything from every market category, and they strive for maximum customer satisfaction by providing quality products that they deliver on or before time.
This approach has made one of the largest retail brands in the world stand out from its competition and has led to its synonymity with convenient online shopping.
Amazon’s brand positioning template is available online and can be a good reference point for your positioning statement and strategy.
2.1.2. Apple
Apple’s brand positioning statement again centers around their customers’ satisfaction along with innovation and design. It is now counted among the world’s largest, most valuable, and most beloved brands.
It has achieved so by presenting itself as a status symbol- everyone who’s someone owns an Apple product. And their product offering has not disappointed the target audience, as they have been innovative, with out-of-the-box designs, technology, and the highest quality materials.
You can find Apple’s brand positioning template online, which can be a good source of guidance when creating or rebranding your business’ positioning statement.
2.1.3. McDonald’s
McDonald’s positioning statement is focused on consumer experience and tasty fast food at low prices. One of the main points of its positioning statement is the quick and friendly service provided at all its outlets all across the world, which has made it a people’s favorite.
Additionally, McDonald’s provides quick delivery and has a menu customized according to the tastes of the people in each country. And provides goodies, toys, and other cost-effective offers causing people from all walks of life to visit alone or with their families.
McDonald’s brand positioning template is available on the internet and will be a good developing point for your business or startup trying to design a positioning statement, modified to suit your own needs of course.
3. Importance of a Brand Positioning Strategy
Marketing strategies address the target audience who is overwhelmed with choices. Brand positioning is necessary because they are an organization’s most powerful marketing tool, which can do wonders if wielded properly, and to its fullest potential.
A positioning statement provides a glance at the product and explains how it will fulfill the specific needs and wants of the target consumer. It is a must-have tool for any positioning strategy because it portrays a clear image of your brand’s essence. A brand positioning template can give you a basic idea of how your brand positioning statement can be put to work.
A crisp and unambiguous positioning statement is of utmost importance as it helps customers better understand brands at first glance, and it tells them how the products and services, and the object sets the company apart from the rest of the market landscape.
A well-positioned brand gives them clarity and allows them to make quick-informed purchase decisions without having to pore over each feature or go through the hassle of testing your product first.
A brand positioning strategy helps a business define what it wants to be identified for. To successfully gain a competitive lead over the competition in the marketplace, a brand must ensure it positions itself in a way that the target customers can immediately get a feel of the brand’s value.
Your positioning strategy will directly impact all aspects of your brand and how the marketplace will view you. Besides broadcasting your brand personality and image, your organization’s internal team will also be affected by your positioning strategy.
Effective brand positioning will help the sales, marketing, service, and support teams design a more pleasurable and on-brand experience for your consumers.
The main objective of developing an appealing positioning strategy would thus be to align a brand’s marketing effort with the brand’s personality, and its value proposition. This is readily accomplished by putting together your marketing strategy using a solid brand positioning template that matches your concepts and makes them actionable, as well as by studying some of the tactics employed by the majority of consumers’ favorite businesses.
4. Features of a Good Brand Positioning Strategy
Each choice you make should be consistent with how your brand has been established for your audience since brand positioning is your point of contact with the target market.
While deciding on what approach to take with your positioning, you must take into account your target market’s needs and wants, because if your positioning does not show the relevant interests of your target market then it could result in brand losses.
Additionally, you can make use of this tactic to inform your target audience of decisions about your products or services.
A brand can not function without a brand positioning template to have an in-depth understanding of a good positioning strategy and it is vitally important to have a decent understanding of your brand positioning.
4.1. Target Audience and Market Category
Your target market is the demographic of consumers who will be buying your items. Although a product may be used by any individual, you should still aim to target a specific type of buyer to ensure that your brand in a particular niche sticks out. Identifying your target audience and establishing a buyer persona is a great way to understand who your target market is.
Whereas, a particular section of the market establishes the market category your brand or product would fall in. Whether your category is emerging or developed, you have to classify who the buyers are, what they’re searching for, and which brand or product has their attention.
4.2. Customer Pain Points
Customer pains are problems with products that can cause inconvenience for a business and its clients, or their unsatisfied needs waiting to be fulfilled.
Your product should be positioned to show your target consumer that your product is the answer to their problems. Your brand should endeavor to address customer pains and offer solutions.
4.3. Product Positioning
How your product is perceived in the marketplace depends upon your strategy and expression. This is known as product positioning, and should always be led by the product offering. Telling your consumer how their life will change for the better after choosing this product is the best way to go about it.
4.4. Brand Promise
A brand’s promise is the benefit the target audience stands to achieve by connecting with the brand and using its products. It is, at the end of the day, what their life would look like after deciding to use that product.
4.5. Brand Personality and Values
A brand’s personality is the base of a brand’s identity. The brand’s logo, motto, vision, etc., are some features of your brand that will help your brand stand out, and obtain your target audiences’ attention.
Whereas, your brand values will guide the decisions and culture of your organization, and ensure your consumers have a favorable perception of your brand.
5. Three Sites Offering Free Brand Positioning Template
A brand positioning template can help guide your branding position strategy. You may think that you have to hire a big marketing firm to help you market your brand, and create your brand positioning.
But you can design your brand position by yourself. Some websites offer a free brand positioning template that you can customize as per your specific needs.
Following are three websites that offer a free brand positioning template:
5.1. Xtensio
Xtensio provides a free brand positioning template including a brand positioning statement template. These templates can easily be customized to define your vision and ensure that your brand’s personality and values are brought to the limelight.
5.2. Milanote
Milanote has a free brand positioning map template for everyone looking to create a unique expression in the marketplace.
This free brand positioning template is perfect for you if you’re launching or rebranding your logo design, which, although not common, is very necessary for your company.
5.3. Hubspot
Hubspot’s free brand positioning template allows users to customize it according to their needs. Hubspot’s 10 free positioning statement templates and related templates can be especially useful for brands looking to rebrand their personality or launch a new product in a new market category.
This free brand positioning template provides a fair idea of how to customize and plan effective positioning strategies.
Conclusion
Finding the perfect brand positioning template and positioning statement template that matches your vision is of utmost importance, as it will help you design and execute a positioning strategy that will ensure your brand achieves success.
