A Quickstart Guide to Positioning

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Positioning is not as well understood as you might think.

If you gather a bunch of top marketers and ask them to pin down what 'positioning' really means, you'll likely end up with a whole spectrum of interpretations.

But let's kick off by clearing up what positioning isn't.

• It's not just another way to say 'messaging.'

• It's not your catchy tagline. It's not the narrative of your brand,

• It's not your grand vision

• It's not your foundational 'why.'

So, what's the real deal with positioning, and crucially, how can we nail it?

Defining Positioning

April Dunford is the author of the best-selling book “Obviously Awesome” (which, for me, at least, is the definitive book on positioning) and spends her days working with companies of all shapes and sizes, helping them nail their positioning.

Here's how she defines positioning:

This might seem intricate, but bear with me - positioning is all about a unique blend of elements. It's the interplay between these components where the real magic unfolds.

Hang tight. We're about to dive into that.

Think of positioning as setting the stage for your product, similar to how the opening scenes of a movie sets the context. These scenes are crucial – they orientate us.

It tackles the big questions:

• Where are we?

• What's the time frame?

• What's going on?

• What's the vibe here?

• Who are these characters?

Once we've got this backdrop in place, we can immerse ourselves and focus on the nitty-gritty of the story.

Let’s take the first few scenes from Casino Royale.

We find James Bond embarking on a thrilling foot chase after a bomb maker. This scene is a masterful display of parkour as the bomb maker nimbly navigates the urban landscape with astonishing agility.

In his relentless pursuit, Bond uses a more brute force approach, smashing through obstacles and relentlessly chasing his target. This scene is not just about the action; it also further establishes Bond's character. He's a new kind of agent, willing to bend the rules and use unconventional methods to achieve his objectives.

The intensity and pace of the scene set the tone for the rest of the film, indicating that this will be a Bond movie filled with high stakes and adrenaline-fueled action.

In the same way, positioning your product in the marketplace is like giving your customers a compass – it imparts crucial info.

The context you create with your positioning sparks a powerful array of assumptions: who's your product going head-to-head with, what features it ought to have, who it's meant for, and even aspects like its price point.

Imagine I'm pitching my product, and I mention it's a "web meeting tool."

Hold that thought. What pops into your head before I even progress to the next part of my presentation?

You might immediately think of Zoom, the heavyweight in this arena. Your mind might wander to the audience I aim for – likely businesses and remote teams.

Features? You probably envision video conferencing, screen sharing, and virtual backgrounds.

And on the pricing front, with Zoom as the market benchmark, you're likely guessing my product comes at a lower price point.

Solid positioning triggers a bunch of accurate assumptions about your product. On the flip side, poor positioning sparks assumptions that miss the mark, leaving your sales and marketing teams with the hefty task of reversing the misconceptions your positioning has already set in motion.

If I say my product is a "task management tool," you'd form a certain set of assumptions, quite different from if I called it a "project management software."

Although both might share features like task assignments and progress tracking, the expectations shift.

For a task management tool, you might anticipate simplicity, personal to-do lists, and perhaps integration with daily planners. In contrast, project management software conjures up ideas of team collaboration, timeline views, resource allocation, and comprehensive project planning.

Both could be positioned similarly, but excellent task management might fall short in complex project scenarios and vice versa.

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