A great brand starts with great positioning
Compelling brands don't just magically appear. The great ones have figured out who they serve, how they are different, and why they are valuable.
In other words, great brands show us how powerful it is to craft a meaningful positioning before you begin to form how you communicate the brand.
Use a time-tested formula
If you're looking to capture the mojo that the great brands have, start with a time-tested structure for your positioning statement. Here's one that you can use.
For (those we hope to serve)
Who are looking for (their unmet need)
Our product (how we meet this need)
Unlike (competitive alternatives)
Ours is the only product that offers (functional attributes)
That deliver (emotional benefit)
Let's look at how to fill out each of the sections to make your positioning statement everything it can be.
For (those we hope to serve)
What are some key defining characteristics that help us define these people? We can use demographics (who they are), psychographics (how they think), and behavioral observations (how they act). It's not a bad idea to list out everything you can about these people. Once we have all this rich input, we can pull out the most relevant insight for our positioning statement.Who are looking for (their unmet need)
What is the most compelling problem they are trying to solve? Or, what is the compelling opportunity that they are trying to take advantage of? There is a need they have. This is where we capture it.Our offering (how we meet this need)
How does our offering address the unmet need? Again, list out a lot of ideas. Then choose the one that feels the most relevant, ownable, and defendable.Unlike (competitive alternatives)
How are you different from your competitors? As you describe your competitors (or categories of competitors), do it in terms that set you apart. Here is an example for the fictitious Exceli Bank: "Unlike the impersonal national institutions or the run-of-the-mill local banks".Ours is the only offering that (functional attributes)
List the three most compelling features that support how your offering addresses their unmet need. This is the proof of your claim. It can be a product you have as well as how you deliver your offering. You can have more than three functional attributes, but I find that if you do the work to narrow the description of your functional attributes here, your brand language becomes exponentially more powerful down the road.That deliver (emotional benefit)
This is the powerful conclusion of your positioning. The emotional benefit is the most compelling reason those you hope to serve will decide to engage with you.
Put it all together
Once you have the 6 sections of the positioning statement crafted, put them all together. Here is an example for the fictitious Exceli Bank:
For busy, twenty-somethings moms
Who are looking for ways to make their family's money work harder for them
Exceli Bank is an indispensable financial champion
Unlike the impersonal national institutions or the run-of-the-mill local banks
Exceli Bank brings together an invaluable combination of high-earning accounts, people who take the confusion out of money, and great tips and know-how
All of which gives you the life-changing confidence that you're making the very best decisions for your family when it comes to your money
A very important distinction
Keep in mind that your positioning statement is not external branding language. This is a tool used to hone your thinking, capturing the essence of where your brand sits in the market.
You will have a tendency to try and write the marketing language as you go through this process. Resist the urge. This is the structure. The bones. There will be time for the poetry later. Right now, you need a statement that can serve as a touchstone for all your efforts in the future. In other words, you need to be able to hold up all efforts to your positioning statement to ensure you are not straying from your strategic foundation.
Once you begin working with positioning statements, you'll love how they provide a framework for your thinking. And a springboard for compelling brand ideas (for example, the term "life-changing confidence" in the emotional benefit sparked lots of ideas of how I would portray this brand). Take your brand through the exercise. Play with the wording of the sections. And discover what great brands understand about the power of positioning statements.