So why is Positioning THE most important marketing decision you'll ever make?

Let's first understand positioning…really understand the concept:

Positioning is the place or space or position your Brand occupies in the mind of your prospect when they're thinking about your Brand's category (cars, jewelry, computers, power supplies, computer chips, etc).

Potential customers are always thinking of categories and positions when they are making buying decisions. This is true in retail, in B2B, anywhere. This is a fact. It is therefore critical that you occupy, as a Brand, the top position within the category you define your Brand to represent.

So consider the disaster of consumers not having a clearly delineated image in their mind of your brand. If you come in second, or third, in a position within a category you lose that buyer. 

Now, here's the biggie: Does your Brand own one of those positions outright? All by itself? Or does it share a space with five other Brands? How strongly positioned are your competitors? Can they be budged? Should you even try?

Step 1

• So, first things first, as Steven Covey says. You need to understand your Brand's category—which Brands own which position—and how strongly is it entrenched there. Are there any positions (Brand attributes) unoccupied and therefore available? Often this is ideal, taking over an unoccupied position, since you do not have to spend resources battling competition for the top of the heap, you only have to establish yourself as the position leader.

Step 2

Maybe this should be Step 1A.

As you (or, we if you've chosen Quantum to help you on this positioning journey to Brand dominance) evaluate positions, realize that it must meet three criteria. A position MUST be:

1. Relevant
2. Ownable (not in a legal sense, but in the sense that you can attach it firmly to your brand)
3. Meaningful to buyers, consumers, in the category

Once you pick a positioning, it determines everything…

• Messaging—and how that messaging is communicated. Aggressively, romantically, technically,
• The specific words that are used…when you're communicating inexpensive it it: inexpensive, cheap, low priced, best value???
• Look & feel, including fonts, colors, graphics, and what's the treatment of the graphics? BIG & bold? soft & muted?
• A spokesperson…or should a spokesperson even be used?
• Where you advertise…does your Brand's position equate with an ad in Playboy? or, on Jerry Springer? or, with Discovery something (website, TV program, magazine, etc)

Quick Note here—certainly the target has a major say in where the Brand is advertised. However, the Brand's positioning MUST also be taken into account.

• How your Brand is advertised. Great brands like Trader Joe's and Google never appear in paid advertising

Everything…absolutely everything MUST serve your Brand's positioning.

If you want it done right of course.