Positioning: The Bedrock of Your Brand
To continue my theme of keyword-dense branding topics, I’ve chosen to ask the question – “How do we differentiate ourselves?” How do we stand out from everyone else? And did I just ask two questions or simply repeat the same one twice?
If you think about it, every industry uses the same language when delivering their services. We’re all guilty of it (yes, you at the back). We use the same keywords, the same language, deliver the same service touchpoints. It’s unavoidable to a degree. It’s familiar, comfortable, and instinctive when we think of the industry we’re in.
If you consider just your core message—how you communicate with your customers—it doesn’t matter what you do or how you say it; there will always be some degree of overlap with your competitors.
With that said, there’s always an opportunity to do it differently. But most don’t. Strip away your brand, your logo, and if you just look at your core message, could you confidently say your customers could distinguish you from your competitors? I really don’t think so.
Every company copies its competitors to a degree. Isn’t that the nature of rivalry? Square up to your opponent? But imitation isn’t flattery; it’s just flat-out lazy. In a bid to create distinction, we rely on branding to become the key differentiator. We think they need to look different, when actually we need to be different.
“If your sales pitch is lip-syncing with your competitors, then the only deciding factor you’ve left your customer with is cost-based.”More worryingly, service-based businesses often assume they can’t differentiate themselves like a company selling a tangible product. They dismiss services, skills, intellect, or knowledge as a commodity. If you can’t put it in a box, you think you can’t slap a brand on it. They’ll say, “our industry doesn’t do branding,” but the truth is—they already have one, pre-assigned by the industry.
Most sectors look and feel the same. They tend to use the same fonts, imagery, and predetermined brand colours. It’s like they all got together one evening and divvied up the spectrum.
- Healthcare gets green
- Fashion gets black
- Technology gets orange
- Food chains get red
- Business gets blue (or pink if you’re in India, I’ve been told)
- Charities? A clash of all of the above—or whatever’s leftover
So yes, like it or not, you do do branding. The question is: do you want a brand by default or by design?
It all comes back to being different. In a way, different needs to be your brand. If you can’t differentiate yourself from your competition, don’t expect your customers to either.
“If your sales pitch is lip-syncing with your competitors, the only deciding factor you’ve left your customer with is cost-based.”If you offer the same services, use the same dialogue, follow the same service models, and tick the same boxes, you’re just another tin of beans on the shelf. Your customers will ask: how much are they willing to pay to have beans for supper?
So, do you want to be a ‘branded’ tin of beans or do you want to become ‘a brand’ of beans?
Your positioning is the bedrock of your brand. It defines who you are, sets you apart from competitors, and enables customers to relate to and value you.
“You achieve brand equity dizzy heights when your customers develop such a deep affinity with your brand that it occupies pride of place in their everyday sub-conscious.”How can a brand have value? How about brand equity? Top brands have it in spades—but they didn’t get there by being the biggest or the best—they were simply different.
If you say “bottled water,” most people think of Evian. Why? It’s just water. Their advertising—“It’s water the way nature intended”—isn’t selling anything beyond their brand of water, their way.
So how can you position yourself ‘different’ rather than just branding yourself differently?
Some brands specialize rather than generalize. Offer ‘everything to everyone’ and you blend in. Offer one thing better than anyone else and you stand out.
Being a specialist signals that you’re more informed, more knowledgeable, and can command a premium. Fewer specialists = less competition = higher perceived value.By specializing, you’ve found your positioning, narrowed competition, justified higher pricing, and established yourself as a heavy hitter in your field. You’re building brand equity.
“Look for your value proposition within the very same value you’re creating for your clients.”Specialism is just one way to define your value proposition. If it’s not your thing, dig into the value you already create for customers. Your brand’s value proposition should promise to deliver that value—emotional, social, or functional.
Most businesses struggle with the question:
“What makes you different and why should your customers care?”It sounds easy, but it’s the hardest button to button. Startups and mature businesses alike struggle to define it—let alone commit their brand to it.
Look for your value proposition. Don’t tell me you don’t have one—you do. Dig deep, and you’ll hit your brand’s bedrock. (See what I did there?)