Importance of a Positioning Statement

Oh great, another branding post from a marketing company.

I know I know – at the risk of being cliche, I’m going to talk more about branding. Why? Because at the end of the day, it’s everything about who you are as a company. More importantly, it’s how your audience perceives you and their reason for caring.

We won’t delve into the visual or logo side of branding. Nope. Today, let’s explore the strategic side via the ever-powerful positioning statement. 

A brand positioning statement is a summary that encompasses the value your company offers your consumer, defines who your customers are, and, ultimately, what your distinguishing characteristics are. Simply put, a positioning statement describes how you want to position yourself in the marketplace. Imagine that. 

New businesses (and even established ones) tend to spend too much time thinking about themselves when they should be pondering their audience, how prospective customers perceive them, their competition, and how they can effectively differentiate themselves. Ultimately, those viewpoints will help guide this internal tool to communicate their brand to their most likely target customer. 

Here are a few tips for creating a positioning statement:

• Define your ultimate truth.
• Don’t overthink it.
• Reinforce your core values.
• Shorter is sweeter.
• Get an outside perspective.
• Make it different.
• View through the eyes of your audience.

Recently, tdg worked with the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board and their Epidemiology Center to complete this exercise. We worked to identify key market and cultural factors, analyzed the competitive landscape, and finally defined an overall strategy complete with a value proposition and brand story. 

By doing this, the Great Plains Epidemiology Center has an internal guiding document that built a foundation for all its public communication and marketing efforts. 

Remember that every business is different, and no one-size-fits-all template exists for creating your brand positioning statement. So, look around, see what other organizations are doing, what factors they include, and define what works best for your company. Having this guiding document will make your future communications that much easier. 

And, if the challenge seems too daunting or you don’t know where to start, contact the experts at tdg, and we’ll work through the process with you. 

Written By:

Chad Blair

Director of Accounts

I am the Director of Accounts at tdg. In short, my job is to make sure our clients are well taken care of. I also lead much of our strategic marketing and creative efforts on behalf of our clients. Outside of work I enjoy being active, building things and spending time with family.