What is brand positioning?
It's the answer to one question a buyer always asks, even if they never say it out loud: why should I choose you? Your positioning is the short, specific, believable answer.
It isn't a slogan, and it isn't your logo. It's the idea that sits underneath both. When it's clear, every part of the business says the same thing, and customers can explain you to someone else in a sentence.
Why does positioning matter more than the logo?
Because a logo can only carry an idea that's already there. We've seen too many pretty logos on businesses nobody understands.
Positioning tells you what the brand has to say. The design then has to say it. Get the order wrong and you end up redesigning the logo every few years, hoping it will fix a message problem.
What goes in a positioning statement?
Five parts, usually written as one sentence: the audience, their need, what you are, how you're different, and the proof. A simple shape is: for a named audience who have a specific need, your brand is the kind of business that does one thing differently, because of a reason people can check.
Ours is a good example. Foundry is for UK businesses who need marketing that moves quickly. We're a senior team that builds websites, runs search and ads and lands press, and the difference is speed: our average website takes 5 days from kick-off to live. That's why our hero line is about being faster than your last agency.
How do you work out your brand positioning?
These steps work for a new business and for a rebrand. Do them before any design work starts.
- List your best customers, and what they have in common.
- Ask a few of them why they chose you, and write down their exact words.
- List the alternatives they considered, including doing nothing or doing it themselves.
- Find what you do that the alternatives don't, or do better: speed, specialism, price, service, location.
- Check it's true, it matters to buyers and you can prove it.
- Write it as one sentence, then test it on someone who doesn't know the business.
- Use it to judge everything that follows: name, logo, website, ads and sales copy.
What are the common types of positioning?
Most businesses position on one or two of these. Trying to own all of them usually means owning none.
- Specialism: the expert in one thing, such as one sector or one service.
- Speed: the business that gets it done faster.
- Price: the most affordable, or the premium choice.
- Service: the one that's easiest to deal with.
- Place: the local business that knows the area.
- Audience: built for one type of customer, such as start-ups or trades.
How does positioning show up across the business?
Everywhere a customer meets you. The headline on your website, the first line of your ads, how your team answers the phone, what your Google Business Profile says and what you're known for in the press.
It matters for AI search too. Assistants such as ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews describe businesses using what's written about them. If your website and listings say clearly who you're for and what makes you different, the description they give is more likely to be the one you want.
What positioning mistakes should you avoid?
These are the ones we see most.
- Trying to appeal to everyone.
- Claiming things every competitor claims, such as quality and great service.
- A difference that's true but doesn't matter to buyers.
- A difference buyers care about but you can't prove.
- Saying one thing on the website and another in sales conversations.