Is your brand inadvertently making this costly positioning mistake?

Positioning is a valuable strategic tool for brands. It gives us a framework for finding the most effective way to portray our brand.

But, it can also too easily shift our focus in a way that can end up hampering a brand. Let me explain.

As we go through a positioning framework, we identify answers to a series of key questions. Here are those questions:

• Who do we hope to serve?
• What is the unmet need of those we hope to serve?
• How does our brand address that unmet need?
• How is our solution different (better) from our competitors?
• What are the reasons that support why our solution is different from competitors?
• What is the ultimate benefit (to those we hope to serve) that all of this leads to?

Once we have the answers, we can put them all together in a positioning statement. And then use that statement to help guide any message or execution.

The challenge is that we can put too much emphasis on the wrong part of the positioning. You’ll notice that the positioning begins and ends with those we hope to serve. From who they are and what they need to how they will benefit. This is where our focus should be.