Have you ever wondered what feeling you want to convey through your company? The answer may lie in brand positioning!
In markets that are often saturated with options, the way an organization is perceived can be the difference between success and oblivion.
With this in mind, I will explain the main elements of brand positioning to establish a significant and lasting presence in the memory of your target audience.
Let’s go?
After all, what is brand positioning?
More than a simple set of visual elements, brand positioning refers to the construction of the image that the company wants to project in the memory of its target audience.
Differentiating itself from brand identity and brand strategy, positioning is the public’s perception of the company and shapes the way the brand is seen and remembered by them.
Brand identity, in turn, is related to the visual and conceptual elements that make up the brand’s personality. The strategy is the detailed plan, created to achieve specific Branding objectives.
Positioning is extremely important because, if your brand is not defined properly, the perception that people will have of it will be up to “chance” or “luck”!
And not having the slightest control over this is, to say the least, a risky game…
Each brand must be aware of its role, what sets it apart from other players and how it intends to solve consumers’ problems.
In the next topics, we will see how to actually apply this positioning. Keep reading!
Key elements of brand positioning
When diving into the elements that make up positioning, we need to understand which ones shape a company’s image in the minds of consumers:
Unique Value Proposition (PVU)
At the heart of the positioning is the PVU, a statement that encapsulates the unique promise your brand offers customers.
In a nutshell, it’s the answer to the question: “why would consumers choose your brand over the competition?”
This distinctive proposition is more than a slogan, it is the essence of what sets your company apart from the rest!
Developing a good value proposition requires an in-depth understanding of the target audience’s needs and desires, as well as their greatest potential.
Brand Persona and Buyer Persona
The Brand Persona represents the personality attributed to the brand, while the Buyer Persona is the representation of the ideal customer.
These concepts are intertwined, influencing each other. While the first shapes the way the brand presents itself, the second directs the creation of a value proposition that resonates with the specific needs of the target audience.
Mission, Vision and Values (MVV)
The MVV triad forms the basis of brand positioning and is one of its best-known parts. Traditionally, even if they do not have a clear value proposition, many companies have defined their Mission, Vision and Values.
A clear mission defines the company’s purpose, the vision projects the desired future, and the values establish the principles that guide the brand’s actions.
Together, these statements provide the foundation for building an authentic and lasting identity!
Core brand message (brand messaging)
The brand’s central message, or brand messaging, is the consolidated result of the previous items: it involves the articulation of the brand’s values, purpose and differentiators in a clear and inspiring communication format.
This message needs to be carefully developed to both establish a unique identity and create an emotional connection with the audience.
When consumers have an objective understanding and positive brand recall, they are more likely to choose your company’s products or services over the competition!
Developing an effective brand positioning
Paving the way towards good brand positioning requires a careful and strategic approach .
After all, the intention is to develop elements that support the reason for your company’s existence. And that’s a lot!
I have gathered some tips that I consider essential:
Understand your target audience well
Knowing who your target audience is is the basis of everything related to positioning.
The demographics, interests, problems faced and values held by consumers shape the way the brand should be thought of and communicated.
The deeper this knowledge, the better the creation of a positioning that resonates with the public, bringing more proximity and connection.
An example of this is McDonald’s, present in more than 115 countries, which needs to consider the cultural differences and demands of the public in each region and offer them the best possible experience.
In Brazil, for example, the company is the market leader as “the best fast food”, fast service, with inviting and quality products, which are items aligned with the brand’s unique value proposition.
Analyze the competition
Analyzing how competitors position themselves in the market provides a better understanding of existing gaps or opportunities.
In other words: by carrying out this analysis, you can identify areas where your brand can stand out and offer something specific to consumers, solving their unmet pains.
Dove has a very well – defined positioning in relation to its competitors. The latest campaigns have appealed to the appreciation of natural beauty and women’s empowerment, with a discourse focused on emotional aspects, making the public identify with the message and, literally, “buy the idea”!
Maintain authenticity
When trying to be something the brand is not, inconsistencies arise that consumers quickly detect. This is not pleasant at all!
Authenticity — valid for people and valid for business — creates a genuine and lasting connection with the public, strengthening trust between customer and company, which is extremely important for consolidating the brand over time.
As an example, we have Starbucks‘ positioning. One of its great ideas was to write the customer’s name, with a marker, on the cup of their drink. This became part of the brand’s culture and generated millions of posts on social media.
Thus, the company makes the simple act of buying a coffee as authentic as possible!
Test and adjust (if necessary)
The brand positioning journey is not static. Consistency is essential, as far as observing the audience’s response and being willing to make adjustments as necessary.
After all, although the essence of the company does not change frequently, it is common for socioeconomic changes, generational contexts and even the search for new markets to cause some changes or updates to be made.
In fact, customer feedback and data analysis are tools that can continually refine and improve the way the brand positions itself over time!
Your brand comes first in your customer’s mind!
As you have seen, brand positioning is a fundamental tool for differentiating a company, influencing public perception and building a strong and lasting presence in the market.
The process of building brand positioning is not fixed, and the flexibility to make adjustments based on feedback received and data analysis is critical to long-term success.
So keep learning! Explore more content like this on the Enjoy Minder blog. In it, you will be able to deepen your knowledge about Digital Marketing, brand positioning and much more!
Or, visit the Enjoy Minder website to check out success stories, rich materials or get in touch with our experts!
