Is the value of brand positioning over-rated and over-hyped? Does it make as much of a difference that marketers proclaim?
Josh Lowman threw cold water on brand positioning. He declared it the “Great Positioning Scam” and that almost all positioning fails.
So, what’s the problem? In Josh’s opinion (and I agree), prospects need to see how a brand or product is different and, as importantly, they need to be impacted emotionally.
These are big challenges, which reflect a deadly “positioning sin”: the failure to talk to enough customers and prospects or, worse, talk to any customers.
Positioning exercises are instead educated guesses or hypotheses. A marketer’s bias or anecdotal evidence dictates what is different about their brand or product.
A better approach to positioning involves a deep dive into:
• Customers (new, long-time, different use cases) and prospects.
• Competition: the companies who keep you awake at night and the status quo, which includes tools (e.g. Excel) that aren’t direct rivals.
• Company: the benefits, features, use cases, pricing, roadmap and strengths and weaknesses.
• Industry: The biggest or most interesting trends (e.g. AI), economic landscape, etc.
This research underpins positioning and reflects what customers need to succeed, how your product aligns with their goals, and how you stand apart from rivals.
As important, positioning plays a key role in ensuring that everyone internally is headed in the same direction.
What do you about the value of positioning, particularly given the focus on leads and sales?
Stuff you should read:
As AI-generated or “synthetic content”, takes over the Internet, Mark Ritson says warnings will be needed to notify readers. He suggests the use of AI means social media platforms will be hammered with content from users who are not using the platform.
Amid the rise of AI, there’s a focus on “quality” or “high-value” content. Here’s how Pierre Herubel started to do it. It’s an interesting read about a strategic approach to content.
Hey, listen to this….
There’s a lot of chatter about the Google algorithm leaks and its use of AI overviews. So, I happily accepted Sam Dunning’s request to appear on my podcast to talk about SEO and content marketing.
Sam has great insight into what marketers should do strategically and tactically. Apple Podcasts, YouTube
I’m a big fan of Jon Evans’ Uncensored CMO podcast. If you’re into brand building, check out this episode with Jon Lombardo and Peter Weinberg.
An opportunity to do real networking
Let’s face it, most in-person event sucks when it comes to meeting new people. Nicole Klug and I are hoping to change that with an event on July 18 in Toronto.
It’s a “social experiment”. The topic is AI and marketing and the event will have five faciliated tables. You’ll talk for 20 minutes and then move to another table. We have lots of ideas to make it fun and uber-social. Tickets are $10.
The obligatory CTA
Has your B2B SaaS growth plateaued? Is your market more “meh” than marvelous?
We should talk about how I can help $1M to $10M companies jump-start growth with clear brand positioning, strategic plans, and lasar-focused tactical execution. Let’s talk.
By the way, I recently launched a new homepage refresh package. If conversions are low and bounce rates are high, an updated homepage is a no-brainer.
The deliverables include brand positioning document, Website copy, competitive research and a low-fidelity wireframe.
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