The Importance of Being Uncomfortable with Brand Positioning

Whenever I'm working with clients on brand positioning, I often lean into the "uncomfortable."

They have deeply rooted ideas about who they are and why they matter.

But, in many cases, their views of the world are misaligned, outdated and/or undifferentiated.

When you present new approaches, the initial reaction may be "no, that won't work" or simply "I don't like it".

It is why customer and competitor research matters to understand what's important and how companies should position themselves.

Customers will tell you their how their jobs are done, challenges, and aspirations.

They will reveal their triggers purchases and how they do research. And they'll offer competitive intelligence about who's on their radar.

Competitive intelligence is also about understanding the stories told by rivals. You will see how they try to attract customers with a different or better way of doing business.

Armed with this information, companies can develop different positioning, even in small ways.

Truth be told, refreshed positioning is a leap of faith. But it's underpinned by research about your product, customers, and competitors.

New positioning is like jumping into a lake at a cottage.As you stand on the dock, the water looks dark and cold. After you jump in, it's a shock to the system but, in time, you feel more comfortable.

Sometimes, shocking the system how changes happens.

Here's a test:Compare your homepage message with those of four or five of your biggest competitors.

Write the headlines (without corporate names) on a white board and see if your messaging is different from your competitors.

If you're all singing a similar song, you may have a positioning problem, which could explain why your marketing and sales are spinning their wheels.