When starting and running a business, one of the things you’ll have to define is your brand position. What perception or reputation do you want your brand to have? This means you have to distinguish yourself in the market for one or more points of uniqueness and leave a lasting impression in the minds of your target audience.
Normally, the questions you should ask yourself that influence brand positioning include –
a. How do I want my brand to be perceived by my target market?
b. What’s unique about my brand?
c. What rings in the minds of my target audience when my brand is mentioned?
d. What do I do best that I can leverage on?
Being in a position to answer these questions allows you to create a distinctive place in the mind of your target audience. There are different strategies under which your business can base it’s positioning.
a. Positioning based on price
b. Positioning based on quality
c. Positioning based on product application
d. Positioning based on competition
e. Positioning based on the characteristics of a product.
So, how exactly does marketing intertwine with brand positioning?
All the aforementioned positioning strategies requires consistent communication to influence the decision making process and perception of a consumer. This is where marketing comes in. Marketing will help influence how people relate and perceive your brand creating a brand identity. Marketing also allows your business to figure out all the nitty gritties that play into successfully positioning your brand. For example, figuring out consumer behavior and which market segment a brand should target.
Remember that ‘positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect.’(Ries and Trout, 2001)
And to get this right, marketing is a tool. It remains to be the driving force in creating and maintaining your brand’s identity and position in a competitive market. After all is said and done, ‘Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation’ – Milan Kundera.
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