Positioning For Success

Positioning your company is a key element of the marketing process. In fact, the decision on how to position your firm's offering of services and products need to flow from your Business Plan.

Positioning is the process by which companies create an image or identity in the minds of their target audience for a particularly product, service or brand. A position is considered relative in comparison to competitive offerings. Companies cannot be good at everything. If they try to, they often are not superior in anything. Therefore, companies typically set out to develop a value proposition

Here are some common positioning categories:

Low-cost- essentially being the lowest cost option, based on price
Quality- offering the best quality, but also at a high price
Performance- being the most capable firm at delivering results
Service- being the best provider of service associated with the sale
Variety- offering the broadest array of solutions
Best value- offering the best combination of quality and price
Innovator- known for developing innovative products
Expert- having the most experience or expertise in a given area
Leader- being the largest, oldest, best known firm
Reliable- being the most trust, safest choice

While positioning is something that happens in the minds of the customer, it is the result of aggregate perception of customers in the marketplace. Typical position can be based on, such as: relative competitive position, specific attributes, price positioning, category positioning, use/user positioning, etc. Ultimately, the positioning should help the customer answer the question, why should I buy from you?