How to define Brand Positioning for your business

Brand Positioning

Do you need Brand Positioning ?

• Some SMEs believe that brands are only for Big Business. • We disagree, Small Businesses need brands even more,

because

– Good brand positioning identifies and communicates a brand’s differentiation and value to its chosen customers

• And Small Business needs that more than anyone

Brand Positioning Example

Comfort

Café Nero

Speed

Wide ChoiceNarrow Choice

Starbucks

McDonald’s

Pret a Manger

BookShopCafe

Coffee Shops compete on two key dimensions – variety of coffees and speed/comfort.


Comfort

Café Nero

Speed


Starbucks

McDonald’s

Pret a Manger

BookShopCafe

For the coffee drinker in a

hurry


Comfort

Café Nero

Speed


Starbucks

McDonald’s

Pret a Manger

BookShopCafe

For the person who wants a

coffee with his lunch


Comfort

Café Nero

Speed


Starbucks

McDonald’s

Pret a Manger

BookShopCafe

For the person who wants a

coffee with his lunch


Comfort

Café Nero

Speed


Starbucks

McDonald’s

Pret a Manger

BookShopCafe

For those for whom the coffee is

more important than the food


Comfort

Café Nero

Speed


Starbucks

McDonald’s

Pret a Manger

BookShopCafe

For the person who is looking for books and wants a coffee as he browses


Comfort

Café Nero

Speed


Starbucks

McDonald’s

Pret a Manger

BookShopCafe

For the coffee cognoscenti

Brand Positioning and Differentiation

• Each brand is positioned to appeal to the five market segments in the coffee shop market

• They don’t turn away each others customers, but try to ensure their own customers always use their coffee shops

Brand Positioning - Airlines

Long Haul

British Airways

Short Haul

Comfort /ServiceDiscount / No frills

Ryanair

Easy Jet

Emirates

For a given route, airlines compete on frequency, comfort and service and price. A large business may choose to contract with airlines which have most routes to save admin costs. Tourists may prefer lower cost operators

Business travellers look for locations near business districts, airports and rail/bus networks and having lots of meeting rooms or conference facilities, etc, fast checkout, accurate billing and convenienceTourists want leisure facilities such as pools and spas and to be near tourism hot spots. The price / luxury continuum is the other dimension

Brand Positioning - Hotels

Tourist Traveller

Holiday Inn

Business Traveller

Price / Luxury

Price /luxury

Hyatt

Marriott

Mercure Pullman

SofitelIbis

Travelodge

Premier

Formula One

Why Position ?

• As soon as you have chosen a market position, your competition is reduced dramatically and becomes those with a similar positioning.

• Most small businesses should use geography as a positioning dimension– Google + My Business then becomes very influential in your

positioning– Your competition becomes those who want to be found by customers

searching for <Google+ business category> <location>

“How To” Position

Either, with some colleagues, brainstorm• Your desired positioning• Your unique value proposition / differentiation• List positions you want to avoid• Position your competitorsCompost (mentally) what you have brainstormed for a few days• Write a positioning statement for your business like this:

<Brand name> is the only business which <meets a customer need><in this unique way>

“How To” Position your Brand

Or, with some trusted customers, • Ask your customers to name the top 10 customers in your

market• Ask them to rank the brands• Ask them how they ranked them and what the factors they

used• Ask them to rank each brand against each factorCompost (mentally) this.• Evaluate with colleagues what you have learnt• Write a positioning statement

Summary

• Brand Positioning is even more important for small business off line and on line

• Positioning your brand is about differentiating your business• Meaningful Differentiation make selling easier and allows

prices / profits to be raised• Positioning is a short piece of objective thinking• Living out you positioning statement will create differentiation

For more information, contact SMEsOnline

James [email protected]

+44 7855 406652