How to Position Your Brand above Everyone Else

^{Originally posted on Twitter by Gianni Cara}

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Burger King, Fedex, M&M are billion-dollar companies with one common trait: Unique Brand Positioning. A unique brand positioning has 3 core elements:

1. A unique benefit.
2. A benefit that is relevant to customers.
3. A benefit that is different from those of the competitors.

Fedex doesn’t try to be everything to everyone. They focus on one unique benefit – speedy delivery. But most brands make 3 common mistakes.

Mistake 1:

They make vague claims that don’t seem credible or use obvious words that don’t help differentiate their offer:

1. Best
2. We care
3. Honest
4. Quality
5. Reliable

Mistake 2: 

Focus on features rather than benefits. The features don’t tell customers “what’s in it for them.” Customers don’t care about what you do. They care about what you can do for them.

Mistake 3:

Too many benefits. Cheap, fast, and quality can’t go all together. If you tell customers that you’re good at everything, they’ll ask you “what’s the catch?”

Now, a simple process to help you create your Unique Brand Positioning:

1. Questions
2. Benefits
3. Differentiation
4. Ranking
5. Unique Benefit
6. Unique brand positioning

1. Questions

We start with 4 questions to help you brainstorm ideas:

1. What motivated you to start this brand?
2. What difference did you want to make?
3. What frustrates your customers the most in your field?
4. Why do customers want you? 

2. Benefits

Based on your answers to the previous four questions,

List 3 to 5 key benefits your brand offers. 

3. Differentiation

Research your competitors. Look for the benefits they offer then cross out everything in your list that is also in theirs. Only leave the benefits that are unique to your brand. 

4. Ranking

Go through this remaining list and rank these benefits in order of importance to your customers. 

5. Unique benefit

Finally, pick one benefit from the list. It has to be a benefit that:

1. You want to be known for.
2. You can deliver every time. 

6. Unique brand positioning

Write a short, persuasive, credible promise, using the unique benefit.

Examples:

1. Burger King: Have it your way.
2. M&Ms: Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.
3. Colgate: Cleans your breath while it cleans your teeth. 

How to apply it:

1. Communicate it everywhere:

On your website, promotions, social media, invoices, etc.

2. Design your operations around it:

Pick one improvement you can make to your operations to better deliver on your promise. 

Burger King, Fedex, M&M.

Billion-dollar companies with 1 common trait:

Unique Brand Positioning.

Here's how to position your brand above everyone else:

— Gianni Cara (@giannicara) August 2, 2022

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Shupav Group is supporting business owners to build and scale successful brands in Africa. We do this through pioneering Digital Marketing, PR & Communications, and Sales Enablement solutions. www.shupav.com