The most successful brands don’t just offer products and services. They offer a unique positioning statement that summarizes their approach to their products and services, which makes them resonate more strongly with customers and stand out from competitors.
These brands use a unique positioning statement to define and guide their special selling propositions, brand values, and position in the market.
What’s a Unique Positioning Statement?
A unique positioning statement is a pretty much what it sounds like. It’s a declaration of a brand’s unique place in the market.
It defines a brand’s:
- Unique selling propositions of their products and services
- Target customer
- Place in the competitive market
- Promise to customers
A brand’s unique positioning statement is different from a tagline. A tagline is a brief (sometimes only a few words in length), but a brand positioning statement is typically one to three sentences. It isn’t a marketing catch phrase. It’s a statement that serves as the framework for a brand’s identity and goals.
Why Do You Need a Unique Positioning Statement?
A brand positioning statement is important because it directs your communication, digital marketing, advertising, strategic plans, and even brand development.
By outlining who you are, what you offer, who you serve, and why you’re different — you clearly tell both customers and your internal team what to expect from your brand.
This statement makes it easier for potential customers to identify if you are the right fit for them. They can see if you are a match for what they need. This introduction starts and strengthens customer relationships and leads to more brand loyalty.
A clear brand direction also sends messages to your internal team. It helps new employees decide if they align with the brand’s mission and goals. And, it helps existing team members stay on the right track and continue to deliver on your brand’s promises.
How to Create a Unique Brand Positioning Statement
To develop a basic brand positioning statement, take some time to consider your brand, your competitors, and your industry as a whole.
Consider how your brand compares to and differs from your competitors and industry, and answer the following questions in a few words.
- Who is your specific target audience?
- What unique value does your products or services give to them?
- Why are you different from or better than your competitors?
Then, plug your answers into this statement.
[Brand] provides [1] with [2] that is [3].
The formula doesn’t need to be exact. You can switch up the phrasing to make it sound more natural. Just be sure to include each of the points that make up the complete unique positioning statement.
In 2001, when Amazon.com only sold books, their unique positioning statement clearly summarized their place in the market.
For World Wide Web users who enjoy books, Amazon.com is a retail bookseller that provides instant access to over 1.1 million books. Unlike traditional book retailers, Amazon.com provides a combination of extraordinary convenience, low prices, and comprehensive selection.
You can see how they used the formula and answers to the questions to create their unique positioning statement.
- Who is your specific target audience? — World Wide Web users who enjoy books
- What unique value does your products or services give to them? — Retail bookseller that provides instant access to over 1.1 million books
- Why is this different from or better than your competitors? — Extraordinary convenience, low prices, and comprehensive selection
While there is no exact formula, this blueprint is a good starting point to identify the key elements that define your overall mission and differentiators.
What Next?
Once you write your brand’s unique positioning statement, your work is not over.
Post your statement where you, your team, and your customers can see it. And remember, this activity is not just a part of startup marketing.
As your business grows and changes, your unique positioning statement likely will change and evolve too.
Amazon.com needed to adjust their statement when their business model changed. Be ready for this change within your business.
Create time throughout the year to revisit your creative branding and positioning statement to ensure that you are still following the guidelines and/or to see if you need to readjust your mission because you have changed parts of your business.
Get More Branding Advice
A unique positioning statement is just one part of a bigger brand strategy that every business or organization needs to embrace. To get more tips and advice on creating a full strategy for your branding, download our free guidebook.
