How to make your brand unforgettable in a sea of forgettable.
Brand positioning isn’t just a fancy marketing term; it’s your brand’s home base. It’s what makes your business unmistakable, the reason customers choose you over the competition. In short, it’s your brand’s fingerprint.
Let’s dive into what it is, why it matters, and how you can nail it. Spoiler alert: it’s all about purpose, consistency, emotion, and so much more.
Why Does Brand Positioning Matter?
Here’s the deal: only a tiny fraction of your audience is ready to buy right now. Studies show just 3% of buyers are on the market at any given time. The rest? They’re living their lives, blissfully unaware they need you.
That’s where brand positioning comes in. It’s not just about grabbing attention—it’s about being unforgettable when your audience finally realises they need what you’re offering.
According to HubSpot, consistent brand presentation across channels can increase revenue by up to 23%. And who doesn’t like the sound of that?
1. Purpose: Your North Star
Take Patagonia, for example. They’re not just selling outdoor gear—they’re selling a promise to protect the planet. Every campaign, product, and initiative screams, “We care!”
How to find your purpose:
Ask yourself: What do we stand for beyond profit?
Be authentic. Customers can sniff out inauthenticity faster than you can say "greenwashing."
💡 Action Tip: This tip I learned reading a great book called Zag by Mart Neumeier. A successfully trialled and tested exercise at Google, Walmart and Intel. Picture this - It’s 25 years from now, your company is wiped out. Sit down and write the obituary. What would you want those obituary articles to say?
2. Consistency: The Secret Sauce
Consistency isn’t sexy, but it works. Whether it’s your social media posts, packaging, or the tone of your customer service emails, everything should feel like you.
Take Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola's campaigns consistently focus on happiness, togetherness, and sharing moments. Think "Open Happiness" or "Share a Coke," all conveying a unified emotional message across generations.
How to stay consistent:
Create a brand guide with colours, fonts, and tone-of-voice guidelines.
Audit your touchpoints. Is your email tone wildly different from your social posts? Pick the one and stick with it.
3. Emotion: Tug at Their Heartstrings
People don’t just buy products—they buy how they make them feel—ever noticed how Who Gives A Crap makes toilet paper a force for good? They’ve turned a mundane purchase into a way to save the planet, and customers feel good about it.
How to tap into emotion:
Know what your audience values.
Craft stories that connect on a personal level.
💡 Action Tip: Share testimonials or user-generated content to show how your brand impacts real people.
4. Employee Involvement: Your Best Advocates
Your team isn’t just part of the machine—they’re your brand’s voice and face. When your employees believe in your mission, your customers will too.
Look at Canva. Their team radiates enthusiasm for making design accessible to everyone, and it’s contagious.
How to involve employees:
Share your brand values with your team and get their input.
Empower employees to share their experiences on social media.
5. Flexibility: Stay Agile
The world changes fast, and brands that can’t keep up get left behind. Flexibility doesn’t mean abandoning your values—it means adapting your tactics to stay relevant.
During the pandemic, Afterpay shifted its messaging to focus on affordability and budgeting, resonating with customers facing financial uncertainty.
How to stay flexible:
Regularly revisit your strategy to ensure it aligns with market trends.
Test new approaches, but remain true to your brand.
6. Your USP: Own Your Space
Your unique selling proposition sets you apart. Are you faster, more sustainable, or quirkier? Own it.
💡 Case in Point: Vegemite. Love it or hate it, the company has embraced its Australian flavour and built a loyal fanbase that has endured and expanded for 95 years as of 2024.
How to define your USP:
Identify what makes you different.
Shout about it in a way that matters to your audience.
7. Loyalty: It’s Cheaper Than Acquisition
Loyal customers are worth their weight in gold. Not only do they spend more, but they’re also your best marketers. Just look at Mecca. Their beauty loop loyalty program keeps beauty lovers coming back, offering perks that feel personal and valuable.
How to build loyalty:
Offer meaningful rewards and value what matters to them. If you don’t know what they want, ask them through feedback. Give them options and make it feel like an experience.
Engage with your customers regularly—social media, email, or even a surprise gift with a letter.
Show them you care and respect them by providing good products and services.
8. Competition Awareness: Know the Field
As they say, keep your friends close and your competitors closer. Understanding what others are doing helps you identify your opportunities.
How to stay competitive:
Conduct regular competitor analysis.
Focus only on the gaps you can fill.
💡 Pro Tip: Use tools like SEMrush to track your competitors’ online strategies.
Your Business, Positioned for Success
Brand positioning isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s a continuous process of refining how you connect with your audience. From purpose to loyalty, every piece plays a role in making your brand the one they can’t stop thinking about.
Need help crafting a positioning strategy that resonates? Let’s chat.
This free brand messaging framework template is here to support and provide you with the foundation for building marketing messages. You can add to and customise to fit your organisation’s needs.
