BUSINESS 4.0

Why Positioning Is More Important Than Ever

By: Andrea Belk Olson, MSC - CEO of Pragmadik

Andrea writes original articles across a spectrum of topics, providing unique insights to leadership, culture change, organizational engagement, behavioral insights, and communications.

There was a great book published back in 2001 called "Positioning" by Al Ries and Jack Trout. It emphasized the importance and impact of companies taking a unique position in the market, albeit through now outdated examples. However, the principles of this idea have gotten lost over the years, and the time is ripe to bring the concept back.

Now, positioning isn't lost at a product level, where product management teams are perpetually seeking new ways to differentiate their offering with new features. But positioning at a company-level is much less prevalent. Take, for example, financial institutions. Where there may be a small group of organizations that have a unique position in the market, most banks and credit unions share the same set of core messages. Trustworthy. Communityfocused. People-focused. Great rates. 10 |

But positioning is the process of how to best communicate your organization's unique attributes to your target customers based on their needs and to counter competitive pressures. It's carefully crafted key messages and actions that build a distinct and differentiated brand. In short, effective positioning ensures that marketing messages help you clearly stand out, resonate with target consumers, and compel them to take action. If you're not standing out, you're not positioning.

It's not an easy task, however, as many organizations lack the insight, drive, or capability to effectively position their company. In the spirit of making safe decisions, many organizations follow what they deem as "successful competitors", copying their key messages and offerings. Alternatively, some organizations get mired in their own internal perceptions and set their sights on emphasizing broad and generic differentiators, such as "customer-focused".

The problem is, this isn't positioning. Let's take the example of "customer-focused". How are you different from your competitors in this regard? Do you simply believe and reinforce that you are just "better" than them? What does this really mean? On the other side of the coin, what competitors are stating they aren't focused on the customer? At the end of the day, this message is simply a belief and leaves any positioning proof-points on the table.

If the organization is truly all about customers, what actions and strategies are you taking which illustrate this mindset? Which of those actions are distinctly different? If you greet your customers by name when they come through your door, this might be nice, but sending a personal note and a grocery store gift certificate when your customer has a major life change (i.e. death in the family, moving homes, lost a job, etc.), that carries weight. How you translate your words to action is where positioning becomes truly impactful.

It's time for companies to reexamine their brands and reassess how they are creating a unique market position. This not only helps provide direction to your organization's culture and strategy but also increases the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. By having a clear positioning strategy, marketing messaging gains more impact through relevance, resonance, and most importantly, recognition. If we want to cut through the noise and grow our organizations in a way that fosters deeper customer connections, it all begins with having the confidence to take a position. 12 |

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrea Olson is a speaker, author, behavioral economics, and customercentricity expert. As the CEO of Pragmadik, she helps organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500, and has served as an outside consultant for EY and McKinsey. Andrea is the author of The Customer Mission: Why it’s time to cut the $*&% and get back to the business of understanding customers and No Disruptions: The future for mid-market manufacturing.

She is a 4-time ADDY® award winner and host of the popular Customer Mission podcast. Her thoughts have been featured in news sources such as Chief Executive Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Financial Brand, Industry Week, and more. Andrea is a sought-after keynote speaker at conferences and corporate events throughout the world. She is a visiting lecturer and is Founder's Club lead coach at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, a TEDx presenter and TEDx speaker coach. She is also a mentor at the University of Iowa Venture School.

More information is also available on www.pragmadik.com and www.thecustomermission.com.