How to Position Your Brand (and Actually Make It Stick)

If you run a small or medium-sized business, chances are you’ve already got a logo, a website, and maybe even some social media channels running. But here’s the truth: that’s not your brand.

A brand isn’t just colors and a catchy tagline. It’s the perception people have of you, what they think, feel, and expect when your name comes up. And if you don’t take the time to shape that perception, your competitors (or worse, your customers’ assumptions) will do it for you.

That’s where brand positioning comes in. Think of positioning as drawing a line in the sand that says: This is who we are, this is who we’re for, and this is why we matter.

But here’s the catch: positioning isn’t about shouting louder or being more “creative.” It’s about fitting into the customer’s mind in a way that sticks. And the best way to do that is by following a structured process.

Step 1: Define Your Brand’s Purpose

Before you think about customers or competitors, you need to get clear on why your brand exists in the first place.

That means figuring out your purpose, mission, and vision:

• Purpose → Why do you exist beyond making money?
• Mission → What do you do, who do you do it for, and how?
• Vision → What does the world look like if your brand succeeds?

Think about Patagonia. Their purpose isn’t just to sell jackets, it’s to save the planet. Their mission is to create the best product with the least environmental harm. Their vision is a future where business helps, not hurts, the environment.

Even if your business isn’t saving the planet, you can still define a purpose that’s bigger than your bottom line. A local coffee shop’s purpose might be “to bring neighbors together.” A small accounting firm’s might be “to give entrepreneurs financial clarity and peace of mind.”

Your purpose is the foundation of your positioning. Without it, you’re just another business selling stuff.

This is your anchor. Without it, you’ll drift into the trap of chasing trends or trying to be everything to everybody. And as we’ll see later, trying to appeal to everyone usually means you appeal to no one.

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Step 2: Understand Your Perfect Audience

Positioning starts not with what you want to say, but with what’s already in the customer’s head.

Positioning is thinking in reverse. Instead of starting with yourself, you start with the mind of the prospect. Instead of asking what you are, you ask what position you already own in the mind of the prospect.

That means:

• Doing customer research to uncover what they actually think, feel, and struggle with.
• Mapping the buyer journey so you know where they get stuck.
• Building personas that capture their needs, fears, and goals.
• Listening to their language: how do they describe their problems and ideal outcomes?

Let’s say you run a gym. People don’t want to “buy a membership.” They want confidence, energy, or even just to keep up with their kids without getting winded.

When you know your audience this well, you stop guessing and you start creating messages and experiences that click.

When you stop assuming and actually answer from the marketplace (not just from your own marketing team), you discover where your brand already lives in their mind. And from there, you can decide where you want to move it.

Step 3: Position the Brand

Here’s the big question:

• What position do you already own?
• What position do you want to own?

Be careful here. The “everybody trap”of trying to compete for a position that’s already taken is the fastest way to get ignored. Customers don’t need another “best quality” or “most affordable” option. They need clarity.

Instead:

• Look at the big picture of your industry. Where are the gaps?
• Avoid competing head-to-head where others have a firm grip. Sometimes, it’s smarter to go around an obstacle than over it.
• Narrow your focus. A specialist almost always beats a generalist in the customer’s mind.

To make this concrete, write two things:

Write a Positioning Statement

This is a short sentence or two that sums up your unique spot in the market. A simple formula is:

For [target audience], [brand] is the [category] that [unique benefit], because [reason to believe].

Example:
For busy parents, FitFuel is the gym that offers short, high-intensity workouts because we know you don’t have two hours to waste at the gym.

Create an Onlyness Statement

This goes one step further: We are the only [business type] that [unique differentiator].

Example:
We are the only gym in town that guarantees you’ll be in and out in 35 minutes—or your workout is free.

This is where positioning gets real. You’re saying, “This is who we are and this is the ground we own.”

Remember: prospects don’t “buy” in a vacuum. They choose between the handful of options they can actually recall. Your job is to be the obvious choice among them.

Step 4: Uncover Differentiation

To stand out, you need to find what competitors can’t or won’t do.

Positioning is only as strong as what makes you different. Ask yourself:

• What do we do that competitors can’t or won’t do?
• What unique processes, operations, or results set us apart?

That might mean:

• A unique process.
• A level of service they can’t match.
• A guarantee they won’t risk making.
• A business model that flips expectations.

Maybe you’re faster. Maybe you offer more personalized service. Maybe your tech is easier to use. Or maybe you guarantee results your competitors wouldn’t dare to. Differentiation doesn’t always mean inventing something new. It can be as simple as being the friendliest, most reliable, or most transparent option in your industry.

But in some cases, you may need to reposition another brand or even an entire category. If the field is crowded with “cheap” options, maybe you deliberately position yourself as the “premium” one. If everyone is bragging about speed, maybe you position around thoroughness or craftsmanship.

Differentiation isn’t about being louder. It’s about being different in a way that matters to your audience.

Step 5: Define Your Brand Identity

This is where your positioning takes on personality. Your brand isn’t just a business, it’s a character in the customer’s story.

• Personality → Are you bold, playful, serious, dependable?
• Tone of voice → Do you sound like a friend, an expert, or a challenger?
• Points of view → What do you believe that sets you apart?
• Archetype → Are you the Hero, the Rebel, the Sage, the Caregiver?

Identity is what ensures your messages, visuals, and customer experiences all feel like they come from the same “person.”

If your brand were a dinner guest, would people describe them as the funny one, the wise one, or the dependable one?

Step 6: Develop a Consistent Message

Here’s where many businesses go wrong. They do the hard work of strategy, only to hand it over to the “creatives,” who produce clever campaigns that completely ignore the positioning.

One of the great communication tragedies is when strategy disappears in a cloud of technique. Creativity by itself is worthless. Only when it is subordinated to the positioning objective can creativity make a contribution.

Consistency is what makes your message believable. Build a toolkit of core messages that stay true across channels:

• Tagline
• One-liner
• Customer vision (life after working with you)
• Brand and founder stories
• Sales and marketing scripts

Your ads, website, and even invoices should all reinforce the position you’ve claimed, not undermine it.

Example: Nike’s “Just Do It” tagline has been around since 1988. It’s short, powerful, and consistent across decades of campaigns. Whether it’s Serena Williams, everyday runners, or adaptive athletes, the message always reinforces Nike’s positioning: empowering every athlete. This consistency is why the brand message never gets lost.

Remember: good messaging isn’t about listing features. It’s about showing outcomes. Customers care less about “advanced cloud software” and more about “finally being able to sleep at night because their data is secure.”

Step 7: Create a Brand Experience

Your brand isn’t what you say, it’s what people experience.

That includes:

• Sales interactions → Do your reps feel like trusted advisors or pushy salespeople?
• Marketing campaigns → Are your ads consistent with your brand’s look and voice?
• Operations and service delivery → Does your service actually match the promises you make?
• Finance touchpoints → Even invoices and contracts are part of the brand experience.
• Employee behavior → Employees are your first brand ambassadors. Do they live your values?
• Product development → Does your product deliver on your brand promise?

If the experience doesn’t match the position you’ve staked out, customers will feel the disconnect and trust will erode.

Example: Starbucks
Starbucks is not just about coffee. It’s about the experience at every touchpoint: the barista writing your name on a cup, the store design, the app that remembers your favorite drink, the rewards program, and even the smell when you walk in. Every part of the experience reinforces their positioning as a “third place” between home and work.

Step 8: Design Your Brand Look

Finally, your visuals should reflect the position you’ve chosen. That means designing:

• Logos
• Fonts
• Colors
• Voice, personality, expression, and messaging
• Patterns, icons, and graphics
• Website
• Ad templates
• Social media templates
• Sales and marketing materials

When these visuals are cohesive, people recognize you instantly. More importantly, they feel what your brand is about the moment they see it.

Think of your look as the “uniform” your brand wears. It should instantly signal who you are and what you stand for.

The Last Step of Brand Positioning: Developing a Unique Sales Proposition (USP)

Side note: If you've read this far, first off thank you, but second off you're probably asking "Shouldn't this be the first step?" you're totally right. Having a bulletproofed USP from the beginning puts everything else in its place, but that's often not the case. From experience this is the #1 issue most SMBs have with their branding and their marketing – no USP or a flawed USP. By putting this step at the end you have all the clarity, the hard work completed, and details to actually make a unique sales proposition that works for your business (and gets you more business).

Your USP is the sharp edge of your positioning. It answers the customer’s silent question: “Why should I choose you?”

To craft one:

1. Uncover the benefits (not just features). Show where you add value, solve problems, or fill a gap.
2. Be unique, don’t just copy or say "better quality." Be specific.
3. Prove it with evidence, numbers, and proof.
4. Keep it clear and short. Simple and powerful wins.
5. Use it everywhere, your USP should show up everywhere on your website, signage, proposals, even your voicemail greeting.
6. Make it real. The fastest way to destory trust is to overpromise and underdeliver.
   

Features tell. Benefits sell. Always translate what you offer into why it matters.

Top 3 Branding Tips for Businesses

1.) Marketing = Perception

At the end of the day, customers don’t buy the “best” product. They buy the product that’s positioned best in their mind.

That means:

• Take a stand (polarize if needed) on professional topics, but always stay away from commenting on hot topics like religion, politics, wars, sex, and negativity. This almost never works out (especially B2B/B2C).
• Evoke emotions. Use storytelling, powerful visuals, and transparency of progress to help build your brand.
• Break patterns with humor, boldness, or surprise.
• Encourage interaction and get people talking (both good and bad) and use it.

Your brand isn’t just competing for attention. It’s competing for perception. And perception is everything.

2.) Turn Features Into Benefits

Here’s a simple trick: customers don’t buy features. They buy benefits. For ads. use on your website, social media posts and everything in between. Sell your benefits, not your features.

• Feature → 24/7 customer support.
• Advantage → You can always get help, day or night.
• Benefit → You’ll never feel stranded when something goes wrong.

Bonus: Use both.

Example (Apple selling a Macbook):

• Feature: MagSafe 4 Charging & Expanded Ports (HDMI, Thunderbolt, USB-C)
• Benefit: More ways to connect, faster charging, and the security of snap-safe magnetic charging.
• Both: Get more ways to connect, faster charging, and the security with our all new MagSafe 4 technology with added HDMI, thunderbolt and USB-C capabilities.

Example 2 (Nike selling shoes):

• Feature: Lightweight Flyknit Uppers
• ‍Benefit: Maximum comfort and breathability for all-day wear.
• Both: Have maximum comfort and all-day breathability on or off the court with our redesigned Lightweight Flyknit Uppers.

A good rule of thumb: switch places with the customer and ask, “What’s in it for me?” That’s the message they’ll remember.

3.) Outside-in Thinking Beats Inside-out Thinking

Insiders see their business with bias. Outsiders (like customers or even marketing agencies) bring objectivity.

Sometimes you’re too close to see your own blind spots. That’s why research, feedback, and even outside consultants can be so valuable, they see what’s happening in the customer’s head, not just what’s on your whiteboard.

Challenges of Branding: The Practical Side of Positioning

Let’s zoom out for a moment. Positioning sounds powerful (and it is) but it comes with challenges. Here are some essential truths small and medium-sized businesses need to keep in mind:

1. Do You Have Enough Money?

It takes money to build and hold a position. You don’t have to outspend big brands everywhere, but you do need to spend smart.

Instead of spreading yourself thin, focus. As the saying goes:

It’s better to overspend in one city than underspend in seven. If you can dominate a local market, you can scale from there.

2. Can You Stick It Out?

Positioning isn’t a campaign. It’s a commitment.

Most successful companies rarely change their positioning. They stick with a winning formula and find new ways to dramatize it. The danger isn’t boredom—it’s dilution. Beware of line extensions that drift you off your core.

Your position is like real estate in the customer’s mind. Guard it. Improve it. Reinforce it. But don’t abandon it just because you’re restless.

3. Do You Match Your Position?

Every ad, every email, every sales pitch think – does it match your position, or does it undermine it?

Customers notice when the story doesn’t add up. If you position yourself as premium but your ads look cheap, the disconnect costs you.

Wrapping It Up

Positioning your brand is both strategic and practical. It’s about claiming the right space in the customer’s mind—and then backing it up with consistent action.

Here’s the roadmap:

1. Define your purpose.
2. Know your audience (inside their heads, not just on paper).
3. Claim a position that isn’t already taken.
4. Differentiate in ways that matter.
5. Build a clear identity.
6. Keep your messaging consistent.
7. Deliver an aligned brand experience.
8. Use design to reinforce it.

And above all, stick with it. Your position is valuable real estate. Once you own it, defend it, nurture it, and build on it.

Because at the end of the day, small and medium-sized businesses don’t win by being the loudest. They win by being the clearest choice.

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