So.. you are all excited¦

You have decided to start your own business. To do what you are most passionate about and getting paid to do it. You have the most gorgeous products or the most useful service, done your business & marketing plan, done your research on your target market, but how do you market it to them?

A brand positioning is a single-minded thought that reflects the promise our brand uniquely offers to consumers. It is a bit like a mantra that you need to repeat when you make a decision in your business strategy and help to focus on your strategy. In a perfect world, that promise is not only true to the product but also meets the needs of consumers, and does so in a way that is differentiated from the competition.

Here are a few questions that you could ask yourself to help you decide how to position your brand and put yourself out there above your competitors.

How are you different?

Think about things that are unique to YOUR business, how you stand out from your competitors. It is about your business uniqueness, not your industrys uniqueness. What makes you so special so that customers choose you over your competitors?

How do your potential customers currently feel and how do you want them to feel?

This is probably more relevant for existing businesses. For example, Your customers might currently feel overwhelmed and they will feel relieved.

What influences their purchasing decisions?

There are many factors influencing peoples purchasing decisions. It could be based on price, impulsiveness, quality, and many more.

Think about a successful company(s) which you would like to be able to align your brand with. What are the values that they offer that you would like to be recognised in your brand?

Apple is well-known for their great innovations & their new approach to the business and customers. Is this what aspire you or would you prefer to be a Target “ affordable, offers lots of variety yet successfully associated its name with a younger, hipper, edgier, and more fun image than its competitors?

If your brand could talk, how would it sound? What do you think its personality would be?

If you cant think of any, grab a cup of coffee and start creating them now. You could use the A-to-Z method if you like, where you list down the alphabets from A to Z on a piece of paper and jolt down any words starting with them. You should be working on a list of at least 10 words and it could be anything “ fun, zen, confident, sparkly, etc.

Ideally by understanding these factors and your demographic, you would be able to come up with a single sentence brand statement:

œLollipop Creative makes your brand POPs!

And there you go “ its your mantra!

Do you have a brand positioning?

Linda Bradley runs Lollipop Creative Studio, a freelance graphic & web designer based in Melbourne, Australia, specialises in baby & kids industries, handmade, small businesses and sole traders.