| Question: | What is a “positioning statement,” and how do I create one? |
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| This answer is excerpted from a MarketingProfs.com article by Ford Kanzler that you can read in its entirety here. Without direction or focus, a business or organization often acts like a multi-headed creature -speaking from many mouths, saying nothing and going nowhere. From a management perspective, positioning is the heartbeat of an effective communications plan. A well-crafted positioning statement defines your company's direction. It answers seven essential questions: · who you are · what business you're in · for whom (what people do you serve) · what's needed by the market you serve · against whom do you compete · what's different about your business · what unique benefit is derived from your product or services? Don't confuse a positioning statement with market position. As Harry Beckwith states so clearly in his book Selling the Invisible, "A position (or statement of position) is a cold-hearted, no-nonsense statement of how you are perceived in the minds of your prospects. A positioning statement, by contrast expresses how you wish to be perceived. It is the core message you want to deliver in every medium." So, how can you get your communications program on the right path? By creating a clear, defensible, differentiated positioning statement and supporting key messages to guide you and others along the way. Making It Happen: The following is a process for developing your company's communications direction (positioning statement) and path (key messages). - Get the Right Information - Get the Right People - Use the Right Thinking - Generate Ideas - Challenge your managers’ thinking - Get The Word Out Read the full article here. | |
