I’m trying to brainstorm the past few days. I’m unpicking what’s happened, what hasn’t happened, or what you want they want have happened. And, eventually, we’ll get there.
In the middle of the night, I’ll sit bolt upright and announce that I shouldn’t have left the milk out. It might be tonight. It might be three weeks from now. But wouldn’t it have been so much easier if you’d just told me?
Alright, we’re talking about brand positioning, not writing a bad novel. But the process of defining the space you own in the market and finding effective ways to communicate it can often feel like guesswork. You trust your instincts as to what the market wants, what your customers care about, and what’ll help you grow. But you’re never quite sure.
The unsurprising outcome? Nobody adopts it. Nobody thinks its true. And nobody’s surprised when you have to return to your positioning in six months and start from scratch.
Nobody knows what your positioning should be
Whether they charge £2k or £200k, the truth remains the same: nobody that you’re working with has any idea how you should position your business.
Sure, they’ll say they know your industry – the very people you’re fighting for territory. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ll use it to help you feel fresh. Maybe it’ll clutter their thinking and lead you to positioning that’s basically what everyone else is running with.
They’ll also know what good brand messaging looks like. How the right storytelling and messaging toolkit can shift how you’re seen as a business. And how the right resources can help anyone who writes for your brand stay on track.
But, in 100% of cases, they don’t have the big, important answers you’re looking for.
That’s because the answers are inside your business. You already have them. Not in your strategy meeting and senior leadership, but in the conversations people have when you’re not there and the things your customers say about you behind your back.
You might be certain about what to build your brand around. But if you’re thinking quality and your customers are thinking price, no amount of clever copy and messaging will close that gap.
The only people who know the answers are the ones in the thick of it: your customers and colleagues. Your partners and suppliers. If you’re launching a startup, your soon-to-be customer base, wherever they are now.
They don’t keep what they care about a secret. They’re ready to tell you. All they need is a nudge in the right direction.
People don’t keep what they care about a secret. They’re ready to tell you. All they need is a nudge in the right direction.
Don’t start by listening, start by asking questions
Great brand positioning comes from a place of smart questions: jumping on calls and asking people what they really think, in confidence. Challenging the things you assume to be true about your business, so you uncover the things that are genuine.
So don’t ask a freelance copywriter or agency to pluck the right positioning out of thin air. What they really bring to the table is experience in asking the right questions, at the right time. Often, they’re the ones you simply couldn’t ask yourself – and, if you did, you’re less likely to get the honest answer than an independent third party.
It’s those questions that lead to positioning with substance: an authentic reflection of what you do and – crucially – how you do it, distilled into concise messaging guidelines and ready-to-use copy.
That’s how you get to:
- Messaging your people adopt because it feels correct and accurate
- Brand positioning and a promise that you actually deliver on
- A sense of expanding ownership over the space you’re already succeeding in
The guesswork might get you there, albeit at great expense and with a huge amount of unnecessary complexity. But when someone asks you what’s wrong in twelve months, there’ll be no denying that your positioning still feels off – and suddenly you’re back to square one.
