I'm the "nonprofit social media marketing dude who has trouble with impulse control on Twitter". Too long? ;-)

Seriously though - great post, Michael. Positioning takes a lot of effort and time, but works. In my case, I have become know as the non-profit social media guy in many circles. It makes my writing easier, and helps me get business.

I'm the "nonprofit social media marketing dude who has trouble with impulse control on Twitter". Too long? ;-)

Seriously though - great post, Michael. Positioning takes a lot of effort and time, but works. In my case, I have become know as the non-profit social media guy in many circles. It makes my writing easier, and helps me get business.

Geez, Burger King can't even get their branding consistent - over here in Australia they're called Hungry Jacks. Everything else you said fitted though. Funny thing - a couple of years ago there was an ad on tv for Hungry Jacks that had obviously been made in the US. The restaurant on the ad had Burger King written all over it. Way to confuse the customers!

"Perfection" is the word we associate with Lexus's marketing over the years, but Acura beat them to the luxury Japanese car market. Being first is probably the biggest advantage you can possibly have.

Burger King will never do what it takes to turn themselves around. They would need to buy back (or close) every restaurant, remodel every single one based on a position of being "adult," and then hammer that position home with massive advertising & marketing. Nobody will think it's a safe enough bet to get the money to do it, and nobody has the guts to run that show correctly.

With real estate prices being in the tank, now would actually be the perfect time to do it, too.

Ha, yeah, that would be their accidental position.

By the way, "multiple award winning price comparison service" is not a position. It's a description of the business and that's all.

You want to be THE word that comes to mind whenever anyone thinks "compare prices". If you're not number one in that category already, it will be extraordinarily difficult to overtake the leader. How does Microsoft Bing have even a glimmer of hope they can possibly compete with Google? By being a "decision engine" instead of a search engine. Bing is, believe it or not, gaining market share.

Thanks for the kind words, Scot. It's absolutely true that most people don't know what position they already have. You can find out with a simple survey where you list a bunch of words that you know or hope to be associated with your brand, and ask the respondents to pick the one word that means your company in their minds.

You're welcome, I hope you can put it to good use in your business.

Richard, it is possible and it does happen, but it usually happens because the leader (the owner of a word) screws up and tries to become something that goes against their position (not the position they want, the position they already have in the minds of their customers).

For example, who was the leader in casual pants before Dockers? I don't even know.

Volvo is hurting themselves with their move away from safety. If they hadn't done that, there'd be no way in hell any other car company could take that away from them. But their committing suicide, so another company could do it. It looks like Ford is taking the "green" angle.

More importantly, what does this mean for small business owners? It means you can't take away the leader's position unless the leader seriously weakens its own position first. What you have to do instead is take a different position. Volvo is safety, BMW is the ultimate driving machine: which do you want? Two different positions.

To use an example closer to home, the The Thesis theme is the market leader in premium themes. Headway cannot have the same position as Thesis---it's simply not possible. So we're developing a different position altogether for Headway, making it more "apples to oranges" instead of "apples to apples".

Thanks. Yeah, that's the sad part, as far as fast food goes, I'd much rather eat a Burger King Angry Whopper than anything from McD's. This once again proves that quality doesn't matter half as much as people would like it to.

Exactly. Glad to see you're doing the hard work of making it happen!

Part of the problem with that is that McDonald's can present a unified front more easily than Burger King can. This is because McDonald's owns every restaurant and the land it sits on. Burger King franchise holders own their own restaurants, so their is no central control.

Because of this, McDonald's can centrally run everything, while Burger King has no control over its individual franchises. So they look like something out of an old Starsky & Hutch episode (and not in a cool retro way).

Great to hear, thanks!

McDonald's is making a mistake with these new moves. They should be strengthening the position they already have and make it indomitable, but instead, they're actually fighting themselves in a battle that takes place in the mind of the consumer. McDonald's can only occupy one mental cubby-hole, one place on the ladder (as Al Reis and Jack Trout put it).

There is a difference between a niche and a position, though they're very much related. There are still plenty of people doing what you do, so what's your position related to them? What rung on the customer's mental ladder can you occupy?

All three of those niches have different needs and would demand three different full-time blogs that have clear and unassailable positioning so that they become known as the "go-to" site for the entire category. Consider choosing the one you love the most and focus on it like the Terminator. Only then will you have the best chance of dominating that market. You can't dominate if you're diluted. You're like thinned-out paint. Concentrate. Be the brightest splash of color on the canvas that draws everyone's eye.

Carl, in the books I mention above, there's a great success story about Levi's jeans. They wanted to start making casual work pants, but it totally bombed. The reason why it bombed was because in everyone's mind, Levi's only means one thing and nothing else: denim. So, Levi's spun off a completely separate brand called Dockers, which is now the top casual pants brand in America. Dockers owns casual. Levi's still owns Dockers, so they get to have their cake and eat it too, without diluting the Levi's position.

Thanks for the thought provoking article (as usual) Michael. Over the holidays, BMW did a great job reinforcing its position as the ultimate driving machine with commercials that made fun of the big red bows that Lexus uses on its commercials. While reading this article, I found myself thinking of a question from the book Mavericks at Work, "If your company went out of business tomorrow, who would really miss you and why"? That is one of those sobering questions that is nearly impossible to ignore. Burger King is clueless and obnoxious. If they vanish tomorrow, I won't miss them. Will their lack of positioning prove fatal? It will if they don't wake up fast. There is hope as long as there is value. menwithpens says BK has good burgers, and I like their fries. But, I haven't been there for a long time because I don't like their marketing.

I have always said the best place to build a fast food restaurant is right next to a McDonalds. Even their leftovers are better than most stores first course.

McD. is the market leader and Burger King just follows them. I had a strategic management class at Uni and the professor told a story that BK trusts McD. to find the perfect place for a new restaurant and just opens up a BK opposite or right next to it. McD. does all the research about their prospect customers like demographics etc. and BK keeps following. So I'd say their position is "The follower".

Our position would be "multiple award winning price comparison service".

As many have noted, it is hard to discover your position in your market. I'd go further -- even when you think you know your position or positioning in the market, you can make it much simpler than it is.

So the first challenge is to figure out the positioning. The second challenge is to make that positioning simpler to market.

(And, BTW, Michael is very good at helping you figure that out...)

I love what you are saying here, it really makes sense. Good branding means everything, and positioning is key. You have some inspired some interesting thoughts for some of my projects.

Thanks for the post.

Having been brought up proper, I assumed that the magic word must be "please"!

The one thing I don't quite agree with is that I don't think it's true that these words can ever be taken away. The branding for Volvo is really strong but I think there are circumstances where "safe" or "safety" could become more associated with another car. If for example Ford decided they wanted to go that way then I think they have enough clout to make it happen. It's obviously more difficult to take over something like "the ultimate driving machine" because that isn't just one or two words.

Do McDonalds want to be the "kids restaurant"? Clearly in many ways they do, but in recent years they have also tried to expand this with things like changes in resturant colour scheme that are more grown up, and introducing WiFi. I think the Burger King scenario is just because they aren't big enough to compete.

Great post, Michael, and you're bang on the money. Positioning oneself in this way is the root of branding, the "what do you want to be known for" that everyone needs. It's crucial to the specialist's image, and it's equally important for the generalist as well.

I grinned, too - you hit it dead on with Burger King. "Nobody really knows..." Heheh, that's for damned sure. (Good burgers though.)

Discovering my target audience and niche has been the largest dilemma in the past year. As others have pointed out, it can be intimidating to narrow down a segment of the market.

Starting 2010 with a renewed focus and goals - including a niche for my service offerings has been energizing and uplifting! This post is a great reminder as to why branding your business and defining your target market is so vitally important.

I have to admit, I had never thought of Burger King's image (or lack thereof) before! It's always been that "other place" in the fast food line-up.

McDonald's knows what it is, they know what they want to be...and they do it very well. Get in with the kids...and they're customers for life...because kids eventually have kids...who eventually have kids, and so on. As an adult, you recall the experience you had, and you want your kid to have that experience, even though as an adult, you see the other side of it - but you still remember what it was like as a kid.

Burger King on the other hand, doesn't know what they are, or where they are. Are they the more grownup restaurant? Are they the restaurant with the creepy mascot? They don't know, and we can't tell them - and if they could figure it out, they'd probably take a LOT from McDonald's, because at least out here in the east, when you see one, you're almost damn certain to see the other one.

I love this post. It is very helpful for me as I narrow my brand and focus.

I suppose I don't watch enough kids' shows any longer to see Mickey D ads targeted at that audience; instead I see McCafe ads trying to convince me that McDonald's is where I really want to go for great coffee and conversation (not). So can you position yourself to different audiences differently?

In my case, I'm focusing on helping independent, brick & mortar businesses build customer relationships and grow their business online. I have a newsletter that's just for yarn shops. Not artisans selling their yarns on etsy (although I certainly love buying the fruits of their labor), but honest-to-goodness walk in the door and be able to see and touch the fibers and talk to another human being face-to-face.

My intent is to work with 3 specific niches: craft-type shops (knitting, quilting, stamping, scrapbooking); cafes / bistros / espresso bars; and artist / artisan galleries.

My positioning is the 'technology-based marketing for independent, brick & mortar businesses' consultant.

I need a shorter phrase ;)

Holy hell, that's a fantastic point.

Our positioning is...

Ummm...

Teaching my mum to make a website?

Website resources for people who don't want to feel stupid?

Argh, this needs more work.

Michael, Never heard about positioning as a marketing tool (though obviously seen it in action) Must go read more! I believe more clients / customers are looking for people who work in specific niche markets.

I am hoping to create a position of offering Blog and Social Media Instruction to Educational Providers.

PS - my daughter likes Maccas because of the attached 'play park'

Michael, Never heard about positioning as a marketing tool (though obviously seen it in action) Must go read more! I believe more clients / customers are looking for people who work in specific niche markets.

I am hoping to create a position of offering Blog and Social Media Instruction to Educational Providers.

PS - my daughter likes Maccas because of the attached 'play park'

Great stuff Michael. I think positioning is one of those concepts that every business needs to learn. Unfortunately the idea has been conflated with "elevator speeches" a little too much so now people think a position is something you trot out just when someone asks you what you do, then you go back to trying to please everybody and their pet hamster ;)

Great stuff Michael. I think positioning is one of those concepts that every business needs to learn. Unfortunately the idea has been conflated with "elevator speeches" a little too much so now people think a position is something you trot out just when someone asks you what you do, then you go back to trying to please everybody and their pet hamster ;)

Great article Michael :) So many professionals I talk to in real estate and other areas are just scared as heck to differentiate themselves. They fear limiting themselves. They feel if they target a niche, they are ruling out a lot of potential business. Ironically in our information-soaked environment, having no niche is essentially having no identity. And having no identity means having no market share AT ALL. It doesn't translate into more sales, it translates into less sales.

There is always the potential to grow beyond your niche and target new areas down the road if you can manage it. But as the saying goes "I can't give you a key to success, but I can give you a key to failure. Try to be everything to everybody." I've seen too many small businesses shoot themselves in the foot by trying to be everything to everybody.

It's cool you point out McD's. It's a great example how far you can go by staying true to your niche.

btw...hiliarious bio :)

Sounds like it comes down to consistency. Conveying the same message in everything you do.

But then based on the McDonalds example, it seems you can have multiple positions. It's just about approaching specific audiences the right way. For a child, McDonalds, is the kids restaurant. For adults the position is different, but clearly also present, and effective.

Better to start with one?

David
Scribnia.com

Great article Michael :) So many professionals I talk to in real estate and other areas are just scared as heck to differentiate themselves. They fear limiting themselves. They feel if they target a niche, they are ruling out a lot of potential business. Ironically in our information-soaked environment, having no niche is essentially having no identity. And having no identity means having no market share AT ALL. It doesn't translate into more sales, it translates into less sales.

There is always the potential to grow beyond your niche and target new areas down the road if you can manage it. But as the saying goes "I can't give you a key to success, but I can give you a key to failure. Try to be everything to everybody." I've seen too many small businesses shoot themselves in the foot by trying to be everything to everybody.

It's cool you point out McD's. It's a great example how far you can go by staying true to your niche.

btw...hiliarious bio :)

This has really nailed on the head why I have had trouble feeling intimidated by my competitors. Part of the reason is that I don't stand out enough from them, part of it is they don't stand out enough from each other so in my shoes it looks like an amorphous mass of competition.

So positioning will help both those problems. It's not enough to have a USP if it only spells out what you do, or how, but it also needs to clearly state 'why me and not the other guys.'

This has really nailed on the head why I have had trouble feeling intimidated by my competitors. Part of the reason is that I don't stand out enough from them, part of it is they don't stand out enough from each other so in my shoes it looks like an amorphous mass of competition.

So positioning will help both those problems. It's not enough to have a USP if it only spells out what you do, or how, but it also needs to clearly state 'why me and not the other guys.'

Very insightful post, Michael.

But first, I just wanted to say, you don't look like a grandfather :-)

I have recently found and embraced a position for my copywriting and online marketing consultation services. It hasn't been easy. After weeks of brainstorming my USP from 10 different angles, all of a sudden everything just fell into place.

The thing is, taking on a position or one's business is both scary and liberating at the same time. It's scary to commit to one position; it's almost like getting married!

On the other hand, when I claimed my position, all of a sudden a whole new world opened up tome - simply because my position had excluded other things and now allows me to go deeper into a more specific niche.

I'm still struggling with what to actually call my particular brand of copywriting/online marketing. For now it's "Magnetic New Marketing" and "authentic copywriting." I suspect the brand will still change, but the essence of my positioning will remain the same.

Very insightful post, Michael.

But first, I just wanted to say, you don't look like a grandfather :-)

I have recently found and embraced a position for my copywriting and online marketing consultation services. It hasn't been easy. After weeks of brainstorming my USP from 10 different angles, all of a sudden everything just fell into place.

The thing is, taking on a position or one's business is both scary and liberating at the same time. It's scary to commit to one position; it's almost like getting married!

On the other hand, when I claimed my position, all of a sudden a whole new world opened up tome - simply because my position had excluded other things and now allows me to go deeper into a more specific niche.

I'm still struggling with what to actually call my particular brand of copywriting/online marketing. For now it's "Magnetic New Marketing" and "authentic copywriting." I suspect the brand will still change, but the essence of my positioning will remain the same.

We don't have any Chik-fil-As around here. There is an odd dearth of restaurant chains where I live: no Dairy Queens, no Taco Bells, and, worst of all, no White Castles (to each his own).

Keep an eye on what we do with Headway's marketing in the future and you'll see how I will position it. That's all I'll say about it for now. :-)

Ainslie, check out those books I listed. They'll get you going in the right direction.

Online, offline focusing on a niche can be key to a business' success. Here is a link to a post I did recently on niche marketing Focus on a Niche and Be the Best You Can Be

Chris, yeah, it's a tougher nut to crack than it first seems. If people ever really reach the point they understand what positioning really means, they feel like they have to burn bridges because they weren't properly positioned before and they've built up momentum. The prospect of turning that ship around is scary, but the iceberg is looming. "Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," as it were.

You have it exactly. It does feel scary (as scary as getting married, as Lexi said previously). But the fact is that when people search online, it's the niche specialists who show up at the top of the results. They're the signal in all the noise, and they're the ones getting more business than they can handle, even with a jobless rate that looks like the slope of Mt. Everest.

Amy, we've thrown the "USP" around so much it doesn't even mean anything, anymore. The word "unique" is the point of the whole thing, but when most folks try to come up with a USP, it's anything but unique. It is the same sorry, boring crap everyone else is doing. Because if they're doing it, it must be working, yes? Well, when you look at the number of businesses that fail, I'd say the answer to that is big fat NO.

Wow, I REALLY love the way you put that, Lexi. It IS like getting married: you're wedded to the business! Fantastic insight, thanks for sharing!

Great points Michael.

Creating a position for yourself is probably one of the scariest things. It feels like you're closing yourself off from options, however it gives people a direct place to put your in their mindmap.

I feel like it's one of the hardest things I've had to do and I still battle being in one position and declaring that vs. wanting to be the many things I believe myself to be.

Awesome post! I never really thought about the concept of positioning, but you've given me something to think about in the coming year. I think I'm going to have to make that one of my goals.

Also, I prefer chik-fil-A. :P

Great article Michael :) So many professionals I talk to in real estate and other areas are just scared as heck to differentiate themselves. They fear limiting themselves. They feel if they target a niche, they are ruling out a lot of potential business. Ironically in our information-soaked environment, having no niche is essentially having no identity. And having no identity means having no market share AT ALL. It doesn't translate into more sales, it translates into less sales.

There is always the potential to grow beyond your niche and target new areas down the road if you can manage it. But as the saying goes "I can't give you a key to success, but I can give you a key to failure. Try to be everything to everybody." I've seen too many small businesses shoot themselves in the foot by trying to be everything to everybody.

It's cool you point out McD's. It's a great example how far you can go by staying true to your niche.

btw...hiliarious bio :)