Branding
What Are Brand Guidelines? How to Create a Brand Guide
What is a brand guide, what should it include and how do you make one? A plain guide to brand guides, with a sample outline and a brand voice guide checklist.
Brand positioning is the place you want your business to hold in customers’ minds compared with the alternatives: who you are for, what you do better or differently, and why people should believe it. A clear position makes you the obvious choice for a specific group, instead of one more option competing on price.
Here is what brand positioning means in practice, and how to work out your own.
What is brand positioning?
What is brand positioning in one line? It’s the answer to “why you, not them?” A working brand positioning definition has three parts: a target customer, a point of difference that matters to them, and proof. If any part is missing, the position is just a slogan.
What is positioning in marketing?
Positioning in marketing is choosing where you compete and how you want to be seen. So what is brand positioning in marketing specifically? It’s the brief your marketing works from: every ad, page and post should reinforce the same position. Brand positioning in marketing keeps a small budget focused, because you stop trying to appeal to everyone.
How does positioning relate to branding?
Positioning comes first; the rest of your branding expresses it. Your branding (logo, colours, voice, experience) should all make your position easier to see and remember. A premium position with a bargain-bin look sends mixed signals.
How do you create a brand positioning strategy?
A simple brand positioning strategy takes five steps:
- Pick your customer. Describe the people you most want to win, and the problem they need solved.
- Map the alternatives. List the competitors and other options those customers consider, including doing nothing or doing it themselves.
- Find your difference. Look for something you do differently that this customer values: speed, specialisation, local knowledge, service style or a particular result you can show.
- Gather proof. Reviews, case studies, credentials or guarantees you can actually honour. Without proof, a position is a claim.
- Write it down and apply it. Turn it into a statement, then use it to brief your website, ads and team.
What is a brand positioning statement?
A positioning statement is a short internal sentence that sums up your position. It isn’t a tagline for customers; it’s a test for your marketing. A common brand positioning statement format:
For [target customer] who [need], [business] is the [category] that [key benefit], because [reason to believe].
Brand positioning examples
These brand positioning examples are illustrations, not real businesses:
- A local plumber: “For busy families in our town who can’t wait around, we’re the plumber that turns up in the booked window, because we schedule fewer jobs a day and text when we’re on the way.”
- An accountant: “For farm businesses that find generalist accountants don’t get seasonal cash flow, we’re the accountants who specialise in agriculture, because that’s all we do.”
- A café: “For locals who want a quiet place to work, we’re the café with reliable wifi and space to spread out, because we designed the room for it.”
What is a brand positioning map?
A brand positioning map is a simple chart with two axes that matter to your customers, such as price and specialisation, or speed and level of service. Plot yourself and your competitors on it. Gaps show where you could stand out; crowded corners show where you’ll compete on price.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between branding and positioning?
Positioning is the strategic choice of where you stand. Branding is how you express it, through your name, look, voice and the experience you deliver.
Can a small business have a brand positioning strategy?
Yes, and it matters more with a small budget. A clear position helps you spend on the customers most likely to choose you, instead of competing with everyone.
How often should you review your positioning?
Review it when your market changes: new competitors, new services or a shift in who’s buying. Otherwise, keep it steady; positions take time to stick.
Where should your positioning be written down?
In your brand guide, so designers, staff and suppliers all work from the same position.
Getting help
If you want a second view on your position, or a brand built around it, our creative and design team can help. New businesses can start with the New Business Package ($4,995 + GST), which includes a logo and a cheat-sheet style guide.
