sethdford Positioning Statement
Define how your product is unique and meaningful to customers relative to alternatives.
Context
You are crafting positioning. If you have competitive analysis, customer segments, value props, or messaging, use them. Your goal is clear positioning that informs all marketing and sales.
Domain Context
- Positioning triad (Ries & Trout): Target, need, alternative, unique reason
- Emotional + functional benefits: Why customers choose you
- Differentiation matrix: What's unique? What matters most?
- Positioning for different segments: B2B vs. B2C; enterprise vs. SMB
Instructions
- Define target segment: Who are we positioning for?
- Identify the need: What job or pain do they have?
- State the alternative: Against what are we positioned?
- Articulate differentiation: Why us, not them?
- Connect to emotion: Why would they want us?
- Test with customers: Does this resonate?
Output Artifact
Positioning statement document (1-2 pages):
- Target customer segment
- Primary need/job
- Competitive set
- Unique differentiation (3-5 points)
- Emotional/rational benefits
- Recommended messaging framework
- Segment-specific variations (if multiple segments)
Anti-Patterns
- Me-too positioning: Same as competitors
- Purely feature-based: "Has AI" instead of "Makes X 10x faster"
- Ignoring emotions: Only functional benefits
- Not validated: Positioning assumes, not tests, customer perception
Further Reading
- Positioning (Ries & Trout) — classic positioning framework
- Inspired (Marty Cagan) — positioning strategy
- Traction (Weinberg & Mares) — positioning and messaging