My tips for building your brand platform
1 - Define your positioning
Entrepreneurship is an ecosystem. Even though I'm guessing you're dying to work on your identity and what makes you different, I always start a brand platform with the definition of positioning and competitive benchmarking. In this article, I'll guide you through the process of making your own competitive mapping and finding your place.
How can you identify your competitors?
Whatever your product or service offering, there's a good chance that competitors are already established in your market. Even if you have a unique product or service to offer, you will inevitably be compared along one or more axes: those that matter to your target audience.
List all the direct competitors you can think of
Think about those who share the price positioning you have in mindbut also to brands that have made other choices (luxury, premium, mid-range, mass-market, discount...). You can add to this list during your store visits or e-shopping sessions, and add suggestions from friends and family. When I'm working on a competitive benchmark for a company's brand platform, I make sure to broaden my horizons to include the following sectors international brands, increasingly accessible to a global audience. Depending on your project, 10 to 15 will give you a good idea of your direct competition.
Think about your indirect competitors
Don't forget slightly different projects that your ideal customer might consider when making a purchasing decision. If, for example, you're launching a new brand of tea, it will be interesting to include in your competitive study certain brands of coffee or other beverages consumed in the same circumstances. The emergence of consumption that is more experiential than material (particularly in the luxury sector) is reshuffling the deck. SPARK marketing training. You can include 5 interesting indirect competitors in your positioning study.
How do you define your market?
Be as precise as possible when defining it. Identifying 2 axes is a method traditionally used in marketing.
Price positioning is often used for the y-axis. I prefer to talk about perceived value rather than priceSome brands have a luxurious image, but their price doesn't reflect this. There's nothing to stop you choosing another criterion if price isn't important in your market (although this is quite rare). More delicate, choose a second axis that will allow you to specify your difference on the x-axis. It has to concern you and a few identified competitors. If I take the example of a tea brand, it could be the naturalness of the offer vs. its "artificiality" (flavors, colorings, blends...) or why not its classicism vs. its originality. The combination of these 2 axes is your market.
Do you have a list of those with whom you will be compared? Place them on this market within the 4 dials thus formed. Some people just won't fit in, so put them aside.
Identify the right positioning for your project
Let's talk about you! Identify the place you're going to occupy in your market. To do this, visualize clusters (areas where several companies operate side by side). This positioning is highly competitive, but getting into a highly competitive market is not a problem - I regularly reassure my customers on this point. A market where several brands or entrepreneurs are already present is also synonymous with a well-informed audience. You can then focus on your brand and its difference (a notion I apply to your personal branding if you're self-employed). Your brand identity will be all the more important! In the formation ÉCLORE I'll show you the codes of a competitive market and help you avoid the classic pitfalls. Distinguishing oneself through price, novelty or functionality are mistakes that too many entrepreneurs still make..
Also identify territories ready to be conquered where no or very few competitors are present ! It's up to you to clear the ground and get the word out about your offer and its benefits, but the rewards (and your audience's loyalty) will be all the greater once you've made your mark. early adopters convinced.
Identifying your market and your positioning is the cornerstone of your strategy. brand platform. Your ideal customer depends on it, as do certain choices such as your company's tone of voice or personality. So don't miss out on this crucial step!
Would you like step-by-step guidance in finding the best positioning for your brand? Would you like to discover other inspiring examples and learn more about my method?
Find your place and easily create your brand platform with ÉCLORE marketing training