The P Before 4Ps
Positioning happens before the 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, Place) take place. Positioning informs and adds consistency to the 4Ps.
Positioning is to secure a worthwhile position in the prospect's mind, a way of communicating to them.
Positioning helps you to stop being everything to everybody, to stop wasting time and money trying to change prospects' minds.
Positioning makes you find the target segment that matches the message you are communicating. Good positioning delivers simple and clear messages tie to what’s in prospects’ minds.
Positioning is to find a window to get into prospects’ minds, the easiest way to is to be the first. Do you remember the 2nd person to walk on the moon? Find something to be first in.
To quote David Ogilvy, positioning is “what the product does, and who it is for”.
*This post is based on learnings from the marketing classic Positioning — I highly recommend you give it a read.
The mind tends to filter out unfamiliar new information. To effectively get to people’s minds, position relative to something familiar to prospects:
1.position against a competitor that prospects know well
2. tell what you are not to what’s in prospects’ mind
3. make your way into a ladder owned by others in the prospects’ mind
Successful positioning requires consistency. Don’t walk away from what you have already imprinted onto the minds.
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