Brand Repositioning: Six Things To Know Before You Start

Brand Repositioning: Six Things To Know Before You Start

Maybe you’re launching a new product. Maybe you’re coming through a merger. Or maybe your market is changing around you – and you’ve got to act now to stay in front of and relevant to your audience.

Each of these situations presents an opportunity of repositioning your brand. It’s the best way to take what truly makes your brand different, and to use those differences to stay one step ahead of your competitors.

It’s what we do for brands every day. It’s not easy, and it does take some time. But we’ve found that knowing these six things (no, five wasn’t quite enough), or being open to learning them throughout the process of brand repositioning, is one of the keys to success.

Repositioning A Brand: Know why you’re here.

It’s time to answer the big questions. What challenges are you facing? Is your business model changing? Has the market evolved? Are you launching product or service line? Have you noticed your competitors moving ahead? Any of these could show the need for repositioning.

At this point it’s best not to focus on executions. People in your company may be clamoring for a new website or ad campaign. But at this stage the challenge is to, forgive the cliché, dig deeper. To get to the “why,” before you focus on the what.

After all, if you create a new website without examining your underlying positioning or messaging, chances are you’re not going to solve any problems – and once the newness of the site wears off, you’ll be facing the same challenges.

Know where you’re headed.

It sounds obvious, and it’s the easiest to say but maybe the hardest step of all: set goals, right at the outset. Again, these aren’t goals like “create a new website” – but what do you want to achieve? What are the most important, measurable things your brand needs to be considered a success?

This is the only way to measure how far you’ve come, and where you might need to make further adjustments.

Pro tip: Keep it to 4-5 goals, maximum – and be as specific as possible. Set goals you can measure and achieve, so you can know when you’ve arrived.

Know your brand from the inside.

More questions to answer. This time, turn to your employees. It’s important to get input and participation from every level of your company. It’s hard (and often ineffective) to develop an internal brand from the top down. When everyone feels like they have a voice in the position of the brand, it’ll show in how they interact with customers.

With this inside-out approach, you’ll emerge from repositioning as a stronger company, with everyone far more focused on what makes your company great.

Know your audience.

With all of the internal questions you’re going to ask during this project, it’s easy to become a little self-centered. Remember, though, repositioning isn’t about you. It’s how you can better serve your key target audiences.

Learn what they want. How they’ve changed. And what you can do to solve their most pressing problems and allay their fears.

Know your competition.

What are your neighbors up to? How are they tackling the same challenge you’re facing? Especially if you haven’t done so in a while, it’s time to take a look at your competition. Have they changed their tactics or approaches? How are they promising to solve problems?

Remember, the end game isn’t so you can copy your competition, it’s so you can offer something to your audiences that will truly set you apart.

Know your niche.

And speaking of setting yourself apart… Once you’ve answered the right questions, you can really start to get to the essence of a repositioning project: What is it that makes your company different? Hint: It’s not a product feature or bullet point. What can’t your competition copy? Again, think in terms of how this difference solves the real problems your customers or clients face.

WATCH: Rich shares six tips for successful brand positioning. Watch below or on YouTube: