Why you have to stand for something when marketing your business.
- Hunter Leonard
- Apr 26
- 3 min read
Updated: May 8
Have you ever participated in a martial art, or played a sport, or danced?
Chances are, if you have, you’ll understand the importance of getting your body into the right position to play a shot, perform a kick, or spin your partner round and round. The right body position gives you a place from which to exert power, and balance and to get the move, or kick or shot - right.
Wrong position, and you can fall on your butt quicker than you know.
It’s the same in marketing. The correct position is important. In fact, deciding your market position opens the 3rd door to successful marketing.
Unlike your body, a market position means something a little different.
It is a place in the market, where your unique offering is best suited.
A market position can be defined by a price range for a product - high, medium, low, or it could be defined by the geographic locations you serve, or it could be the type of customer - by age, income or other factor - that you serve.
In any market, there are often multiple competitors playing in different parts of the market. Sometimes, two companies might be competing in exactly the same position - meaning competition is higher than in other places in the market.
You can take a position of being the fastest, cheapest, funnest, sharpest, most colourful - pretty much any position you like as long as there are customers interested in that factor, or who live near where you operate, or who will pay the price you’ve set for your product or service.
But it is important to focus your efforts on A market position. Otherwise, just like in a sport or a martial art, you will not be able to exert power in the market. Positions give power. Power gives profit.
There are a few reasons why a position is powerful:
Our lives are busy, there are lots of messages that we receive each day, and it pays to keep your message and offer simple, so that busy consumers can quickly make decisions about your offer compared to other businesses. Businesses with a strong position can more easily attract attention.
Having a focused offer and a focussed target audience will save you time and money. Knowing the position you play best will keep you from chasing bright shiny objects or opportunities that are NOT for you.
Having a market position where you are strongest compared to the competition makes it easier to survive. I recently saw a video showing a coffee van that had placed itself hundreds of kilometres from nowhere but on a known track for travellers and outback workers. With no other options around they get 100% of an albeit smaller group of customers who are adventure and extreme travellers and workers in that remote area.
Operationally, you can focus your investment on activities that strengthen your chosen position. If you’ve decided to be #1 for service, then you’d spend money on service personnel before a discount sales promotion.
My advice is that using your research and analysis to establish the right position for your business will save you an enormous amount of time, money and even frustration.
If you’d like to know more about how to establish the right position for your business in your market, then read my books - Marketing has no Off Switch or Get your Marketing Cooking - both available on AMAZON.
Hunter Leonard is the Founder & CEO of Blue Frog Marketing - a strategic consultancy with clients in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Hunter is highly respected in the industry, having achieved spectacular revenue growth results for his clients in the order of several billion dollars. He has written 11 books and delivered over 900 seminars and workshops on marketing since 2001. When not helping clients, he can be found playing his Maton Guitar, cooking up a storm or walking the forests, beaches and national parks of his home town of Coffs Harbour. www.bluefrogmarketing.com.au
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