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Does your business have a positioning strategy?

Your business might be sending you signals that your positioning is off. Or maybe you're having trouble boiling it all down into two sentences.. yes, you need a positioning strategy.

Author

Santosh Subramanian
June 16, 2025

You're at a conference and you finally meet the prospect you’ve been longing to meet for so long. And they ask you: "So, what does your company do?"

You have like 10 seconds to tell them. You’ve been preparing for what to say to them for so long.

You open your mouth and... a stream of features, jargon, and technical details tumbles out. Their eyes glaze over. You see the polite nod. You've lost them. You wonder what your positioning strategy was back there?

If this feels familiar, you're not bad at communication. You're just too close to your product. You've lived every detail, and boiling it down to a single, compelling sentence is one of the hardest things a founder has to do, especially when you don’t have someone managing marketing.

This isn't about finding a clever tagline. It’s about positioning.

What are some common signs that your company's positioning is weak or broken?

Your business might be sending you signals that your positioning strategy is off. Look for these signs:

  • Low lead-to-customer conversion rates: People are interested enough to inquire but don't see the value during the sales process.

  • Long sales cycles: It takes your team a very long time to explain what you do and why it matters.

  • Constant feature requests for things you don't do: Customers don't understand your core purpose.

  • High price sensitivity: Prospects frequently say you're "too expensive" because they don't grasp your unique value and compare you to cheaper, inferior alternatives.

  • Internal confusion: If you ask five employees what your company does, you get five different answers.

What is a positioning strategy?

A positioning strategy is the deliberate process of creating a distinct image and identity for a product, brand, or company in the minds of your target customers.

It's not about what you do to the product itself, but rather what you do to the mind of the prospect.

The ultimate goal is to own a specific, valuable piece of mental real estate.

When a customer in your target market thinks of a particular need or problem, your brand should be the first one that comes to mind as the ideal solution.

Positioning strategy answers one simple question for your buyer: "Why should I care about what you’ve built?" and helps solve the above.

Nail this, and everything else like your website copy, your sales calls, your pitch decks will all fall into place.

Why is Positioning Strategy So Important?

A clear positioning strategy is not just a marketing exercise; it acts as the "North Star" for your entire business.

  • It Guides Decision Making: It helps you decide which product features to build, what your pricing should be, and who to hire.

  • It Creates Differentiation: In a crowded market, it's the most powerful tool to stand out from the noise and avoid being seen as just another commodity.

  • It Commands Pricing Power: When customers perceive your offering as unique and perfectly suited to their needs, they are often willing to pay a premium for it.

  • It Fosters Customer Loyalty: A clear position creates a stronger connection with customers who feel that your brand truly "gets" them.

A classic B2B example for a positioning strategy: Mailchimp

Target Audience: Small business owners, entrepreneurs, and marketers at SMBs who need powerful marketing tools without the overwhelming complexity or high cost of enterprise-level software.

Frame of Reference: The Email Marketing & Marketing Automation market.

Point of Difference: Mailchimp offers sophisticated marketing capabilities (like automation, segmentation, and analytics) through the industry's most user-friendly and accessible interface. It empowers non-experts to create professional marketing campaigns.

Reasons to Believe:

  • A famous "freemium" plan that allows small businesses to start and grow without a significant upfront investment.

  • An intuitive drag-and-drop campaign builder that simplifies what is often a complicated process.

  • Friendly, quirky branding (including their mascot, Freddie) that feels approachable and supportive, not cold and corporate.

  • A vast library of easy-to-understand tutorials and guides designed for users who are learning as they go.

  • The trust of millions of small businesses worldwide who have successfully used the platform to grow.

While competitors focused on selling complex, powerful suites to large corporate marketing teams, Mailchimp's entire strategy was built on democratizing marketing for the "little guy." They didn't sell features; they sold confidence and empowerment to small business owners.

Before we dive into the "how," let's look at how powerful a clear positioning shift can be.

  1. Drift: From Tool to Movement. Drift could have positioned itself as "live chat software for websites." Instead, they looked at the old, frustrating way of doing things (filling out a form and waiting) and positioned themselves as the Challenger. They created a new category: Conversational Marketing. Their message wasn't "we have a tool"; it was "the way you're generating leads is broken, and this is the future." This challenged the status quo and built a movement around their brand.

  2. Gong: From Feature to Intelligence. Gong records sales calls. They could have been "call recording software for sales teams." That's a crowded market. Instead, they positioned themselves as an Infrastructure for insight, creating the Revenue Intelligence category. They don't sell a feature; they sell visibility, data, and the system your entire revenue team depends on to make smarter decisions. The focus shifted from what it does (records calls) to what it provides (intelligence).

These companies didn't just describe their product; through their positioning strategy exercise, they gave it a powerful story and a clear role in their customer's world.

You can do the same. Here are five positioning strategies you can try right now.

5 positioning strategies to try now

Based on my recent video, here are five strategic lenses to find the story that resonates with the right people, quickly and clearly.

1. The Challenger

  • Use this when: Use this positioning strategy when you're going up against an old, inefficient way of doing something.

  • The Formula: You've been doing X the hard way. We make it easy.

  • Before: Our platform helps businesses with SOC2 compliance

  • After: Compliance doesn't need to be a months-long headache. Our platform automates 80% of the SOC 2 process, so you can stay focused on shipping product.

  • Founder Mistake to Avoid: Only describing what your product does, not what it frees your customers from. Create tension by highlighting the outdated process you're replacing.

2. The Specialist

  • When to use: Use this positioning strategy when you serve a specific, well-defined niche.

  • The Formula: We do [one specific thing] for [one specific niche] because of [this specific problem].

  • Before: IT Compliance for Pharma Companies

  • After: We handle IT and compliance exclusively for small pharma teams who can't afford downtime or surprises during audits.

  • Founder Mistake to Avoid: Being afraid to niche down. Specificity doesn't limit you; it builds trust faster. You become the obvious choice for your target customer.

3. The Guide

  • Use this: If your product is one piece of a larger struggle your buyer is facing, this positioning strategy may come in handy.

  • The Formula: We help [persona] get [result] without [common pain].

  • Before: No-code platform for Builders
    After: We help non-technical founders launch their MVPs in 4 weeks without draining their savings on custom dev work.

  • Founder Mistake to Avoid: Making it all about you. You are not the hero of the story; your customer is. You are the trusted guide helping them succeed.

4. The Infrastructure

  • Use this when: Your product is essential but runs quietly in the background. Think security, stability, or operations.

  • The Formula: We are the invisible system that keeps you running.

  • Before: IT Partner for Healthcare Companies

  • After: We're the silent partner that keeps your IT systems stable, so your clinicians can focus on patients, not support tickets.

  • Founder Mistake to Avoid: Trying to be "flashy." Your buyers aren't looking for a "wow" feature; they are buying reliability and peace of mind. Your language should reflect stability and trust.

5. The Mission-Driven

  • Use this when: Your product exists because you believe in something bigger than the feature list.

  • The Formula: We believe [this worldview], that's why we built [this product].

  • Before: Automate Backoffice Ops with AI Agents

  • B2B Example: We believe small business owners shouldn't be buried in admin. So we built an AI agent that automates the boring stuff without replacing the human touch.

  • Founder Mistake to Avoid: Being vague. "We want to empower growth" is an empty statement. Connect your belief directly to the tangible thing you built to make that belief a reality for your customer.

Put these to work today

When it comes to a positioning strategy, you don't have to choose one forever. Use these as lenses or perspective.

  • Try rewriting your LinkedIn headline using the Specialist style.

  • A/B test your homepage headline with the Challenger and Guide styles.

  • Frame your next outbound email sequence around the Guide style. It’s perfect for building rapport.

The goal is to test and see what clicks. Once you find the right angle, your entire marketing message will become sharper and more effective. Of course, pick and choose which angle to use depending on the situation.

You may talk differently to a CIO vs a CFO. So finding the right angle to position is crucial.

If you want to get this right faster, I created a toolkit. The Positioning Clarity Kit includes AI prompts to generate and refine your messaging, a checklist to see if it's working, and a library of great positioning one-liners you can learn from.

I hope this helps you tell your story more effectively.

Want me to audit your positioning? Book a free consultation call ↗

Frequently asked questions

1. How is "positioning" different from my branding, tagline, or mission statement?

Think of it this way:

  • Branding is your company's personality - the look, feel, and voice.

  • A Tagline is a short, memorable marketing slogan (e.g., "Just Do It").

  • A Mission Statement is about your internal "why" - the reason your company exists.

  • Positioning is your strategic argument. It’s the space you occupy in your customer's mind relative to their problems and the other alternatives. It directly answers their question: "Why is this for me, right now?"

Positioning is the bridge between what you do and why your ideal customer should care.

2. How do I find my key differentiators when my market is so crowded?

Differentiation isn't always about having a one-of-a-kind feature. Look for your unique edge in other areas:

  • Business Model: Is your pricing simpler, more flexible, or based on value in a way others aren't? (e.g., usage-based vs. high subscription fees).

  • Target Audience Focus: Are you the absolute best solution for a very specific niche that larger players ignore?

  • Customer Experience: Is your onboarding, support, or community famously better than anyone else's?

  • Brand & Mission: Do you have a powerful story, belief system, or brand personality that attracts a loyal tribe?

  • Expertise: Is your team composed of industry veterans who bring unparalleled credibility?

Often, your strongest differentiator isn't a single feature but a combination of these elements.

3. How much should I focus on my competitors in my positioning?

You should be competitor-aware, but customer-obsessed. It's crucial to understand the landscape and know how your competitors position themselves so you can find a unique space. However, a common mistake is to build your entire identity around being "the anti-[Competitor Name]." This puts them at the center of your story. Instead, use your knowledge of competitors to highlight the unique value you provide to the customer. Your customer and their problems should always be the hero of your story.

4. How can I test which positioning works best without redoing my whole website?

You don't need a massive overhaul. Start with small, low-risk experiments:

  • The LinkedIn Test: Change your personal headline to one of the styles for two weeks. See if it changes the way people in your network interact with you.

  • The Email Test: A/B test two different one-liners (e.g., Challenger vs. Guide) in your cold email outreach and track reply rates.

  • The Conversation Test: Simply try out a new one-liner when someone asks you what you do at your next meeting or event. Watch their reaction - do their eyes light up or glaze over? It's the fastest feedback you'll ever get.

5. How do I get my entire team to understand and use our positioning strategy?

Internal alignment is non-negotiable for a successful positioning strategy.

  1. Create a simple messaging document: Document your positioning statement, value proposition, key differentiators, and target persona in a one-page document that is easy for everyone to access.

  2. Train everyone: Don't just email the document. Hold sessions with sales, marketing, product, and support teams to explain the "why" behind the positioning.

  3. Weave it into everything: Your positioning should be reflected in your sales scripts, marketing materials, new employee onboarding, and even how you prioritize product features. The more everyone hears and uses it, the more it will stick.

All the best!

Santosh Subramanian
Founder, Get Strategiq

Hi, I’m Santosh Subramanian and I’m the founder at Get Strategiq, a B2B Marketing Agency. I hope this newsletter continues to be useful to you in marketing. I’d love to get your feedback on the content. If you have any questions, please drop a comment and I’ll do my best to answer it.

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