How positioning & messaging ensures your startup’s growth
‘Doing’ positioning and messaging sounds a bit boring. It is not as sexy as A/B testing ideas or optimising your website for conversions.
But the reality is - as boring as it may seem, positioning & messaging is equal for your marketing as the foundation for your house. If it is weak, the house will eventually crumble.
Hence, before you flush your startup's money down the drain with the 'fun' marketing bits, consider these 4 reasons why you should take care of your foundation sooner rather than later.
1/Brand recognition: When your positioning is clear, you speak to customers in the language that resonates. And when you do it consistently, this creates brand recognition, mental availability (it means they remember about you when they’re ready to buy), and ultimately - sales.
2/Perception of value: Your positioning tells your customers why they should buy your solution and why now. It creates the desired perception in the customer's mind about your product or service.
3/You’ll build the foundation for consistent communication Positioning provides clear guidance for your campaign development and content creation. As a result, you build communication which is consistent with your values and mission.
4/Internal alignment: A clear positioning brings your sales, marketing, customer success and product teams together. They are united by one goal centered around your customer. And when teams are in sync - they win.
Last but not least, here’s the reality most SaaS companies operate in: thousands of competitors in each and every segment. All selling similar features and benefits and going after the same demo-fatigued buyer personas.
If you’re note clear on your differentiation from the outset, your chances of standing out in the sea of sameness are slim.
Once you have nailed positioning, the messaging comes in.
Most founders mistakenly believe that messaging is just talking about their features. So they describe all their integrations, speed, capacity and think they’re done.
In contrast, messaging is about dropping the geek speak and explaining how the product will ultimately improve the buyers’ life.
Just as we cared about becoming the super version of the Super Mario, the buyers care about the ‘super versions’ of themselves: reaching their goals, hitting targets, getting promotions or simply having more time to spend with their families and removing the stress.
The last thing they’re interested in are the intricacies and complexities of your tech.
The main question on their mind is ‘what’s in it for me?’
So the ultimate goal of your messaging is to answer this question by explaining how your product eliminates their pains and helps them to become that better version of themselves.
Only once you explain the value of your product in the context of their pains and position it as atool for helping them to get from A to B, will you see the conversions.
Taking care of marketing fundamentals takes time and effort. But it is worthwhile knowing that it will set you apart from the competition and ensure your growth.
The article was provided by our K2Match Expert Lena Andican