You’re at a networking event, someone asks what you do, and you really struggle to answer the question. Or, your brand introduces itself differently on your website, your social media profiles and introductions to proposals. Or maybe, people introduce you as the expert in X, when that was five years ago and you now want to be known for Y.

The answer to these (often daily) frustrations is to work on your positioning and supporting messaging. Once you get a central statement defined and memorised, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it becomes to introduce your brand, talk about what makes it special and explain why you have the edge.

But first, what is B2B positioning?

A positioning statement is a strategic sentence that defines your place in the market and aids internal clarity. But, when you combine it with a – sorry… more marketing jargon klaxon – value proposition (an externally facing sentence that explains the value you deliver), it becomes even more powerful – internally AND externally.

In my view, the best positioning statements are also value propositions. They work together beautifully. I just call it all positioning because too much marketing speak makes me queasy.

Here’s an example of a positioning statement AND a value proposition working together from Innocent Drinks: “For health-conscious people who are short on time, Innocent is the drinks brand that makes it easy to do something good for your body every day.”

There are many different interpretations of what a positioning statement is, and what a value proposition is. We can get caught up in the semantics of it all, but for me, it’s simply about developing one clear, useful sentence that is a central brand asset. And this view is based on plenty of experience working with clients to give them what they need to solve their problem (as opposed to something out of a marketing textbook).

So if I’m helping a client with positioning, I will generally look to include:

• Who you are (category)
• What you do (product/service)
• Who it’s for (target audience)
• Why you (differentiation, expertise)

Here are some common problems people have with their positioning, along with some guidance on how to improve yours. I’m always really happy to talk things through in person, so give me a shout if you’d rather thrash things out on a call.

Why is it so hard to say what we do?

There are a few reasons why you might be struggling, and here are a few of the most common ones:

It could be because you have multiple audiences in mind, and you’re struggling to find one message that resonates with them all. In this case, brands tend to try to be all things to all people. This is an easy trap to fall into; after all, who wants to alienate a paying customer, wherever they’re from? But if you try to appeal to everyone, you’ll appeal to no one, so while it’s totally possible to speak to multiple audiences, you need to be clear in your mind about your IDEAL customer and speak directly to them.

Another reason brands struggle with their positioning is that they are scared of niching. While they have unique specialisms that make them the perfect fit and obvious choice for certain clients, it’s scary to nail their colours to the mast like that.

Perhaps you’re caught up in explaining how you do things, rather than what you do? This is understandable – your mind is firmly on the delivery and your process. But someone looking for what you sell needs to hear about the outcomes they can expect, and the problem you’re going to solve for them. Focusing on the benefits of working with you rather than the features of your service is a good way to dodge this issue.

A common problem is the ‘death by committee‘ one, where a positioning statement goes through a million iterations until everyone simply loses interest in it. Even if it does make it out of the boardroom it has likely been debated and softened so much that it’s lost any meaning and says nothing.

Finally, another classic error is falling into the formal ‘professional speak’ trap. That can look like excessive use of jargon, or using business speak that you’d never use in real life, like “utilise”, “leverage”, “at this present moment in time”… this can make what you say sound robotic and generic, and you can do better than that!

Why can’t I explain what my business does in a sentence?

As a growing brand or start-up, people find that it’s surprisingly difficult to explain what they do quickly. But there’s good news – if you’ve spotted that you’re struggling with that then you’re halfway towards solving the problem.

There’s a quote that I use a lot with clients, and I’m not sure who to attribute it to, but it sums up the issue perfectly: “It’s impossible to read the label if you’re inside the jar”.

In plain English, that means you need an external perspective. As the experts, you know too much, and it’s very difficult to see what makes you uniquely appealing from where you’re standing. If you’re finding yourself waffling whenever anyone asks what you do, it’s time to call in a B2B messaging and positioning strategist who can bring the objectivity you need to see what makes you special.

Why does our positioning sound like everyone else in our space?

This is another common problem, but one that comes with a wide-open opportunity. This is your chance to stand out from the crowd and do things differently. It’s great to understand how your competitors position themselves, and it’s part of my process to find out. But then I get to work, uncovering your secret sauce – the thing that you bring that nobody else does. That’s how you show personality, differentiate yourself from everyone else in your space, and start getting remembered and recommended.

We want to be known for one thing, so how can we stop people associating us with something else?

Businesses go through many stages of evolution, and the flagship service you once advertised may not be the thing you want to be known for these days. The answer to this one starts with defining and articulating your current positioning, refreshing and updating that message at every brand touchpoint, and then reinforcing it with a confident messaging strategy.

It’s thought that people have to read something five to seven times before they start to remember it. So just at the point where you feel like you’re repeating yourself a million times… that’s when it starts sinking in with others. So once you’ve got that positioning and messaging nailed, make sure you’re putting it to work everywhere your brand shows up. And be patient – all this takes time to embed.

Why does our web copy sound so vague?

Big messages (your messaging and positioning) tend to evolve over time, especially for start-ups and growing brands that are moving quickly. That can lead to vague and inconsistent web copy below the fold. The way to sort this is to take a strategic approach to your overall brand messaging. Once that’s approved, you’ll find that any web copy you write or commission has a much more thoughtful brief behind it – leading to a more coherent website.

How can I write a good B2B positioning statement?

You should ideally be able to position your brand in a sentence, and it helps to start with a very simple framework. There are a few different options, but this is a good place to start:

For [insert target audience], we are the [what you are] that [your differentiator].

So, to use myself as an example, it might look something like this:

“For growing brands and start-ups, I’m the messaging, positioning and copywriting specialist that helps you sound as good as you are.”

From there, you can reshape it, and even add a pain point if you like:

“I’m the messaging, positioning and copywriting specialist who makes growing B2B brands and start-ups with inconsistent messaging sound as good as they really are.”

You see how it starts to come together?

How and where do I use our shiny new positioning statement?

Whether it’s developing a brief for new content (e.g., press releases, proposals, web copy, thought leadership articles, etc.) or knowing what to say at a networking event, you’ll find that a strong positioning statement is useful in so many different scenarios.

The key is to communicate it. It should be front and centre in your brand guidelines, and visible at every brand touchpoint, from your website through to your social media bios/profiles. This key piece of messaging should be the first thing anyone reads or hears, the minute they encounter your brand.

If you’re short on budget, you can also use a positioning statement to help generate new content using AI. While I never recommend using AI to think or write for you, inevitably people do. But if you prompt AI with your positioning statement and key messaging, you’ll find that whatever it generates for you has slightly more personality, sounds more like you and less like everyone else.

My B2B positioning services are tailored to suit your needs and solve your positioning problems. If you’d like to talk through what that looks like to you, get in touch.