Arguably the best point guard ever to play in the NBA, Magic Johnson, exemplified the qualities required of a point guard – running the offense, controlling the tempo, ensuring players are communicating and having a complete understanding of the game plan.

In a similar manner, marketing positioning is the point guard of your marketing communications. Positioning defines and controls the overall identity of your product or service and involves the art of ensuring the unique benefits of your offering are effectively communicated and matched with the prospective customer’s needs and desires.

Time and thought should be devoted to crafting an optimized marketing positioning statement.

• What position do you want to occupy in the customer’s mind?
• What are the truly unique product attributes and benefits of your offering?
• Are these benefits already considered relevant and perceived as valuable by the potential customer?
• What else is perceived by the customer as a similar, better or worse offering?
• Why?

Market Messaging

Good market messaging clearly communicates the key ideas of the positioning statement to the customer in a straightforward, consistent manner that leads them to action.  Great market messaging makes it a memorable experience.

Is Your Positioning an All Star or a Bench Sitter?

Positioning and messaging are topics that many small businesses consider too difficult to tackle and/or are simply stuff that corporate marketing teams, agencies and consultants like to discuss to make them sound important. While the latter part of the statement may be partially true, any business can and should seek to have an All Star positioning statement and marketing messaging.

Customers have a perception of your offering with or without your input. Isn’t it time to run some offense, control the message and ensure clear communication occurs at all points of customer contact?

Dallas Marketing Services is a marketing blog
published by Seven Aspens Consulting.

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]]> http://dallasmarketingservices.com/2009/02/the-marketing-point-guard-positioning-and-messaging/feed/ 0 http://dallasmarketingservices.com/2009/01/so-what-defining-features-unique-benefits/ http://dallasmarketingservices.com/2009/01/so-what-defining-features-unique-benefits/#comments Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:15:16 +0000 admin http://dallasmarketingservices.com/2009/01/so-what-defining-features-unique-benefits/

The ability to clearly communicate the unique benefits of a product or service is critical for achieving marketing success and should be consistent in all marketing communications.

Considering the significant cost associated with marketing and advertising efforts, when was the last time your company spent some quality time ensuring the correct features and benefits were being utilized across all marketing efforts?

Features

Every marketable product or service has features, but what makes a feature unique?
Take the apple.

Features
Common: Round, comes in multiple colors
Unique: Contains soluble and insoluble fiber
Obscure:   Contains quercetin

Developing a robust feature list

♦ Compile a full feature list for each product or service offered, from common features to the obscure.

♦ Brainstorm with the entire organization (development, sales, customer service, implementation, etc.) to uncover all product features and customer uses.

♦ Document alternate terms or names used for features by customers and competitors. (Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples ~ pun intended).

♦ All features should be fully documented and clearly described to provide customers a clear understanding of the attributes of the product or service.

The “So What?” Test

Now, take the list and feature by feature, ask “So what?”

♦ Some features are merely features.

An apple is round, but aside from the fact that the human eye finds round objects more pleasing than square objects, it is not really a marketable benefit.

♦ The middle ground will most likely yield benefits for the most wide segment of customers.

Apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber that can lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of stroke, and insoluble fiber, which provides a filling effect that helps suppress appetite and improve digestion.

♦ The obscure facts will appeal to niche segments and those with more educated needs.

Fresh apples have a high level of quercetin, an antioxidant that researchers believe may help fight the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

So What Marketing

The list of significant “So Whats” should serve as a foundation for developing or uncovering any required updates to the marketing positioning and marketing messaging.

♦ All marketing collateral, such as product brochures, web design copy, PPC ads, etc. should be created using the most relevant features and terms, while highlighting the product’s unique benefits.

♦ The more unique or niche features and benefits may be good for developing long tail search terms.

♦ Conduct an annual or semi-annual check-up to ensure features and benefits remain up-to-date.

Need more marketing information or help with your marketing? Dallas Marketing Services is the blog of Dallas marketing firm, Seven Aspens.   Seven Aspens specializes in marketing services, website design, search engine optimization and product consulting.  Contact us to learn more about custom, yet affordable, online and offline marketing services for your business.

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