{"id":29384,"date":"2025-05-14T08:30:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T12:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/?p=29384"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:19:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:19:53","slug":"brand-positioning-strategy-for-the-professional-services","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hingemarketing.com\/blog\/story\/brand-positioning-strategy-for-the-professional-services","title":{"rendered":"Brand Positioning Strategy for the Professional Services Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Way back in 1969, a very perceptive marketer named Jack Trout introduced the concept of brand positioning to the world. He was the first to put a word to a very powerful marketing effect. A few years later, he and Al Ries wrote the seminal book, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> and the rest is history.<\/p>\n

Now, more than half a century later, the concept of positioning is just as relevant to businesses \u2014 and probably more so. If anything, today\u2019s professional services marketplace is much larger and more crowded. Buyers have a bewildering array of firms to choose from, and with the rise of the Internet, local firms are contending with companies across the nation, if not the world.<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s a firm to do? How do you compete when there\u2019s barely room to breathe?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where brand positioning comes in. It gives you space in the marketplace to command the attention of your best prospects.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Brand Positioning?<\/h2>\n

Brand positioning is the process of differentiating your firm from competitors in the minds of your audience\u2014and giving them a reason to buy from you. It involves connecting something that your buyers want with a thing your firm provides. This mental association defines your firm, so it must be simple enough to grasp in today\u2019s over-communicated world, relevant to your buyers and different from the way your key competitors talk about themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s consider a couple of examples of brand positioning.<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you think of when you read the words, \u201csoda,\u201d \u201csoft drink\u201d or \u201cpop\u201d? Did Coke or Pepsi come to mind? These two products are positioned to dominate the soft drink category.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now let\u2019s try a service. What company do the words \u201covernight shipping\u201d make you think of? Even though other companies offer overnight delivery, FedEx <\/span>owns<\/span><\/i> that category \u2014 it has built its entire identity and operations around doing it better than anyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

In theory, any professional services firm can build a strong association between their brand and an idea. But to be successful, your positioning must be 1) <\/span>different<\/b> (it\u2019s tough to take over a leadership position already held by another business); and 2) <\/span>visible<\/b> (if nobody has heard of your firm, your positioning can\u2019t take root).<\/span><\/p>\n

A good way to work out\u00a0 your brand positioning is to create a brand positioning statement. We\u2019ll explore that process a bit later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Brand Positioning Is Important<\/h2>\n

What do firms gain when they position their services and products well? When you have a well-defined brand position, your firm has many advantages. Positioning can provide a conceptual template for your brand, your marketing messages, the services you offer and even the way you structure your pricing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few of the key benefits of brand positioning:<\/p>\n

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  1. It focuses you on a specific target market.<\/i><\/b> When you provide a limited set of services to a limited audience, your marketing becomes sharper and more effective. Almost automatically, your expertise becomes more valuable.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. It clarifies how you are different from competitors.<\/em><\/strong> You\u2019ll finally know exactly what sets you apart and be able to talk about your firm in a way that gets prospects excited.<\/li>\n
  3. It shows you how to win new clients.<\/em> <\/strong>Positioning arms your business development team with critical arguments they can use in the nurturing and closing processes.<\/li>\n
  4. It drives your messaging.<\/i><\/b> Talking about your firm is easy when your positioning is clearly defined.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. It presells your services.<\/i><\/b> When you have strong positioning, you become the choice against which everyone else has to compete.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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