What is Positioning?

Positioning explained simply

Think of your friends. There is the one you call to party, the one you call when you have a problem, the one who knows all the good restaurants. Each one has a precise place in your mind.

Brands work the same way. When a customer has a need, they think of two or three names. Your positioning is the reason your name makes that list.

Positioning yourself means choosing. And choosing means giving something up. You can’t be the cheapest, the fastest and the most premium all at once. Anyone who tries to be everything ends up being nothing in particular.

A concrete example

Imagine that Fatou is starting a catering business. In her town, she finds 3 competitors:

• the first is the cheapest, with large buffets;
• the second is the most elegant, for weddings and big receptions;
• the third does a bit of everything, and nobody really knows its specialty.

Fatou could try to be a little cheaper than the first and a little more elegant than the second. She would be stuck in the middle, with no clear reason for anyone to choose her.

She notices something else. Her first customers are mostly companies that organize team lunches. They want fresh dishes, on-time delivery and vegetarian options. None of the 3 competitors speaks to this audience.

So she makes a choice: “the caterer for company lunches, delivered on time, homemade”. She gives up weddings. It isn’t easy, but it is clear.

Little by little, when a manager needs to order a meal for their team, people recommend her name.

Why it matters to you

• You get out of the price war. Fatou doesn’t need to be the cheapest. She is the best fit for a specific need.
• Your message becomes simple. Her posts, her page and her quotes all talk about team lunches.
• People recommend you more easily. It is easier to pass on “the caterer for company lunches” than “a nice caterer”.

Positioning also guides your other decisions. Your value proposition expresses it in one sentence. Your branding makes it visible, through your tone and your visuals.

How to choose it

1. List your competitors. Write down what each one promises, their price level and their type of customer.
2. Look for the free place. Which need does nobody really take care of? Which customer is poorly served?
3. Check that you can hold it. This place must match what you do well and what your customers ask for.
4. Write it in one sentence. “For [customer], I am [your place], because [proof].” Then keep this sentence in mind for all your content.

Here is a good test: ask a few customers how they would describe you to a friend. If their words sound like your sentence, your positioning is working. If not, your message isn’t clear enough yet.

Common mistakes

• ❌ Wanting to be “the best at everything”. → ✅ Choose one thing people should think of you for.
• ❌ Competing only on the lowest price. → ✅ Someone will always end up cheaper. Choose a need, not just a price.
• ❌ Changing your place with every new idea. → ✅ Keep the same positioning long enough for people to remember it.
• ❌ Choosing a place nobody wants. → ✅ Check that there are real customers behind this need.

With AI

Copy this prompt into your AI assistant:

Help me choose my positioning.

My business: [business] in [city or country].
My main competitors:
- [competitor 1]: [what they promise, their price, their customer]
- [competitor 2]: [what they promise, their price, their customer]
- [competitor 3]: [what they promise, their price, their customer]
My current customers: [who they are, what they tell me].
What I do better than others: [strengths].

1. Sum up the place each competitor holds in one sentence.
2. Suggest 3 possible positionings for me that are not already taken.
3. For each one, tell me what I would have to give up.
4. Write each option in this form: For [customer], I am [place], because [proof].

AI shows you the possible places. Choosing the one you can hold every day is your decision.