| |
| |
|
Branding Information |
|
|
|
Product Positioning for Enterprise Software and Information Technology Companies
Good marketing positioning is like good lying. No, we're not suggesting that you lie when creating your company and product positioning. Anything but, in fact. But, it's remarkable how much the properties of good positioning resemble the properties of a good lie. Like an effective lie, an effective positioning statement should be: 1. Believable. A lie that no one believes is rather pointless, isn't it? Well, the same is true of your company or product's positioning. If it's not believable, then it's useless. Ensure that the key elements of your positioning statement are rooted in truth, and that the assertions that you're making about your company's or product's capabilities will pass the sniff test of a jaded observer who has seen it all before when it comes to the outlandish statements that a lot of software and information technology companies insist on making. 2. Consistent. A weak lie won't stand up to scrutiny when judged on its consistency. Internal consistency - that is, ensuring that the various elements of the lie, or positioning statement, are not in direct conflict with one another - is very important to making sure that the listener won't just turn off their eyes and ears to your message. 3. Simple. Remember being a kid and trying to tell a lie your Mom? You'd concocted a story so convoluted and complex that it was impossible to remember as you recounted it. A positioning statement is the same way. If it's so complicated that even you and your sales reps can't remember it, you're guaranteed that your customers won't either. 4. Compelling. What's the point in telling someone something that isn't interesting and doesn't apply to them? If you're taking the risk of lying, tell a lie that is at least somewhat captivating to the listener. In the case of your company or product's positioning, it should mean something to your target audience. Which means you better have done your homework into their hot buttons beforehand. What's important to them? What's not? What benefits can they not do without? Find out, and ensure that your positioning hits those notes. Keep these caveats in mind when it comes time to position or reposition your company or product, and we can assure you that your audience will sit up and take notice. Ash Seha is a partner at The Launch Factory LLP, a consultancy specializing in marketing, sales, and product management strategy for software and IT companies. Their expertise, garnered from such IT highflyers as i2, webMethods, SAP, and Baan, is focused on breaking the growth bariers that stand between high-growth software and IT companies and their revenue and marketshare goals.
MORE RESOURCES:
Branding - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Role of a Visual Vocabulary in Brand Identity Design Visual elements are a major part of your business's brand identity design. The keystone of that design is the logo, but in many cases, the logo isn't enough to convey all of your brand attributes. Im Just Starting, Why Do I Need a Logo Design? Businesses eager to open often give little thought to their identity. With so much to get done, designing an appropriate logo hardly seems like a top priority. McDonalds Supply Chain of Potatoes McDonald's buys its potatoes from corporate farmers in Idaho not the commodities market; therefore it limits its exposure to price gouging that might have occurred by using the commodity exchange to get those potatoes. Starbucks is doing the same thing, but instead of having partnerships and coffee beans, they are all of in-house. Brand Image - Brand Identity - Brand Strategy - Brand Identity Guru Consumers perceive and accept many brands within a certain trade group in different ways. By personifying a brand (How would you describe brand X if it were a person?) we can find out, that for instance consumers perceive brand A as a young, impulsive, lively, attractive, energetic woman full of ideas. Living Your Brand on the Web - Part 1 OK, so you took the plunge and purchased your internet domain. Good for you! Now what? According to Google. Build Brand Value BIG Time Ask your self this question, In which business are we really in? And stay far from the dark world of commodities.. Simple Risk Reversal Formula Will Send Your Sales Into Space (2 of 2) Make A Bold Promise Then Back It Up With An Awesome GuaranteeWe finished the last article with a mnemonic.. Brand Identity Guru - Is Your Brand Vital? The world is not waiting for you?or your product or service. Or your firm. Santa - The Brand Every Christmas Eve, a burglar named Santa busts into homes around the world, but he has never been charged with B&E. He has one of the best, most positive brands around and it continues to inoculate him against any hint of impropriety, as it has for generations. Branding - More Than Just a Statement - A Memory Scar Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs of cattle or stock of some type, all discriminate by virtue of a registered brand. That's a most common and accepted understanding of branding. Brand Identity and the CEO This week I spent a few hours with a highly successful CEO discussing his brand identity questions and concerns. "What do the most successful brand initiatives have in common?" he asked. Branding: What Not to Do Here's a little story about what not to do as you carve out a name for yourself in the world of internet business.Don't use a miscellaneous email account as your primary web contact address. Articles: The Perfect Branding Tool If you own a web-based business, you're probably aware of the need for things like link exchanges, lead-purchasing, SEO copy, banner ads and all of the "traditional" ways to get exposure on the World Wide Web.But did you know that article marketing is by far the best way to build your brand while at the same time increasing your exposure?Web articles. Branding Is Not Selling Out: ITS SELLING IN Ever see an amazing band perform and wonder why you've never heard of them before? Ever see an astonishing artist on the street and wonder why isn't their work isnšt in a gallery? Ever see an astounding independent film and wonder why people all over the world don't know about it?Me too!It breaks my heart to know that there are musicians, painters, sculptors, and filmmakers everywhere starving. Starving. I Hate My Logo! What You Should Get For Your Money and Why This is not a how-to design a logo. This is a guide to educate you on how an experienced designer can help you through a project whose outcome you will need to live with for years. Eye On The Pie: Branding From an Investors P.O.V. When building a business as a brand it's important to avoid a myopic view and consider another important aspect of the business game as well-- investing. After any amount of toil and hard work to create a valuable product, service or company the big game is when you go public-- when money-minded people want more, they want a piece of your brand pie. How Do You Define a Good Logo Design? Everyone wants his company logo to be the best but how good is good? How do we define a good logo? Is it necessary to be colorful or an exquisite piece of art? Can a simple design work as a good logo? We are often in a dilemma.Now to define a good logo design we first need to understand the purpose of having a logo. Choosing the Right Color Palette Color is a highly personal experience - everyone has favorite colors, and other colors that they absolutely don't like. So, how do you determine which colors that will work for your business identity, and that will send the right message to?We have developed several methods and approaches for determining successful color palettes. When Search Engine Marketing and Trademarks Collide In the world of marketing, branding issues are always an important part of any campaign. Companies work hard for their name to be recognized as a quality organization and a leader in their field. Power Your Word for Profit Discovering and owning a powerful word that reflects you and your business is the true key of successful branding.Some organisations invest fortunes in this endeavour but there's nothing stopping any of us from doing the same at a fraction of the cost.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |