Personal branding is a buzzword many understand, yet the potency of personal positioning often flies under the radar.
When we talk about personal branding, we go to into the associations people have when they think about you. And this comes about through how you express your values, your essence, and what you want to be known for.
However, personal positioning is the strategic counterpart to this – think of it as the secret sauce that makes the commercialisation of your brand faster and easier. It’s the quintessential bridge that connects your brand to your audience.
Imagine your potential clients/employers/partners knowing exactly who you are, what you do, how you can help, and why choosing you is their best decision—all within moments. This kind of clarity shortens their decision-making process, making it smoother and faster.
Branding vs positioning: know the difference
Branding is about who you are, what you are known for, why people can trust you, your reputation, and influence. It’s primarily about your identity.
Positioning, on the other hand, is largely about your impact. It’s a very action-oriented concept. You intentionally position yourself (or your business) strategically in marketplace to determine where, how, and to whom you want to have an impact.
You simply can’t have effective positioning if you don’t have a strong personal brand. That goes without saying (though I still said it anyway) But once you do have a solid, compelling personal brand, being strategic around your positioning can quickly amplify your influence and impact by leveraging your brand’s strengths and aligning them with market opportunities and audience needs.
Your strategic advantage
Think about positioning in the context of chess. The queen, rook, knight, and pawns each have a “brand”—you know the pieces, you recognise them by their appearance, are familiar with their capacity, and their reputation—but the the square on which the player positions the piece, in relation to the other pieces on the board which determines its potential next moves and capacity for impact at any given time.
Similarly, personal positioning is about strategically placing yourself in the marketplace for maximum impact, in alignment with your own strategic objectives at any given time.
It’s just good commercial sense.
Solid positioning makes it way easier for people to buy from you. You do still need to sell, but it’s way easier when the right people know you, know what you do, how you can help them, and why you’re a solid choice for them.
This differentiation helps potential clients see you as the obvious choice when they need what you offer. When people can easily grasp your “position”, it reduces the effort they need to put into evaluating you against others. They can see how you stand out and why you are the best fit for their needs.
Yielding high ROI in tough times
In over three decades of being a professional marketer, I’ve been up close and personal with many brands and agencies through a range of economic seasons. Including during the GFC in 2008, the dot-com bubble burst, the pandemic, and several other memorable ebbs and flows in the economy.
Interestingly, the ROI on positioning is usually at its highest during periods of economic downturn. There is less competition than when the marketplace is thriving, and people are less receptive to selling and promotional-based messaging.
It’s an opportunity to reinforce brand presence in a strategic way, allowing you to reach more people more frequently and with greater attention than during periods where competition is fierce and everyone is trying to get known.
The IPA dataBANK case studies from the 2008 financial crisis show that brands with over 8% ESOV (excess share of voice) saw five times the business impact and 4.5 times the annual market share growth compared to those that reduced their SOV (share of voice)
Positioning is very much about how, when, how often, and in what way you’re getting your brand in front of people. There is no one-size-fits-all approach – for large organisations it may predominantly focus on advertising and PR and activations – for smaller personal brands, it may be organic social media content, email marketing and other lower-cost ways to position a personal brand in front of the right people.
It requires understanding your audience and strategically choosing the right moments, frequencies, and methods to engage with them. Consistency and relevance are key.
Positioning is like smart investing
This strategic approach to positioning during an economic downturn is akin to buying low in the stock market. You get more leverage and maximize your investment’s potential growth as the market recovers.
By focusing on positioning rather than aggressive selling, you build trust and credibility. When economic conditions improve, you’ll be the go-to option for your audience, having already established your value and reliability during tougher times.
Because you’ve done good strategic positioning, you’ve made it easy for them to buy from you—they know what you do, how you can help them, and why you’re the best choice.
Just like investing in the market, positioning is about playing the long game. You’re not generally buying in to quickly sell; you’re investing for growth. Positioning is not like day trading; it’s about sustained effort and ensuring continuous growth and impact over time.