Most of us are privileged to experience the era before digital came to birth and we can now comfortably say that digital has become a solution to most economical, governmental and social issues. In this article, l will discuss on how you are going to package yourself to stand out in the digital space.

Digital positioning is putting yourself in the mind of your target audience in a quest to be identified and attempt to own a marketing niche for your brand, which can be a product or a service by use of the digital platforms available such as social media, websites, blogs messaging apps and digital or smart screens.

For example, Janet Machuka is a digital marketing trainer who creates a unique impression to her target audience by continuously associating herself with sharing knowledge on social media marketing (#AfricaTweetChat) that makes her distinct from the flooded marketplace. Note that, you have to incline towards a major area which is referred to as a niche. You can become a content creator, digital trainer, strategist among others. 

Setting for digital presence

Before you start your using any digital platform, you will need to factor in a number of questions to guide you on where to start, how and on what exactly. I have singled out some of the best questions you must take into consideration as follows:

What do you need? This is simply what you need to  set up a profile on social media. You need a device/gadget (smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop), internet and a brand niche. 

Which type of brand? What is your identity? Which product or service are you selling or representing? Is it an individual, service, organization, personal, group, event, geographic place, private-label, e-brands such as eCommerce sites among others.

Which digital platform would you like to invest in? We’ve many digital platforms to be part of. If it is social media, do you want to be on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube? Is it on messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger or  on website?

Why do you need to be on digital?  Is it for business, fun, news breaker or an educator?

I’ll use two quotes to explain this:

1.“Having a viral hit (on social media) is the holy grail of online marketing. It’s worth big bucks to marketers looking to prove their worth and it can have a huge impact on brand awareness, sales, consumer engagements and reach.” ~ Alex Wain

2.“If you want to miss most, use mainstream media. If you want to miss it all, ignore social media platforms.” ~Janet Machuka

If you want to be a noticeable brand, be memorable & of quality. Nobody notices normal/buys boring. Positioning yourself as "normal" is like asking customers to find a needle in a stack of needles! Those who get noticed get remembered; and those who get remembered get business.

— Janet Machuka (@janetmachuka_) May 1, 2019

Digital Positioning Strategy That Works

A strategy will help you know where to start and where you are heading to. Planning makes it easier for your brand to break through the cluttered and noisy digital platforms.

Analyze your target audience and your main consumers. Identify what is most interesting to them and what their profiles are. What do they need? What are their problems and desires? Segmenting the market is essential to achieve proper positioning.

Study your current situation. Analyze the current positioning of your company, brand or product and do a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats ). Note that this works well with brands which have already set up a digital profile.

Brand positioning helps you avoid shouting in the midst of all the noise and break through to speak to your targeted audience directly and easily. #AfricaTweetChat #Branding

— Janet Machuka (@janetmachuka_) September 10, 2018

Who are your competitors? Find out individuals who are in the same field as you are. See what they do. Note the positives and the negatives. Find out the problem they haven’t solved and stick to it. The ultimate goal of doing this is to know your competitors’ weaknesses and leverage on them by making them your strengths. 

Who are your role models? You willll have to identify thought leaders or influential individuals in your area of expertise or closely related to. Follow them, engage with them, tag them, mention them and be part of their communities. Additionally, join Facebook groups, Twitter chats, WhatsApp groups, LinkedIn groups, Twitter lists, Telegram groups in which you will find mentors, sponsors and educators. This tweet will help you understand who are mentors and sponsors.

Define your value proposition. Now that you know your main competitors and your target audience, you must define a value proposition. This should show why your customers should work with you and not with your competitors.

What is your message? This is where content creation plays a major role. Content can be in infographics, videos, text, GIFs or image graphics. You must plan and design the content you will use to engage your audience. Remember, you will grow if you share content that attracts, inspires, motivates, grows, educates and solves the problems of your target audience. 

Why care about digital positioning

1. For the purpose of uniqueness. For example: when you see a Mercedes Benz, what comes into your mind? Definitely, it is the quality of its products and exclusivity. Additionally, the brand differs from its main competitors by offering high-quality products, safety and luxury aesthetics.
2. Through digital positioning, your brand can easily compete on value instead of price. Customers don’t buy ambiguity. They buy value and brand positioning gives you exactly that – VALUE.
3. Brand positioning creates a sense of ownership. When an individual brand or corporate brand exudes the strongest brand positioning, high chances are that people will easily buy from them no matter the prices. Re Perez says, “Consumers want easy decisions. They don’t want to screen 30 alternatives in order to find the right one for them. They want to know easily and quickly who to trust and what to buy. Consciously and subconsciously, Brand Positioning triggers an emotional response from your target audiences. If the right levers are pulled in the shortest amount of time, you increase the likelihood for people to decide ‘yes’. ” https://twitter.com/janetmachuka_/status/1039126869029871616?s=20 
4. It assumes great importance in today’s cluttered market where brands are fighting to find a foothold in the market and consumers are bombarded with loads of marketing messages in a day. Hence, it helps brands stand out from the noisy digital spaces.
5.  Boosts customer loyalty where two brands compete for the same customer. A customer sticks to and trusts a particular brand that is well positioned. Even if they offer expensive products, that remains debatable in the eyes of the customer. 

10. To position your brand for long-term success
11. To portray brand promise believable & credible
12. To show that you own the brand
13. A well positioned brand can makes more effective marketing and branding decisions

To learn more join #AfricaTweetChat session tomorrow pic.twitter.com/SJDZcuhQCD

— Janet Machuka (@janetmachuka_) March 3, 2020

In Conclusion

Strategic positioning will be one of the crucial factors in your success as a brand. As digital becomes ever more prevalent in daily life and in the average customer journey, the expression of strategic position through digital marketing becomes all the more important to brand identity. A brand’s strategic positioning throughout the digital sales funnel will shape what the customer perceives that brand to be.