Whether you’re a business owner, freelancer, or entrepreneur, you need to position yourself appropriately.

Beyond a company’s visual identity, the brand’s positioning is what can make or break the success of the business.

Positioning is defined as your place in the market and in the consumer’s mind. It’s determined by the product or service you offer, how you’re different from your competitors, and who is likely to be a long-time customer.

In this video, Chris and Jose explain how to position a brand to stand out in the marketplace, and why it’s important to do this.

3 Key Components of Positioning

Before you determine the positioning of your brand, ask yourself these three questions:

• What do you love?
• What are you really good at?
• What pays well?
  

There’s a balance that you should aim for here. First, identify what you love. This could be a particular industry that you strongly identify with. Think startups, restaurants, VC firms, design studios—anything that excites you or piques your curiosity in some way.

Next, identify what you’re good at. This includes hard skills and soft skills, so consider everything you’re skilled at. Once you’ve got that down, pick the one skill you’re exceptionally good at, and stick with that.

You’ve identified what you love, what you’re really good at, so the last step is to determine what pays well. Regardless if it’s a full-time job or your own business, figure out the path that will grant you a sustainable income.

Understand Your Customers

Your customers can’t become your customers until you’ve established some level of trust with them. It could happen over an email, a billboard, or a simple Instagram post.

Whichever way customers find their way to you and your business, they need to know whether or not they can trust you.

This is why it’s so important to know your customers, understand them, and mirror their needs, personalities, and wants.

People tend to like and gravitate towards others who are like them. So if your brand looks and speaks like them, they’re more than likely going to be a long-time customer.

Be consistent in your tone, messaging, and visual presence. It’s what will help your brand stick out in their memory, and keep them coming back for more.