A positioning statement says why a buyer should choose your brand. It has five parts: who, need, brand, difference and proof. It is for your team, not for an advertisement. This post gives you the template and two examples.
Learn these skills in the course Brand Management (MC-BM), modules 1 and 2.
Who This Is For
Marketers who explain why a buyer should choose the brand. They explain it to the team, the agency or management.
The Five-Part Template
| Part | Fill In | Question to Ask |
|---|---|---|
| Who | For [the buyer] | Who decides, and who uses it? |
| Need | who need [the result] | What does the buyer want, in their words? What is in it for them? |
| Brand | [brand name] is the [category] | Where does the buyer place us? |
| Difference | that [the one difference] | What do we do that others do not? |
| Proof | because [the proof] | What fact can the buyer check? |
Two Examples
- For factory managers who need no unplanned downtime, Brand A is the IT services partner that answers within 30 minutes, because it keeps engineers on site in each industrial area.
- For HR managers of SMEs who need staff who sell, Brand B is the sales training provider that coaches on your own deals, because each class works on live accounts.
Both are illustrative. Each sentence is long because the template joins five parts.
How to Write Yours
- Fill in each part on its own first.
- Join them into one sentence.
- Test it: can a competitor say the same? If yes, change the difference.
- Check that the proof is a fact a buyer can check.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- A difference that every competitor claims, such as “quality”.
- No proof. A claim without proof is only a promise.
- Writing it as a slogan. The statement guides the team; the slogan comes later.
Try It This Week
Fill in the five parts for your main product. Ask one sales person to read it. Ask: would a buyer agree?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a positioning statement the same as a tagline?
No. The statement is an internal guide. A tagline is a short public line built from it.
What is WIIFM?
“What is in it for me?” It is the buyer’s question. The need part of the statement answers it.
Next Step
Read the full outline of Brand Management (MC-BM). Public classes: 1 and 2 February 2027; 7 and 8 April 2027. All dates are on the Training Calendar. For a group from your company, get a quote for in-house training. More Work Tips are in the skill area Brand. Read also:
