For many small business owners, the thought of “positioning” seems ridiculous at first. We tend to associate this part of the strategic planning and marketing process with large corporations. However, positioning provides small business owners with a realistic vision of where they stand in the market, and the most direct way to reach their best potential customer.

As small business owners we provide unique, personalized, and affordable products and services. Often, we feel that those features alone are enough to insure our businesses survival. In addition, we tend to think of ourselves as alone in our field, and steer clear of declaring ourselves as competitors of the larger, more established businesses. When we do this we are subconsciously selling ourselves short.

Successful positioning requires that you first answer the following questions:

• Where does your business stand today? 
• Where do you want your business to be in five years? What about next year? 
• Who are your competitors and how are you planning to handle competition? 
• What are your market weaknesses, and how can you plan ahead to counteract those weaknesses? 
•  Who is your best potential customer, and how do you want them to perceive your business? 
• What benefits do you offer that are unique?

Once you have planned out answers to the above questions, you are ready to prepare your positioning statement. Your positioning statement is one way of inspiring the confidence of your best potential customer. In your positioning statement, you will be creating a concise, coherent image which will serve as the basis of your advertising and marketing.

By using what you learned about your target customer, your benefits, and your competition you can be sure that your positioning statement will adhere to three basic rules – focus, consistency, and longevity. Focus on what your best potential customer will see as a benefit to working with your business. Don’t try to be everything to everyone but be consistent in what you offer to your customers. Once you have fine tuned your positioning, leave it alone until market circumstances demand that you update.

Since you will have spent a good amount of time, energy, and thought creating your positioning statement, use it. Put it on your business cards. Put it on your letterhead. Use it when you introduce your business. Print it out and put it over your desk, or in your storefront.

Refer to your positioning statement when you are working on any marketing task. If the medium you are using matches with your positioning statement, you can be sure you’re heading in the right direction.

A final few words of advice. Positioning statements can take a number of re-writes and you may need some outside input from friends, family and customers. Don’t get discouraged. When it starts to come together, the result will be worth the process.