Positioning Strategy to Reach Clients

Clients and employers don’t really know who is the best marketing or IT consultant.

Your email, blog post, Linkedin profile, website homepage, about us page, Facebook profile, are all great vehicles for positioning your value to your target audience.

Yes, information about you and your value proposition are essential. Yet, it doesn’t mean anything to them until you position it so you’re the most significant provide they will ever find. And finding is the key. Your content is passive, it can only wait for visitors to arrive. And when they do, it needs to be everything they hoped for.

What if you could assemble and strategically align everything that’s great about you and your service and make each successive benefit add to each? That would take you out of the mediocre, carbon copy, unappreciated category, and positioned as a new elite, unparalleled, accomplished and gifted performer/company.

Positioning Your Value to a Fine Focus

In this epic post, we delve into a complex and challenging topic but one you will master. We’ll explore what a positioning strategy and discover how to design a positioning strategy. Where do you position yourself, your product, service or company — wherever is most significant to your prospective audience.

You need to know their wants — their specific pains and what they visualize as the ideal solution. We have to remember, we’re aren’t competing with competitors — we’re competing the ideal image of a provider in their minds.

If they choose any provider/product, it’s because they believe they’re closest to that ideal image. Find out how to position at those coordinates and you will become the most significant provider. They will have 100% confidence in whoever occupies the space at those coordinates.

Best Positioning Beats Everything

Brand Positioning is part of it

Positioning is even more important for companies with weak promotion budgets. You see lots of stats and advice online, that’s for the large corporate sector. They have million dollar promotion budgets, so their opportunities and channels are different. You should ignore much of that realm, because your strategy may be entirely free and you’re using most of your budget for paid ads, software subscriptions, and contests, etc.

And marketing does come down to positioning strategy — the right UVP for the right audience at the right time.

You’ll want to read my post on finding the right angle for your content, so that captures their imagination, again the ideal fashion they prefer. The more you position for their dream solution, the more likely every provider disappears, and they can only see you. That is powerful marketing and branding.

As I create this post, I’m embarking on an exciting new project that will take great energy, planning and strategy. If I nail that, I may be able to access promotional funding, and eventually sell the new business. It’s focused on YouTube and I’ll be releasing a special pdf on YouTube soon. You may have your own YouTube channel and you’re floundering. It is competitive, requiring excellent strategy. Mediocrity isn’t enough now.

Don’t Underestimate the Competition

The may be skilled and smart. They might use cheesy tactics yet they’re good. You must learn from them, extract their tactics and strategies, and then beat them.

Their knowledge and patience with strategy is likely low. It takes energy and more to be a good strategist, and most people don’t have that. Do this well, and you will win, eventually. Time is on your side.

Yet, money might not be your top challenge.

Sales is tough when you’re competing with a glut of talented and well funded specialists, IT shops, and agencies delivering polished presentations, in demand skills, and UVPs. And they may enjoy plenty of funds for branding, web design, advertising and promotions to make their jobs easier. So unfair!

A better strategy is the only way you’re going to overcome their unfair advantage.

This post is about building an unbeatable professional brand to position you as the most suitable provider to your prospect entrepreneurs/investors/clients. When you have more points of greatness all orchestrated as one, you come out looking much more credible than your competitors. In turn, prospects will believe you could do the same for them.

I needed a better approach myself which is why I dug in deeper to this “process.” Please bookmark this post as I’ll be upgrading with future insights, perhaps from notable solo pros. If you know of any solo pros who are floundering, then please share this with them. It’s the best gift imaginable.

In fact, I get leads from companies/entrepreneurs whom I couldn’t or didn’t want to work with, and I didn’t have anyone appropriate to refer them to. Not long ago, a major Los Angeles medical clinic director called me about his business. I shared in that conversation that he could go national and international which he really liked.

However, that project would take considerable knowledge of medical and cosmetic procedures which is challenging and with legal constraints. I’ve worked under the legal thumb before, so his project was not something I’m passionate about.

So join me on Linkedin, so I could refer business to you. It might be a project that could really launch you.

Use This Process to Build an Awesome Positioning

When you’ve developed your special talent or service package, perhaps as a software engineer, AI data scientist, marketing content creator, digital marketing expert, investment advisor, or SEO strategist, you must follow some steps to reach the exact right people.

And business is people. Too many talented specialists and freelancers never get found because they have no strategy to reach key people. Gatekeepers, low rankings, and weak industry authority conspire to make us invisible to them. And there’s the others with few contacts, weak networks, and a lack of funds. Lots can trip you up when the competition is so stiff.

Yet this post does suggest you can do and should do a lot without money first, to ensure you have your heart into perfecting everything from your pitch to your brand image. If you get money too soon, it could ruin the drive to success. Then when the money appears, it could be smooth sailing.

This post has plenty of tips and details, however you would be wise to focus on the big picture items first, to avoid overwhelm (and thus achieve clarity). Absolutely do Bookmark this post right now, so you’ll be able to return to continue reading and learning new advanced tactics and techniques which I will provide in updates.

Total Commitment to Your Personal Success Precedes Strategy

I’ve used a process in the past to capture jobs, clients and launch my own business. I’ve earned easily $700,000 via promoting myself for jobs/clients. Yet, sad to say, I could have done it much, much better.

Why didn’t I do it to the ultimate best? The answer is simple. It requires a complete, gut level commitment to yourself with no major distractions, doubts or guilt. Since you’ve got your clients, you have to be smarter and more effective with the limited funds and time you have at your disposal. I hope you’ve learned to create the energy and focus (through time management) to give your best to it. This last point is important in developing the same powers for your clients. It’s win-win.

If you’re sluggish these days after the pandemic, it may be vital for you to take a vacation. Then when you return, you’ll appreciate the full value of this blog post. Tired marketers create poor positioning.

Committed to the jump. Courtesy of Buzzfeed

I’m not suggesting you get a divorce or quit your day job! Should you move to Costa Rica, Mexico or Portugal for a total refresh? Hummm, maybe, it’s cheaper to live there. Millions of nomads seem to suggest that works :).

Just to say that most entrepreneurs don’t put their business or career first and execute a powerful enough strategy. That 60% commitment is not sufficient today. It’s too competitive.

Note: you’ll be enjoying extraordinary production, analytics, and results via ChatGPT-4 soon, and this will ease your workloads, let you attend to higher level techniques, and take your whole marketing game way up.

Yes, and for solo IT programmers and engineers, demonstrating and proving your competence with ChatGPT could be the most significant communication of your life.

I know people who made an unbelievable commitment in time and money (even mortgaging their house) to succeed in their IT related startup (They sold their business for tens of millions after positioning it carefully to be bought out by the market leader — a brand you might use every day!). So I’m saying we just don’t do enough, nor focus what we do, so that it actually makes impact. I’ve done this well at times, but at others such as during the pandemic, I lost the enthusiasm. Unfortunately, your income takes a hit until you move back to full throttle, with your foot off the brake pedal.

This “complete commitment to your purpose” comes first because if you don’t have this as your core drive, then your energy, stamina, clarity, and creativity will suffer. When people say “you gotta be into it” it’s because we all too often we don’t take ourselves seriously. You likely can trace failure back to that.

You know the old proverb “be true to thyself”. This is the true fountain of outstanding productivity in anything, for anyone. All successful people are obsessed with their own mission.

Because if you’re not committed to yourself, why would anyone else commit to you? Figure out what is blocking you from total self-commitment to your project.

In your conversation with investors/entrepreneurs/employers, the real message is consistent determination, innovation, with a passion for doing what you do. It’s important to weave this smoothly and quietly into all of your content. Show your successes, growth, products, publications, current projects, and goals too because it’s part of that transparent view of integrity and value that they want.

I realize you have your own special strengths, resources, talents, etc. and when you add them to this mix described below, you might just dominate your sector.

And please let me know if this process works for you and what specifically catapulted you to success.

Whatever Your Goal: Positioning Strategy is Perfect for the Digital Ecosphere

I’m assuming you’re looking to win a cool new client, launch a consultancy/small agency, or land a high paying job with a great company.

Or perhaps, you’re trying to demonstrate to your current employer or clients and show how you can lead them on a path to innovation, progress and high performance. A bird in hand is often the best route. Investors and entrepreneurs like that kind of attitude.

Whatever your goal is, you’ll need to persuade someone that you’ve got those special ingredients.

And to persuade entrepreneurs, investors, and your future supporters, you’ll need to research who they are, reach them, make an impact, make your UVP stick in their minds, and move them emotionally to contact you. It’s all part of this process of positioning your personalized, significant UVP so it’s irresistible.

This impressive fusion of everything mentioned below is bound to impress the pants off anyone.

So it’s: self-discovery, value, reach, impact, significance, then generating emotion — so they’ll contact you to negotiate a project, job, etc.

Briefly then, let’s discuss the process, because a process is what turbocharges your strategy.

The 10 point business growth process is:

identify what you love doing professionally — this is work that will be profitable and enjoyable
do a roll call of your actual skills — itemize them and note what the value of those skills are to prospects
list the industries/sectors you want to work in — and focus on the top 3
specify your best channels to use — and build your vehicles that will help you reach them (e.g., website/google search results, Google ads, Linkedin profile, posts on industry publications, associations)
develop your personalized, significant, unique value proposition — the offer they can’t refuse
create your impact statement — what’s going to grab them?
show your authority/knowledge — create blogs, case studies, thought pieces that show you know their niche, and you’re someone to know
make your irresistible offer — show them 3 service options, and they’ll usually pick the middle one. Makes it easy and they feel in control.
create your USP — what you will do to make them overcome their lack of confidence, inertia, and negative beliefs so they will decide on your service package?
reinforce value for their needs — get them focused on specific benefits they are eager for, and reiterate messages they’ve already seen from you (helps to reduce reluctance, or that other providers might be better)

This last point about others being a better choice is a problem. Weave in unfavorable (but true) issues with other providers so the prospect gets clarity about on alternative providers and doesn’t hallucinate about the grass being greener on the other side. Do everything to help them see you as the only provider for them.

First Task: Create Awareness

Here are 20 ways you could choose to get influencers, journalists, notable professionals, industry authorities, investors and entrepreneurs to become aware of you:

Publish unique, high-quality content on your website or blog and share it on social media to attract attention.
Reach out to influencers in your industry and ask them to share your content with their audience.
Attend industry events and conferences to network with influential people and make connections.
Participate in industry-related forums and online communities to establish yourself as a thought leader.
Comment on industry-related blogs and news articles to gain visibility and start conversations.
Collaborate with other influencers and industry professionals on joint projects or initiatives.
Use social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn to engage with influencers and share their content.
Create guest blog posts, articles on industry sites, and try to get yourself to the top of Google search results for your profession or service — it’s prestigious and creates certainty in their minds.
Host or participate in industry-related webinars or podcasts to showcase your expertise.
Join industry associations or groups to network with other professionals and gain visibility.
Conduct original research or surveys in your industry and share the results with influencers and journalists.
Create infographics or other visual content that can be easily shared on social media.
Offer exclusive content or resources to influencers or journalists in exchange for coverage or promotion.
Participate in online Q&A sessions or AMAs (Ask Me Anything) to interact with influencers and gain exposure.
Offer to provide expert commentary or quotes to journalists writing about your industry.
Write a book on your specialty service and ensure it’s a leading edge topic that’s poised to give value and it can rocket you to the top of any list. Because anyone who writes a comprehensive book is passionate “about business.”
Post or participate in industry-related Twitter chats to engage with influencers and gain visibility.
Create an email newsletter or regular blog series that provides valuable insights and vital resources for your industry.
Offer to speak at industry events or webinars to showcase your expertise and gain visibility.
Hire an advanced search engine optimization (SEO) pro to ensure your content receives wide and deep keyword presence on Google search results.

Establishing relationships with influencers, entrepreneurs and industry professionals takes time and effort. That means patience and persistent efforts to gain visibility and get your brand UVP implanted. You’re wise to focus on Linkedin marketing. (I’ll have another post on that soon too). Linkedin is very important.

Make Impact and Continuously Impress

Read up on how to create impact. Make an impact with your content and hit an emotional nerve. Impact blasts away everything that could distract them. Review this post on Blitz marketing, with tips on how to use blitz impact tactics.

Consider these 10 tactics to impress company entrepreneurs and investors:

Offer a significant, unique value proposition that addresses a key weakness or problem they’re facing and showcase your expertise and experience.
Provide a summary or even a blog post that showcases your accomplishments with charts, graphics, photos, and performance results in terms you believe might impress them.
Create a video pitch or demo of your product or service that highlights its unique features and benefits.
Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pitchbook, AngelList, Foundr, Wellfound, FoundersNetwork, or StarterEngine to connect with company entrepreneurs and then engage with their content to show you know your stuff and would be great to work with.
Attend industry events where company entrepreneurs are likely to be in attendance and introduce yourself, then publish your experience on your social pages and websites.
Offer to provide a free trial, your insiders content, or a sample of your product or service to company entrepreneurs to demonstrate its value.
Create a persuasive, professionally produced case study or success story that demonstrates how your product or service has helped other businesses, including relevant metrics and data.
Offer to collaborate on a project or initiative with the company entrepreneur, demonstrating your willingness to work together and provide value at no cost.
Publish your client list and their logos.
Demonstrate your versatile skill base and explain how each skill powers the others — for greater productivity.

Drilling Down into Your Unique Selling Proposition

Some see the UVP and USP as synonymous, however the USP actually focuses more on the active selling part in the moment, being more focused on the key tasks you need to achieve. The USP gives your UVP a boost in real time by adding value to help them overcome the target’s inertia.

I mentioned the personalized, significant, unique value proposition previously. A UVP isn’t enough. You still have to sell it, and the USP is the icing on the presentation cake.

Here are 3 key elements on of your USP to present to investors and entrepreneurs who may want to hire you:

Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Speak of your top unique, unparalleled skills and accomplishments, a one two punch of significance to differentiate from competitors right now, which creates a quiet mental space so they can focus on you. You need to stand out clearly and you need to dominate their attention. This could be a particular skill set, the most relevant case study, your experience in their niche industry, topics, people you know, events you’ve attended or a specific approach to problem-solving as examples. This creates emotional impact.
Benefits: Highlight key benefits that you can bring to investors or entrepreneurs. This could include marketshare, market reach, cost savings, increased revenue, or other key performance indicators (KPIs). Try to cite specific case studies, insider data or other examples of your prowess to demonstrate how you are clearly the most significant person to get those results. Not just relevance — but most significant.
Credibility: Build genuine credibility by showcasing specific experience, qualifications, and accomplishments. Be transparent and provide evidence to support your claims.

This part should be part of your closing. And if this aspect is too tough to close the deal, then you didn’t build enough interest and impact in your digital campaign, covered earlier.

Most Salient Features of a USP

Let’s dig down deeper into the key sales tool — the unique selling proposition.

It’s best if you write this down as an elevator speech. The goal is to refine it until it’s laser clear and meaningful for them. You wouldn’t publish this online, but instead wait until they’ve made contact somehow, or you’ve had your first phone call or Zoom meeting (or show it during the meeting).

These will be the last things they consider before they make a decision.

Consider these 10 vital features of a unique selling proposition (USP) to help help you achieve immediate significance and avoiding being dismissed at their moment of decision:

Innovation: Highlight how your product or service is innovative and differentiates itself from existing solutions in the market. Investors are often looking for people are innovators, such as those who know how to use ChatGPT and other AI-assisted production tools.
Significant real world Experience in their Industry: Show your involvement, name names, and provide unique insight into how you know the business and have networked with competitors or related companies.
Revenue Generation: Highlight how your product or service can generate new revenue streams or increase sales for a company. Investors are often looking for opportunities that can help companies grow and expand their market share.
Performance Tools: Name and describe key technology tools that will help deliver and scale up exceptional quality, quantity, creativity, timeliness, and value. For instance, I created this post with the help of ChatGPT.
Niche Focus: Demonstrating expertise in a specific niche of work is very very persuasive to investors. HR recruiters insist on actual experience in the client’s business which proves the candidate likes the sector.
Social Responsibility: In a blog or long social post, you might highlight how you’re responsible about social justice, ecology, with a calm, balanced viewpoint might appeal to some entrepreneurs who want to promote that sort of thing for their company.
User Experience: Demonstrating how your product or service provides a superior user experience can be very persuasive to investors .
Branding: Showcasing a strong, laser clear brand image is essential to entrepreneurs and investors. Your professional brand gives them clarity, creates impact, makes them remember, and shows you understand how to stand out in the market.
Inside Knowledge: Your knowledge of a company’s goals, processes, and operations is very valuable. In fact the FTC is considering banning non-compete contracts which means employees of top companies such as Tesla, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, etc. can be picked up by startups and may even negotiate equity for themselves.
Strategic Partnerships: Demonstrating that you have strategic partnerships with other companies or industry leaders can be very persuasive to investors/entrepreneurs. They may be looking for creators, IT specialists, or marketers who have established relationships and can leverage those partnerships to drive growth.

Don’t call people rock stars. Image courtesy of Monday.com

If you prepare and execute your positioning strategy really well, with a USP silently woven into your marketing communications, you may not have to use this ace card. Consider that entrepreneurs often won’t contact you until they’re sure they’re going to hire you — proving you’re a rock star at this positioning stuff.

This is probably enough to get you started on your new self-promotional venture, and hopefully you’ve got the structure you need. You don’t need perfection although join me on Linkedin so you’ll know about new expert level tips added to this post.

Develop a habit of delivering value to everyone, all the time. Make others better. Your reputation may hinge on this general attitude that suggests nothing will get in the way of you creating the value desired. It suggests to them that you’re a great asset and one they can rely on.

It’s likely this approach will lead you to a recognizable place in your industry and over time, that notoriety will become more focused. It’s this focus (like a jet engine focuses it’s power) where big successes happen. Consider how long it took Elon Musk to get his company rolling.

Are you and investors or entrepreneur seeking an advanced content strategist with sophisticated SEO to give you a big edge in online visibility?

Call Gord at 416 998 6246 for a consultation about your project.