How To Position Yourself Against The Competition [+ What It Really Means To Stand Out]

“I want to blend in”

~ said no one ever.

But most people also don’t know what it actually means to stand out (because let’s just say: it’s not all rainbows and flowers when you actually take a stand to build a Brand.)

But that’s exactly what is required when you want to be seen, heard and to be considered for opportunities: you need to stand out and simply saying you’re better than the rest, isn’t good enough (anymore). In this very competitive and noisy world of work.

In this blogpost, I’ll talk you through the steps you need to take to position yourself (against the competition) and also practical tips, tricks and tactics how to handle the ups and downs that come with it.

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How easy is it for you to answer the question ‘why you?’

If your answer includes ‘xx years of experience’, xx degrees, having held ‘’ titles’ … let me stop you right here.

Why?

Because they are traits everyone can beat easily. I’m sure you’ve come across someone who has more degrees than you, has been in the industry for longer, can work faster than you, is cheaper than you … these are all aspects that don’t make you stand out.

High level quality is expected as a standard. What really sets you apart is how you position, brand and market yourself.

In epi 2, I talked about the difference between branding, rebranding and repositioning. In this episode, I’ll walk you through the exact steps to take to position yourself to stand out (and yes- also or probably despite of not having to be loud).

Before we go into the how to, let’s first get clear about what exactly positioning means.

Brand positioning is one of the most [if not the most] critical elements in the entire brand strategy.

Positioning is all about the real estate you occupy in your decision makers’ mind, meaning what are you remembered for by whom and why, what makes you different to others.

See- I’m not saying in everyone’s mind. I’m saying in the minds of those who matter, those who can open doors for you, those who make decisions that help you get to where you want to be.

You can’t stand out and be the Go-To-Person for every single person and company on this planet. It just doesn’t happen. And that’s a good thing because the more specific you are, the less competition you actually have and the easier it is to stand out.

And that means- you need to be clear about what you actually want, otherwise, any road will get you nowhere…..

It all starts with your Brand Vision – the bigger picture of where you want to be.

Don’t worry about choosing ‘the wrong’ path because you’ll change so many times over the span of your career because of economical, personal and technological changes anyway. Start with clarifying what you would be proud, to be remembered for, what you want people to associate with you and how you made the difference.

You can get started with finishing the statement:

I’m the Go-To-Person for … [here is where you fill in the industry/ profession/ target group]

Let me give you an example what I mean:

You might be in sales. Now that is a massive industry as it stands.

When you do your homework and you identify that you:

·      Enjoy fast paced environments

·      Are interested in tech and spend your free time on all things digital & tech

·      Get constantly asked for advice how to break into new markets 

Ø  This will give you already a good indication about your point of difference when it comes to positioning yourself.

Your statement might be:

I’m the Go-To-Person for supporting fast scaling tech companies with breaking into new markets or:

I’m the Go-to-Person for driven CEOs to make sales to new audiences easy

See the difference?

Now we are getting specific with the where and for whom whilst providing a direct benefit to your decision maker.

Here’s your homework:

Think about the end result, aka the benefit you can provide to those who are the decision maker. Think beyond the job title, your degrees and experience. Think of the cost of not working with you – why can people not afford to not engage you?

This is where you will see a massive difference in the results you get.

Take me as an example:

I’m a Personal Branding Strategist and let’s just say- these days everyone man or woman under the sun call themselves a Personal Brand Strategist. Now I could argue that I’m certified and that I have 15 years’ experience working in Branding and Marketing. I bet you’re already drifting away and forgot what I said because it’s boring and no one cares. The saying ‘no one cares about you until you care about them’ is not just a saying … it should become your anthem.

So lets’ try this again:

I’m the Go-To-Person for driven corporate senior professionals in technical professions like digital, technology, law, accounting and any other left-brain industries who want to build their Personal Brand so they can make a bigger impact with their message.

I combine my background in Branding and Marketing coupled with my experience in recruitment to help professionals position, market and monetise their point of difference. 

See what I did there?

I’m very specific with who I work with and how I do it.

Am I working with artists, entertainers, healers and so forth?

Nope, I don’t because that isn’t aligned with my personality. I’m very left brained myself which means I love data, research, facts, figures and step-by-step everything. I’m also Austrian so my coaching is quite direct and not fluffy also when it’s uncomfortable. It has happened more than once that I was too much for people I worked with.

I’m sure you have seen plenty of Personal Branding Coaches for female entrepreneurs. This is pretty much the opposite of my positioning as majority of my clients are male and in corporate roles. Some want to (or identify in our coaching program that they want to) run their own business but it’s not the main reason why they start working with me. So my entire messaging is not focused on getting more leads, converting more clients etc because that’s entrepreneur talk and doesn’t apply to my decision makers as such.

Just to be clear: there is no right or wrong- think about it like getting a massage. 

Some prefer relaxation and the gentle techniques. Others don’t think it was a good massage if they don’t go away bruised and sorer than when they arrived.

The clearer you are about what makes you different and why, the easier it is for you to position yourself the right way.

This brings us to step 1: Get started with mapping out

-       Your interests

-       Your experience

-       Your expertise

-       Your results

-       Your personality type

-       Your future goals

-       Feedback you’ve received

-       Your hobbies 

I promise you will see patterns in your personal and professional life.

You want to use this as advantage and also ‘back up’ of your claim.

Next, you want to go through the different environments and the people you’ve worked with. 

Step 2 is about getting clear about your decision maker and network you want to build intentionally:

What are some of the traits you really liked and also- what was off-putting for you?

For example- one of my traits is innovation and I constantly go a million miles an hour. My first role in Australia was the exact opposite – it was slow paced, not challenging or pushing any thinking; conforming was the goal.

This is literally everything that goes against what I believe so I wouldn’t actively seek out those opportunities or clients to work with and for.

When you know what makes you different and also, who you want to work with, it’s time to take step 3:

Do some research and competitor analysis. It’s a good exercise in general to see who’s who in the zoo because it gives you a good idea if there is demand for it but also, what are some gaps that aren’t talked about or covered yet that you could own.

Because that leads us into step 4

Defining your unique value and selling proposition.

When you know what you can bring to the table, who you can (and want to) bring the best results to, what others do in that space already, it’s time to develop your USP.

And that can come in many shapes and forms. From being on another platform than your competitors (eg I follow a lawyer on Instagram who literally said he’s on Instagram rather than on LinkedIn because others aren’t. Mind you- his main audience is also entrepreneurs and small businesses). Another USP could be that you have built a social media audience and following. Especially for leadership roles, no matter what type- that could be a massive benefit compared to others. But these are just small things. It’s the combination of all those little things that make up your USP.

Last but not least- it’s time to bring it all to life and get into step 5:

Your content and communication strategy:

What is the type of content you need to create and the message you need to put out there to attract the right and repel the ‘wrong’ people?

This is where most start and wonder, why they fail. 

It’s because they either simply share what’s important to them (but none of their decision makers care because there is no link between the interest and the value for others), they talk about something in a way that isn’t relevant to the audience or they don’t talk about it on the right platform.

The end goal of crafting your Personal Brand positioning strategy is being clear about the 3 P’s: 

• Purpose (why you exist and the value you create for society)

• Proposition (what you promise to deliver) and 

• Personality (how you behave and communicate) so you can do it ongoingly.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), there are no shortcuts in brand positioning.

If you think Simply copy & pasting other people’s content on your platforms, adding a few trending hashtags or stuffing blog posts with trending keywords would work, think again. 

Instead, effective brand positioning depends on three key elements:

1. Relevance – That is, how your brand relates to your target market.

2. Authenticity – The difference between fake and a genuine interest to put your decision maker first and connecting with them on a level (and platform) that resonates with them

3. Authority – Whether your brand actually delivers on its promises.

And this is a big one in this transparent world we live in. 

So there you go – the quickly recap, the 5 steps to take to position yourself against your competition are:

1.)   Take an audit of where you are now, who you are and what your goals are

2.)   Clarify your decision makers, aka the people you want to work with (not those you worked with before but can’t stand)

3.)   Do some research and see what others in your space and the space you want to get into do and say to find some holes you can fill and own

4.)   Develop your unique selling proposition – aka your positioning. Why you, what, how and for whom

5.)   Finally, wrap it up with a bow and create your communication and content strategy so you can consistently be in front of the right people to be seen, heard and with that, considered.

Now over to you- do you have a strong positioning in the market? Is it easy for others to refer and introduce you to the right people? I’d love to hear from you and any of your tips, tricks and experiences you’ve had!