Positioning: The Why, the Who, and the How w/ Sharon Scott

Positioning is a fundamental part of marketing strategy. But it’s not always explicitly defined, particularly in small, fast-growing companies. In many cases, it’s based purely on the original intent of the founder, and reflects early-adopters. But as a business scales, it’s worth taking time to think through the Why/Who/How of your product or service, so you can develop the messaging and the Go-To-Market strategy that’s going to have an impact.

Sharon Scott knows how to craft a positioning statement. As a marketing strategist and founder of OtterScope, Sharon works with companies to define their place in the market. And in this episode of The Marketing Mix, she shares the frameworks and strategies she uses to get to the “why” of brands and products.

We also discuss how marketing acts as the bridge between internal stakeholders, and the alignment of Product and Marketing teams. And Sharon shares some thoughts on how AI might be used to assist in customer research and the positioning process.

Key Takeaways:

• Positioning considers the "why" of a product combined with the "who" of the target audience, along "how" the brand adds value
• Even for tech products, a user’s emotional response is an important part of the positioning
• Don’t underestimate the value of unplanned, casual conversations across teams to break out of the silos
• AI tools might not be ready to play a major role in positioning, but they can help with early customer research tasks

Connect with Sharon:

 Find Sharon on LinkedIn

And check out OtterScope

A couple of good reads:
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - by Al Ries and Jack Trout. One of the classic books on the subject
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore. I mention this during the conversation with Sharon