How To Write A Laser-focused Positioning Statement

A new reader on my daily mailing list wrote in to ask where he could find out more about this “laser-focused positioning statement” thing I’m always banging on about.

Here’s my official definition:

Laser-Focused Positioning Statement—A two sentence message that tells people what your business is, how they will benefit from it, and how it is different from others. It is typically not used verbatim in marketing materials, but rather as a guide for crafting various types of messaging (e.g., tagline, slogan, cocktail party answer, etc).

Got a minute? You can create your own LFPS right now...

Grab a pencil and paper and write this down:

I’m a _______ who helps _______ with _______. Unlike my competitors, _______.

Now, fill in the blanks to create your laser focused positioning statement.

Did you try it? Seriously... take out a piece of paper and fill in the blanks.

Seriously.

Paper.

Do it.

If you’re having trouble, don’t feel bad - almost everyone does. It’s brutal. I’ve had people actually start crying during this exercise.

If you didn’t have trouble with this exercise, you probably wrote something soggy like:

“I’m a UX professional who helps businesses with elegant solutions to complex problems. Unlike my competitors, I have 10+ years of experience adding value by building high quality software.”

This is not a laser focused positioning statement; it’s just clever wordsmithing that encompasses your vision of yourself, to yourself; it doesn’t communicate any value to anyone.

Here are a few good examples to get you started:

See the pattern?

I’m a DISCIPLINE who helps TARGET MARKET with EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. Unlike my competitors, UNIQUE DIFFERENCE.

Nailing your laser focused positioning statement is the single best thing you can do to grow your business. It’s the foundation of everything.

Without a laser focused positioning statement, you’re wasting your time with marketing efforts like advertising, outreach, blogging, vlogging, podcasting, social media, webinars, etc.

Yours,

—J


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