VersaQuill

Download free worksheet on positioning.

Positioning is crucial in promoting a product or service—the tough part is figuring out a niche in which the product both fits in and stands out. The answer: step back and look at the product in terms of concepts.

Concepts and copywriting

Concepts are the way humans deal with the fact that we can only hold a small number of items in our conscious minds. (See “Crows and Copywriting.”) We mentally gather similar items into a group or category (the genus). Then, by looking for differences within that group, we divide the items into subcategories (species).

The beauty of this mental “filing system” is that although the items we’re looking at remain the same, we can change how we categorize them, based on our context and purpose. In office records you might sort clients by last name, date of purchase, or item purchased. They’re still the same clients. In the same way, as a copywriter you can search out different categories and subcategories until you find one in which a particular product excels.

For example: suppose you’re writing an ad for Mary’s Net Café. The obvious concept is café (the genus) with wireless access (the species). But if you focus on that, the ad will literally be “generic”—which comes from the word “genus.” The generic ad will promote not only Mary’s, but all the Net cafes competing with her.

How can you change the category and/or subcategory to make Mary’s Net Café stand out? Some options:

1. Position by changing the subcategory

Treat “Net café” as a category of its own, and create a new subcategory using distinctive features and benefits such as location, hours, food, price, or amenities. Is it the only Net café on Main Street? Is it the only one open 24/7? Is it the only one where you can get a bottomless cup of coffee for $10? Is it the only one with La-Z-Boy recliners, or with an on-staff masseuse for people who hunch over their laptops too long? Is it the only Net café that appeals to certain senses (smells delicious, plays New Age music), or that makes you feel a certain way (happy, calm, businesslike)?

If you’ve got lists of the benefits of the product and the characteristics of the target audience, that’s the place to start the search for subcategories you can own. If you don’t have such lists, work through the VersaQuill Copywriting Workbook, Worksheets 1.1, 2.1, and 2.2.

2. Position by changing the category

Put the product into a different category (genus) altogether. Is it the only pastry shop that offers wireless access? Is it the only café with a terrific view that offers wireless access?

3. Trumpet the category the product is not in.

This works especially well for hot-button, highly emotional issues. Is Mary’s the only Net café that has a cell-phone-free room? Is it the only one far from the town’s main drag, so it has little traffic noise? Is it eco-friendly or trans-fat free? Does it reject (or welcome) smokers, pets, kids, alcohol?

USPs, DSIs, and branding

Thinking in concepts leads to great USPs. A Unique Selling Proposition makes a promise that the competition can’t or doesn’t offer, and that can move hundreds or millions to buy. Choose the right concept—the right category and subcategory—and you’ve got the USP. You’ve also got what Schley calls a DSI, or dominant selling idea: “Our company is the #1 choice for [a particular specialty] because our product has [reason why].” And having a USP and/or DSI means you’ve got the core of your branding. To fine-tune it, see the VersaQuill Copywriting Workbook Chapter 4 (on USPs and DSIs, and branding).

Download a free worksheet on positioning from the VersaQuill Copywriting Workbook. If you make a suggestion that I incorporate into the next version of the Workbook, I’ll send you a free PDF of Part 1 of the Workbook (a $30 value).

Recommended reading

• Ries, Al, and Jack Trout. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. McGraw Hill, 2001. The classic text on creating a memorable position for your product in the public mind.
• Reeves, Rosser. Reality in Advertising. Alfred A. Knopf, 1961. Brief but excellent. Reeves pioneered the USP (Unique Selling Proposition).
• Schley, Bill, and Carl Nichols, Jr. Why Johnny Can’t Brand: Rediscovering the Lost Art of the Big Idea. Portfolio, 2005. How to build a brand, in a logical sequence.
• Graham, Gordon. “How to Create Killer Blurbs That Sell Software.” An interview with Marcia Yudkin, giving advice that can easily be adapted to other products.  http://www.namedatlast.com/naming7.htm
• Fortin, Michel. The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning. Magical Marketing Strategies for Creating an Endless Stream of New, Repeat, and Referral Business. 3rd ed. (v. 3.5), 2008. http://www.michelfortin.com/the-10-commandments-of-power-positioning/
• If the theory behind concepts intrigues you or if you’ve ever sat with glazed eyes while a college philosophy professor told you there was no way for you to know if the “real world” exists, try Ayn Rand, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology. More on ITOE at the end of Inspiration: Laying Out the Welcome Mat.