Is Your Brand Positioned to Grab Media Attention?

How do you cut through the clutter and get the media to notice your business?

It all starts with a carefully crafted brand strategy plan.

One of the first things I do when retaining a new client is make sure their brand positioning is well articulated. This is not a quick once over of their mission statement or purpose, but rather an in-depth assessment to peel back the layers and really see what makes the company unique in the marketplace, along with where it currently sits in customers’ minds and where leadership wants it to be moving forward.

Why the need to invest so much time? Because brand positioning is the foundation of all effective media relations initiatives; you’ll want to make sure it’s crystal clear and that it outlines your competitive advantage. Further, if you want to generate the interest of journalists and reporters, you need to provide them with a clear brand story that captures their attention and resonates with them so that they’re inspired to feature your expertise or your company.

Over the course of my PR and Integrated Marketing career, I’ve developed the following Brand Positioning Checklist:

✅ Interview key stakeholders. Their feedback provides valuable insight and terminology that encapsulates what the brand is all about. It’s fun to do this using the MURAL App, which is a visual whiteboard tool.

✅ Identify top competitors and the company’s key differentiators. What makes your organization different? Why is your brand the best in its category? Take your time here. You want to niche-down and really be as specific as you can, using language that articulates these distinctive qualities.

✅ Describe the company’s value proposition. Don’t get caught in the weeds here. Try to put this in as simple terms as possible. I often find that companies use clever buzz phrases or “inside speak” that only insiders understand when communicating with an external audience, so try to avoid those. In this case, being cute and clever can cause confusion.

✅ List company brand pillars and proof points. Brand pillars are the values and characteristics that make up your brand. Your brand should be about how you communicate your message to the world. Brand pillars help you do that by defining the fundamental points that set your company apart from your competitors. Note several proof points for each pillar. You want to appear credible, so it’s important to make sure you have the evidence to back up your pillars.

✅ Capture the words and phrases that are most often used to describe your brand and consider the language you would like to be used. It is important that the words being used feel authentic and searchable, meaning, they should be words that people use to do a Google search when looking for companies in your sector. I like to keep a running list of these.

✅ Study the news and identify the issues being covered in the news right NOW. Why are you/your company the best source for insights on such topics?

Taking the time to focus on this checklist will help you tell the right story for your company.

Is your company looking to raise its public profile and promote its competitive advantage? If so, let’s talk. Click here to schedule a free discovery call today. Sign up to receive our free monthly PR Tips here.