If a positioning strategy lives in a doc but never gets used,
...does it really exist?

When we run a two week sprint with customers, we help them figure out a core positioning strategy and also help them visualize this in a rewritten homepage that they can actually launch.

Our belief is that you need to make a positioning strategy REAL by putting it on your most visited, most viewed customer-facing asset.

This helps align all your teams, your customers, your investors, etc. around the same story.

But there are MANY positioning strategies that could potentially work for any business.

So the first step is mapping what those strategies actually are.

To do this, we document each strategy in the below visualizer.

It includes the core positioning elements:

• Positioning Anchors: reference points we will use to make sure customers know exactly what the product is/does and whom its for
• Unique Value: the specific problem related to one of those anchors and how we solve it in a differentiated way

But it also includes a sample hero of what this message would look like if it were placed on a real homepage.

This copy usually is a little bit TOO long — but the goal is to help visualize the actual decisions they'd be making.

If the team wouldn't put it on the homepage hero, they likely will not actually bring the strategy to life in a meaningful way.

We color code the copy to match the positioning elements, essentially as guardrails to make sure we hit every important aspect.

But then (perhaps most importantly) you want to map out both the thesis of the strategy AND the risks.

Why SHOULD you make this bet? (Thesis)
Why SHOULDN'T you make this bet? (Risks)

Ideally, you create 4-5 of these different strategies and lay them all out next to each other, and then decide where you'll plant the flag...

...and then get the message on the homepage!!

Here's a sample positioning strategy we've been toying with internally for a new follow on service we'd sell after completing a positioning sprint.

(Would love to hear your thoughts on the service and if you think it has legs — or if the risks outweigh the benefits!)