This guide will help you to position your creative business so you can win more of the right work, make more doing it \u2013 and on your own terms.<\/strong><\/p>\n Throughout the guide, we'll use Alex Vita, a Romanian web designer, as an example. Alex is specializing in photography websites.We will show how Alex has positioned himself to get exactly the work he wants.We will walk you through a \u201dteardown\u201d of Alex's actual website, breaking his positioning efforts into its parts \u2013 making it easy for you to emulate.<\/p>\n Meet Alex Vita, a website designer who's nailing his marketing! <\/strong><\/p>\n Read Alex's own feedback on our \u201dteardown\u201d in the sections called “Alex's Reflections.”Along the way, we\u2019ll introduce 19 tools that you can use yourself to position your business \u2013 going in-depth into each tool one at a time.By the time we\u2019re done, you\u2019ll have the complete toolbox.<\/p>\n So, how does Alex feel about positioning?<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Alex's Reflections<\/strong><\/p>\n Looking back, positioning myself in a specific niche has given me some important yet intangible things: peace of mind, clarity, and courage. And I value them more and more as I get older.Focusing only on a vertical (photographers in my case) makes everything simpler. It's not easy, but it's simpler. I can focus on one single thing, and do it with confidence.These intangible factors have made it all a pleasant journey for me. I've never felt close to burnout. Instead, I keep finding more and more meaning in what I do.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Your brand\u2019s position<\/em> is the place it occupies in someone\u2019s mind.Positioning <\/em>is what you do to influence how you and your business is perceived by your ideal clients.<\/p>\n A Positioning Statement <\/em>expresses how a given product, service or brand fills a particular type of client's need in a way that its competitors don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Effective positioning answers Eight Fundamental Question<\/strong>s<\/strong> simmering in the back of a prospect\u2019s head:<\/p>\n This is how Alex\u2019s positioning statement <\/b>might read:<\/p>\n Positioning Tool #1<\/strong><\/p>\n Lee Fredriksen –<\/a><\/p>\n Hinge Marketing<\/p>\n “When you understand the core message you need to communicate to prospects, you can make informed decisions throughout the creative process. Your positioning becomes the DNA of your visual brand.”<\/p>\n Your positioning statement should be an honest reflection of your product, service, or brand.<\/p>\n It expresses how your product, service or brand fills a particular type of client's need in a way that its competitors don\u2019t.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to remember that no one cares if you\u2019re different unless you\u2019re different in a way that will help them get something they desire deeply.<\/p>\n The key to a good statement is specificity.<\/p>\n It's for your own use. A good positioning statement is a guidepost for all your efforts. It helps you maintain focus. Every marketing and product decision you make must align with and support it.<\/p>\n Use your statement as inspiration for persuasive language on your website and in other marketing materials.<\/p>\n In your Positioning Statement, <\/em>you answer the eight fundamental questions. <\/p>\n Here is a template for your own, personal positioning statement. Fill in the blanks:<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s continue breaking down Alex's positioning efforts so you can do the same for yourself.<\/p>\n Fundamental Question #1<\/strong><\/p>\n In this part, we'll break down how Alex signals with whom he prefers to work.<\/p>\n We'll be introducing these positioning tools:<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n My ideal clients<\/b><\/b><\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n are semi-pro and pro photographers<\/strong> who have a poor or outdated online presence and are looking to improve their site or build a new one from scratch. They are usually already established in the photography industry and are just looking to make their website have a bigger role in their photography business.”<\/p>\n In his Brand Name<\/strong>, ForegroundWeb, Alex has incorporated a term that photographers would recognize.<\/p>\n The “foreground” is the part of a scene that appears closest to the camera.<\/p>\n Alex\u2019s <\/b>logo design is also a subtle reference to whom he serves the best.<\/p>\n The logo parts represent three basic concepts in photography – foreground, mid-ground, and background.<\/p>\n Alex\u2019s Color Palette <\/b>is made up of the most popular<\/a> colors in the photographic industry.<\/p>\n Black and white are the dominant colors for logos in the photography industry.However, leading brands (Canon<\/a>, AgfaPhoto<\/a>) often rely on red to punch up the drama. They pair simple typography with a bold showing of red to focus the eye.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Alex's Reflections<\/strong><\/p>\n The three primary saturated colors aren\u2019t random. They\u2019re part of a triadic or split-complementary color scheme I created when first building the site. They go harmoniously together.Whenever I link to various sections of my site, I try to use the three colors consistently.- I use red shades red for all branding purposes (logo, main site accent colors, body copy links).<\/p>\n – I use green for the free resources I offer (and newsletter subscribe buttons, things like that. Green is known to encourage clicks, and it feels fresh).<\/p>\n – I use the blue shades for my web-design services (where blue is known to inspire “professionalism,” seriousness, etc.)<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n On his web site, Alex also uses strong Headlines to emphasize who he serves best.<\/p>\n He uses a simple WHAT + FOR WHOM format, for example:<\/p>\n On his About Page<\/a>, Alex incorporates an \u201cAbout<\/b> You\u201d <\/b>section that describes his ideal client:<\/p>\n you run a photography website or blog.<\/p>\n You're probably looking for more clients and better ways to professionally showcase and sell your photography work.<\/p>\n You want the freedom to do what you love, to infuse your personality into MORE MEANINGFUL photo projects.<\/p>\n You also know that a great website can help you find work and raise your prices over time, like a marketing engine.<\/p>\n On his service pages (for example, custom website, website makeover, or SEO review), he goes into even more detail about whom a specific service is intended for.For example, here\u2019s Alex's description of the ideal clients for the photography website makeover<\/a>:<\/p>\n Positioning Tool #2<\/strong><\/p>\n A logo can help to position your firm.But don\u2019t expect it to do all your branding on its own.The logo is just one part of your visual identity.Most important, your logo must look different that of from the competition!Besides that, limit what you try to do with your logo.A logo can convey some of the following, but it cannot reasonably do all <\/em>these things.<\/p>\n Brand your best thinking with your logo. Use it on your firm\u2019s intellectual property – reports, blog posts, etc.<\/p>\n PartsLogix develops eCommerce websites and parts management systems for aftermarket parts manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and tuner shops.The PartsLogix logo both connotates racing and tuning (the screw nut.) Their logo uses black, white, red, and shades of grays \u2013 all classic colors in the world of high-performance motors.The logo is usually accompanied by PartsLogix\u2019s tagline \u201cHigh-Performance eCommerce\u201d in italics.<\/p>\n Kestrel Website Design & Development present themselves as \u201cagricultural web designers.\u201d They specialize in design and development for family farming operations, grain elevators, and crop-protection companies.The Kestrel logo connotates nature. You\u2019re most likely to see kestrels perching on fence posts, utility lines, and telephone poles, particularly on farmland.People working the fields might recognize the kestrel.The logo is always accompanied by \u201cWebsite Design & Development.\u201d<\/p>\n Growfio develops small business websites, and then manage them for a low, flat monthly fee. They promise an amazing website that can help your small business grow faster.Green<\/a> is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility.It\u2019s also the most restful color for the human eye; not a bad option or stressed-out small business owners.<\/p>\n Positioning Tool #3<\/strong><\/p>\n Colors can help position you.However, there is no generic response to color. Its meaning depends on context.For example, black can mean high quality and trust, or it can mean fear and terror. Color means different things in different cultures<\/a>, some colors are favored in specific industries<\/a>, etc. Knowing a bit about the emotions conveyed<\/a> by particular colors can help you select the right ones.In your target group, which color is likely to evoke the response you want?A color palette is usually defined by the colors in a logo.It should also be simple, with only 1 to 3 primary colors. You can also select secondary colors to be used alongside your primary colors in some of your materials. Picking a few additional colors helps your brand stay exciting but still on brand.This should feature 1-3 primary colors and 2-3 secondary colors (black and white count).<\/p>\n Positioning Tool #4<\/strong><\/p>\n Headlines either draw the visitor in, or they push him or her away.Subheads lead your visitor through the body of your copy to get the gist of your message.Besides grabbing attention and summarizing the text, essential qualities of a compelling headline or subhead are:<\/p>\n Such headlines and subheads will help position you.<\/p>\n Positioning Tool #5<\/strong><\/p>\n List the qualities that define your ideal client.In this copy, you literally list not only who your ideal clients are, but also what they need.You fundamentally say, \u201cIf you\u2019re this, this, or this \u2026 and you need this, this, or this, I can help.\u201dTalk about your ideal client\u2019s struggles, objectives, and desired outcomes.Show them how you handle these challenges.When they read your description, you want them screaming out loud \u2018Yes, that\u2019s me!\u2019Also, describe who isn\u2019t an ideal client. In this way, prospects who aren\u2019t a good fit can disqualify themselves – saving time for both of you.<\/p>\n Fundamental Question #2<\/strong><\/p>\n Like almost everyone else, Alex suffered from analysis paralysis before choosing a name for his business. This is why he finally chose ForegroundWeb, and what's good and bad about that particular name.We'll be introducing this tool for positioning:<\/p>\n Alex uses ForegroundWeb, a business name, as his Brand Name<\/b>, <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Why “ForegroundWeb?”<\/b><\/strong><\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n I wanted to make the business as professional as possible, and have the ability to scale it in the future.That made me think of rebranding under a business name (instead of my own personal name), basically setting the ground for building a web design agency in the future (working with photographers exclusively, of course).<\/p>\n He integrates the name into the Logotype<\/b>, which is shown in the page header (and footer). That makes it pretty darn hard not catch his brand name \u2013 even on a short visit:<\/p>\n Has Alex picked a good name for his brand?In many aspects, yes! Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n However…<\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Alex-Vita-ForegroundWeb-Self-Portrait-685x9448px-1.0.png\" "\\"Alex")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nWhat is Brand Positioning Anyway!?<\/b><\/h2>\n
Your Positioning Statement & the 8 Fundamental Questions<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"Branding](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/The-8-Fundamental-Questions-of-Effective-Positioning-for-Creatives.png\" "\\"Branding")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Branding](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Positioning-Statement-of-Alex-Vita-No-Outline-1.0.png\" "\\"Branding")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nYour Positioning Statement<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/tcb_content_templates\/testimonial\/images\/Quote_left-marks.png\" "\\"Quote_left")
<\/span>The DNA of your visual brand<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/tcb_content_templates\/testimonial\/images\/Quote_-right-marks.png\" "\\"Quote_")
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Who Do You Serve the Best?<\/h2>\n
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![\"ForegroundWeb](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/ForegroundWeb-Logotype-1.0.webp\" "\\"ForegroundWeb")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Brand](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Positioning-Tool-Color-Palette-Branding-for-Creatives-1.0.png\" "\\"Brand")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Brand](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Tools-for-Brand-Positioning-Headlines-1.0.png\" "\\"Brand")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Branding](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Alex-Vita-Photography-Website-Makeover-1040-x-826px-1.0.png\" "\\"Branding")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nYour Logo<\/h3>\n
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Logo Resources<\/h4>\n
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More Logo Examples<\/h4>\n
![\"Brand](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/PartsLogix-Logotype-Example-1.0.png\" "\\"Brand")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Brand](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kestrel-Website-Design-Development-Logotype-Example-1.0.png\" "\\"Brand")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Brand](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Growfio-Logotype-Example-1.0.png\" "\\"Brand")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nYour Color Palette<\/h3>\n
Your Headlines<\/h3>\n
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Your “About You” Page<\/h3>\n
What's Your Name?<\/h2>\n
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![\"Brand](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Alex-Vita-Website-Header-1040-x-72px-1.0.png\" "\\"Brand")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n
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![\"Brand](\"https:\/\/flauntmydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Apple-VS.-Digital-Equipment.png\" "\\"Brand")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n