We've collected a lot of data on B2B positioning via our app and the results are clear – differentiation is a big problem... ...and some folks think it's even bigger if you check the comments. 🔥 You can run your own analysis at SmokeLadder(.com)
Win with a brand built on research, not guesses | Founder Map & Fire 🔥, SmokeLadder | Contributor at Foundr Magazine
After running positioning analysis on 3000+ B2B websites something is clear. Differentiation is a real problem for a majority of B2B brands. This is something we all kind of know on an intuitive level. I mean, we’ve all sifted through websites that either say very little or at best sound like everyone else. But it’s a tricky thing to actually quantify it. And not just quantify it but do it in a way that you can use to make improvements with a brand. I launched our positioning strategy platform SmokeLadder(.com) about 3 months ago and since then we’ve been building up a database of brands. The platform analyzes a brand’s website and grades it across 24 points of business value each scored on a scale of 1-10. We then build a Total Positioning Score on two parts: 1️⃣ How well the brand delivers across each point of value 2️⃣ How well the brand differentiates from category averages across each point of value Overall, our model expects a strong brand to have *clear* separation from averages on at least 2-3 value points and then some separation across a handful of others. The concept is that without that clear level of separation there’s no way for a brand to stand out and be remembered by their ICP. And as it turns out after dissecting 1 million+ words of B2B messaging (whew, that’s a lot of jargon) across 3000+ websites our intuition was right. A strong majority – 66% – of B2B brands lack strong differentiation. So, only 34% have created meaningful separation from their competitors. Digging in a bit deeper there are just 26% that maximized their differentiation according to our model. Now you could say some differentiation is better than none, right? But with how incredibly saturated the competitive landscape is it’s likely more of a binary thing. ↳In other words, it’s probably strong differentiation or bust. A collection of minor differences are unlikely to have enough impact to stick in your customer’s crowded brain. So, how does your brand rate? Do you have 2-3 points that truly stand out *and* are clearly articulated in your messaging? We all want to believe we’re in that top 26-34%...but there’s a good chance the points you think stand out may not be as obvious to your target audience. It might be time to revisit your positioning just to make sure. 💡 #positioning #differentiation #competition