5 Brand Positioning Mistakes Every Entrepreneur Should Avoid

Are you feeling like no matter how much effort you put into your business, your message just isn’t landing with the right people? You’re not alone. Many entrepreneurs struggle to position their brand effectively, which can feel like shouting into a void. Let’s walk through some common mistakes you might be making and discover straightforward, practical solutions to help your brand resonate better.

1. You are Drifting Away from Your Story

Your brand story is the pulse of starting your brand. It speaks to your deeper why, which is ultimately why you created your brand, product, or service. That reason should be the current that passes through different channels like social media, your website, and emails. The key is storytelling, which is the purpose of your branding and marketing efforts. Your story (why) communicates emotions and triggers action, so when you steer away from it, it can lead to missed leads and opportunities.

Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. We start with a passionate idea, but the original message may get lost in the mix as the business grows and evolves. This disconnect can confuse your long-time followers and/or prevent potential customers from understanding what you truly offer.

For Example, Starbucks initially focused on selling high-quality coffee beans and equipment. As they expanded, they shifted towards creating a unique coffee experience, emphasizing community and customer connection. This shift helped them grow, but in the mid-2000s, rapid expansion led them away from their core values, causing a noticeable dip in customer loyalty and brand strength.

Fix: Starbucks realized this misalignment and reemphasized its original values by closing stores for a day to retrain baristas, improve customer service, and renew its focus on coffee culture. This realignment helped restore its brand’s strength and customer loyalty.

What You Can Do: Focus on realigning with your original story. Within our organization, we offer a session, "The Origin Story," that helps extract the right oil to use when building your business. We often ask our clients to think about why you started and what made your customers fall in love with your brand in the first place. Reflect this story clearly in every message you send out. This isn’t just good practice—it’s crucial for keeping your brand relatable and genuine.

2. Making It Too Complex

Sometimes, in an attempt to sound professional or innovative, you might end up complicating your message. Remember, clarity is key. If people need a dictionary to understand what you’re offering, you’ve lost them. Skip the sizzle words and capture the hearts and minds of your ideal audience.

A great example would be Microsoft. In the early 2000s, Microsoft faced criticism for its Windows Vista operating system. Users found it overly complicated compared to its predecessor, with confusing new features and excessive security warnings interfering with basic tasks.

Microsoft took this feedback into account when developing Windows 7, which was praised for its simplicity, improved performance, and user-friendly interface. This approach helped Microsoft recover its reputation and regain customer trust.

What You Can Do: Simplify your message. Use straightforward language that even someone unfamiliar with your industry can understand. Effective communication is about making it easy for your customers to see the value you bring, not showcasing industry jargon. BONUS: If you are a parent, ask your children questions about your business and see their responses. I asked my children, "What does mommy's business do?" Their responses were, "You do meetings, you make logos," said my 7-year-old twins. My older children, were much closer. They responded with you build brands and help people. So, don't be afraid to ask children or even your grandparents. If they can comprehend it, your audience can too.

3. Inconsistency Is Confusing

A scattered brand presentation across different platforms can create confusion and dilute your message. Whether it’s your website, social media, or print materials, a cohesive brand voice and aesthetic make it easier for customers to recognize and trust your brand. Ask yourself, will you ever see Pepsi change its iconic logo to yellow, teal, and orange? Will Coca-Cola ever make a green can? Will Wendy's ever be polite on social media? Absolutely not! They'd lose brand consistency, and that's not just in colors, logos, and patterns, but it's also your tone, character, and words.

Do you remember the company GAP?  Gap Inc. experienced a notable brand inconsistency when they attempted to change their classic logo in 2010. The new design was met with significant public backlash, as it didn’t resonate with the familiar and beloved identity that customers had grown accustomed to over the years.

Due to customer feedback, Gap promptly reverted to its original logo, reinforcing the importance of brand consistency and recognition. This quick response helped maintain customer trust and loyalty.

What You Can Do: Audit your current brand materials. Ensure your logo, color scheme, and messaging are uniform across all channels. Position your brand voice, tone, characteristics, and values across all platforms. Consistency builds familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.

4. Ignoring Your Competition

Knowing what others in your space are doing isn’t about copying them—it’s about understanding how to differentiate yourself. If you don’t see what your competitors are offering, how can you expect your potential customers to understand why they should choose you? Think about it as playing defense so that you can win in offense.

One of the world's greatest lessons in ignoring the competition belongs to the Blockbuster vs Netflix. Blockbuster failed to effectively respond to emerging competitors like Netflix and Redbox, who offered more convenient and innovative movie rental services. Blockbuster underestimated the shift towards digital streaming and automated kiosks, clinging to their traditional store rental model.

While Blockbuster ultimately filed for bankruptcy, this example serves as a crucial lesson for businesses to continuously monitor competitors and adapt to industry changes and innovations to stay relevant.

What You Can Do: Do a competitive analysis. See what others are doing right and what gaps they are leaving that you can fill. Highlight these differences in your communications to show potential customers why your brand stands out. Be like Dallas, have a great marketing strategy and execute well. If they win, that's a plus, but their fan base is unmatched! Your brand can have that, too; just listen, observe, and tweak. That's our defense as entrepreneurs, and we all know defenses win games.

5. Forgetting About SEO

If people can’t find you online, all your efforts in crafting the perfect brand message are for naught. SEO isn’t just technical; it’s about ensuring that when people search for solutions you offer, they find you. In or SEO blog, we discuss game-changing SEO strategies that many business owners should consider when creating an SEO strategy.

Think about when you are searching for a solution. You typically go to your favorite search engine or AI and find what you are looking for. In this digital climate, consider your audience needs and position yourself to answer that need through strategic kewords, links, to add value so that you can be that click that brings in new leads.

What You Can Do: Incorporate relevant keywords naturally into your content. For example, if you’re selling eco-friendly packaging, make sure terms like “sustainable packaging solutions” appear in your website copy. Tools like Moz or SEMrush provide keyword suggestions that can boost your visibility online.

After tackling these common issues, if you still feel stuck, it might be time for some professional guidance. At Tag It Brand It, we offer Brand Therapy sessions designed to help entrepreneurs like you refine your message and connect more effectively with your audience. Our brand positioning session speaks to your market differentiation, audience connections, and strategies to help you align your story with your goals. Visit our website to see how we can help turn your branding woes into wins.

Hi, I’m Tre’elle,

Founder and Cheif Brand Strategist at Tag It Brand It. I’m passionate about helping creative entrepreneurs like you transform their branding into a resonant and powerful voice that yields the right connections. Thanks for joining me on this journey to build more meaningful and connected brands. Let’s create OUTLOUD together!