Whenever I teach a positioning class or kick off a positioning workshop, one of the first things I say is that positioning statements are generally internal-use-only documents. This is not because they contain secrets – any marketing communication you create will reflect your positioning. Rather, it’s because positioning statements are written for the strategic purpose of getting the marketing team on the same page using clear, basic language. Plus, the standard positioning format makes for a pretty grammatically awkward sentence. You can see the template by clicking here. But what happens when you want to share your positioning with the non-marketers in your company? One of my clients, Savant Capital Management, recently created an elegant internal communication tool that will eventually be distributed to all 100 of its employees to help them better understand 1) their target client’s profile and 2) the marketing message foundation. The rollout will start with one-on-one meetings between the marketing team and each of Savant’s investment advisors to make sure they understand the strategy and how to use it to clearly and consistently communicate with both potential and existing clients. The document will also be used as part of every new employee’s orientation process. Savant has given me permission to share this document so take a look here!
