Finding Your Story: Branding & Positioning in the Hosting Industry

Finding your storyFinding Your StoryBranding & positioning in the hosting industry

Simon WestChief Marketing Officer

“Lead generation is the single most important objective of any business-to-business marketing department. Other objectives, such as brand building, <…> are also on the list, to be sure. But, providing a sales force with a steady stream of qualified leads is job one.”

Ruth P. Stevens, Maximizing Lead Generation

If you’re not a brand, you are a commodity.”

Phillip Kotler

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Lead generationBrand

Spam

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1. Understand your identity2. Define your position3. Tell your story

Understand your identityCulture ValuesVisionVoice

Positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect.”

Jack Ries & Al Trout, Positioning

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FunctionalSolves problems, provides benefits

ExperientialSensory & cognitive stimulation

SymbolicProvides meaning & identity

Functional positioning

Experiential positioning

Experiential positioning

Functional positioning

Functional positioning

Functional positioning

Symbolic positioning

1. Evaluate the market2. Determine open space3. Be authentic & true to your identity4. Ensure alignment

Positioning

“Great marketing is storytelling”

1. Keep it simple

TinyCorp is a leading provider of next-generation turnkey holistic solution-sets that provide synergistic paradigm disruptions.

If (Count(Adjectives) > (Count(Nouns)+Count(Verbs))){ myBoilerplate = Crap; Die (“Nobody wants to read this”);}

1. Keep it simple

1. Keep it simple

2. Follow the rule of three

1. Keep it simple2. Follow the rule of three3. Make it resonate

1. Understand your identity2. Define your position3. Tell your story

1. Know who you are2. Work out why I care3. Tell that story