Vision is a Mirage Without Positioning
The Critical Role of Positioning in Shaping and Refining Company Vision
To any product marketer, it's no surprise that our role needs to be more understood and valued. We are an emerging domain, and nearly all of us have had to educate our teammates on what we actually do at some point.
For the record, it's not just writing blog posts for new releases and making slide decks pretty. Although I do love a pretty slide deck…
Recently, I had an interaction that shocked me: I was told that positioning requires a pre-established company vision. Which was shared with the idea that the strategic art of positioning was second fiddle to a company vision. Implied with the tone that product marketing held less of a strategic role.
However, this perspective overlooks a fundamental aspect of strategic business development - positioning is not just a byproduct of a company vision; it can be the cornerstone that shapes and iterates it.
Crafting the Initial Positioning
In its earliest form, the company vision and positioning are arguably the same - an ember of an idea that the founder breathes life into and nurtures.
At this stage, the founder's vision is the seed from which the company grows, and the founder inherently becomes the original, although unofficial and unknowing, product marketer. They analyze the market, identify potential customer bases, and position their product or service to meet these needs. This process, though informal, lays the foundation for the company's initial market positioning.
The founder's vision often dictates the initial market positioning, and vice versa; the initial positioning can shape and refine the vision. The company vision has more free reign to be aspirational, and positioning needs to be rooted in today's market opportunities.
As the company grows, these two elements begin to diverge and specialize. The vision becomes more defined and far-reaching, while positioning becomes more about tactical market engagement and differentiation.
From here, the team has grown larger, the product is more complex, and the founder usually offloads this positioning torch to its first product marketer.
The Essence of Positioning
From a product marketing perspective, positioning is about more than just aligning products with market segments, and it's especially not about regurgitating a version of the company vision that appeases the founder or leadership.
Every PMM should be prepared to challenge leadership if customer/market/product signals indicate the company vision and positioning need alignment - founders can be wrong.
Positioning is a comprehensive process involving deep market analysis, understanding customer pain points, and identifying unique value propositions - it is critical to strategically navigating the market for maximum impact.
Vision as a Starting Point
A strong vision from the founder is an excellent springboard for creating or refreshing positioning. It's essential to consider the company vision, but don't use it as a rulebook.
The vision adds much needed context and can empower positioning. But a crucial step is validating that vision with the market, with the positioning bringing that vision into reality.
To an extent, this process inherently involves "working back from the market," a valid and crucial method in validating product market fit and alignment with the company vision.
When No Vision Exists
In scenarios where a clear company vision is lacking, PMM's positioning becomes even more critical. Even if there is no written or strongly emphasized vision from leadership, there is typically some signal amongst the company.
Teams typically operate on some gut that can be directionally correct. This isn't great - but the signal is there. That signal is what the product marketer looks for to start validating and synthesizing.
Positioning serves as a guiding light, offering a direction based on those internal sentiments, market realities, and customer needs.
Here's how:
Stakeholder Synthesis: PMMs conduct stakeholder interviews, gathering insights from across the organization to synthesize a coherent and encompassing vision, particularly when it is initially vague or undeveloped, ensuring it reflects a balanced understanding of internal capabilities and aspirations.
Market-Driven Insights: PMMs gather and analyze market data, customer feedback, and competitive intelligence. These insights form a realistic foundation upon which a vision can be built or refined.
Vision Crafting: By understanding the needs and challenges of the target market, PMMs can help craft a vision that resonates deeply with the intended audience, ensuring the company's offerings are innovative and relevant.
Iterative Refinement: Positioning is an ongoing process. As market dynamics evolve, so must the company's vision. PMMs continuously refine the positioning, ensuring the vision stays aligned with market and customer shifts.
Positioning should be the first step if no company vision exists - not waiting for the founder to dictate a vision.
Vision is a Shadow Without Positioning
So, let's revisit my recent interaction suggesting that positioning requires a pre-established company vision.
The idea that positioning is a backward approach fails to recognize the symbiosis needed between a company's vision and market realities.
The first positioning is one and the same with the founder's vision - the founder is the first unofficial product marketer.
If a vision exists, it's the product marketer's job to validate this by strategically positioning it in the market.
If a vision doesn't exist, positioning should be the first priority for the company to craft a place in the market.
An unchecked, static, or non-existent vision without ongoing validation and adjustment based on market feedback is a recipe to be lost in the noise.