18 min

The Role of Market Category in Differentiation Positioning with April Dunford

    • Marketing

In today’s episode, I explore why market category is a good starting point for developing great positioning. 
You will learn: 
* Viewing your market category is context-setting for your products/company. 
* Thinking of your market category as being similar to the opening scene of a movie. (See link below for my article about this idea, which includes the opening scene of the movie Baby Driver.) 
* Understanding your product/company's unique value proposition before determining market category.
* Why positioning involves identifying what sets your product apart from competitors and the status quo.
* Why positioning in an underserved segment of an existing market category is easier than creating a new category.
* Communicating the differentiated value of your product or service.
* Why companies need to go deeping into their value props to help customers understand how they can deliver unique value for their business.

If you want to skip ahead: 
(3:50) Market categories and their role in positioning products/companies, with a focus on differentiated value. 
(7:46) Positioning and messaging for startups, focusing on understanding customer needs and differentiated value. 
(11:26) Positioning and market categories in business.


Connect with April Dunford and learn about practical positioning that accelerates marketing and sales: 
Work with April: https://www.aprildunford.com/consultant
April’s newsletter: https://aprildunford.substack.com/ 
April’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/ 
April’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford 




Mentioned in this episode: 
* My article about market category in which I discuss the opening scene of the movie Baby Driver: https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/understanding-the-job-of-a-market  
* Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, a book by Al Ries and Jack Trout: https://amzn.to/3JrR4zJ  



Get April Dunford’s books and audiobooks: 
“Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It.”
“Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win.”
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/49l0ZRY 
Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4ac9hgt 
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3vosDzQ



The Positioning with April Dunford podcast: Want to make your product stand out in a crowded market? It all starts with great positioning. Using April’s battle-tested methodology, she'll teach you the nitty-gritty of positioning so that you can unlock better marketing and sales performance.
Podcast website: https://www.positioning.show/ 
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: a href="https://apple.co/3PFHcWx" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

In today’s episode, I explore why market category is a good starting point for developing great positioning. 
You will learn: 
* Viewing your market category is context-setting for your products/company. 
* Thinking of your market category as being similar to the opening scene of a movie. (See link below for my article about this idea, which includes the opening scene of the movie Baby Driver.) 
* Understanding your product/company's unique value proposition before determining market category.
* Why positioning involves identifying what sets your product apart from competitors and the status quo.
* Why positioning in an underserved segment of an existing market category is easier than creating a new category.
* Communicating the differentiated value of your product or service.
* Why companies need to go deeping into their value props to help customers understand how they can deliver unique value for their business.

If you want to skip ahead: 
(3:50) Market categories and their role in positioning products/companies, with a focus on differentiated value. 
(7:46) Positioning and messaging for startups, focusing on understanding customer needs and differentiated value. 
(11:26) Positioning and market categories in business.


Connect with April Dunford and learn about practical positioning that accelerates marketing and sales: 
Work with April: https://www.aprildunford.com/consultant
April’s newsletter: https://aprildunford.substack.com/ 
April’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/ 
April’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford 




Mentioned in this episode: 
* My article about market category in which I discuss the opening scene of the movie Baby Driver: https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/understanding-the-job-of-a-market  
* Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, a book by Al Ries and Jack Trout: https://amzn.to/3JrR4zJ  



Get April Dunford’s books and audiobooks: 
“Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It.”
“Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win.”
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/49l0ZRY 
Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4ac9hgt 
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3vosDzQ



The Positioning with April Dunford podcast: Want to make your product stand out in a crowded market? It all starts with great positioning. Using April’s battle-tested methodology, she'll teach you the nitty-gritty of positioning so that you can unlock better marketing and sales performance.
Podcast website: https://www.positioning.show/ 
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: a href="https://apple.co/3PFHcWx" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

18 min