Just like driving a car, navigating the world of growing a business requires smooth coordination between various moving parts. When it comes to your brand, misalignment between your intended positioning and market perception can be like driving with the parking brake on - hindering your progress and sapping your potential. Without proper alignment, your brand may struggle to accelerate, swerve past competitors, and ultimately reach your desired destination. So, why do B2B businesses struggle with brand alignment, and how can you avoid running out of gas?

Potholes in the Road – Be on the Lookout

B2B businesses can face a variety of obstacles when it comes to brand alignment, from internal silos to external market changes. Simply put, brand misalignment happens when your customers are confused. There is gap between their understanding of what you offer and how you differ from your competitors and what your company is positioning. It is one thing for the CEO or product owner to grasp the brand value, but effectively communicating those concepts to the intended audience is an entirely different matter.

Let's start by exploring some of the common potholes that B2B businesses may encounter on the road to brand alignment.

1. Lack of market research: Without a thorough understanding of their target audience's needs, pain points, and perceptions, B2B businesses may be creating brand messaging and positioning that misses the mark.

2. Internal silos: B2B businesses often have multiple departments and stakeholders, which can lead to silos and inconsistency in brand communication. A good gauge to track is how your team talks about the brand and company value. If the answers vary widely, there is likely a brand alignment issue.

3. Inconsistent Customer Experience: If the customer experience across different touchpoints is inconsistent, it can weaken your brand's credibility, set inaccurate or unrealistic expectations, and create general confusion.

4. Changes in the market: The B2B landscape is constantly evolving, with new technologies, competitors, and trends emerging. If a business fails to adapt its brand positioning to these changes, it may lose potential customers that are looking for a more innovative company to meet their needs.

5. Lack of Differentiation: When businesses default to competing on price rather than value, this can be a red flag of brand misalignment. Companies that lose sight of their unique value proposition risk missing the opportunity to position themselves as the preferred choice for customers looking for something more than just the lowest price.

Clear the Road – Unraveling Customer Perceptions

The first step to aligning your brand positioning with market perception is to understand how your audience perceives your brand. This often involves conducting market research, which can include surveys, focus groups, and interviews, to gather insights into your audience's perceptions of your brand.

During this process, pay attention to how your audience describes your brand and what they associate with it. This information will help you identify any gaps between your intended positioning and your audience's perception. Also, consider comparing internal (employee) and external (customer) feedback to identify areas of misalignment.

Map Your Route – Developing a Brand Position That Resonates

Once you have a clear understanding of your market perception, it's time to define your brand positioning. Your brand positioning should be based on your unique value proposition, competitive advantage, and brand values. It should differentiate your brand from competitors, with a direct focus on what matters most to your intended audience. If your messaging feels too similar to others in the market, you are back to the price conversation. Remember, by definition, the goal here is to be different, unique. Use the data collected from your market research to help pinpoint what makes your offering stand out from others and lean into it.

When defining your brand positioning, be sure to consider how you want your audience to perceive your brand and how this aligns with your business goals and values. Be specific and avoid using generic or vague language.

Cross the Bridge – Bridging the Gap Between Your Positioning and Perception

With a clear understanding of your market perception and defined brand positioning, it's time to bridge the gap. This involves developing a brand strategy that aligns the brand positioning that you worked on, with the intended audience perception you are driving towards. Start by documenting your foundational elements like your mission, value proposition, and target personas in a detailed messaging framework that can be shared with employees and partners to ensure a consistent delivery of messages across platforms and channels.

Another way to bridge the gap is to address any areas where your brand perception is different from your intended positioning. This can involve updating your product or service offerings, creating sales playbooks, improving customer service, or adjusting your marketing strategy to better align with your target audience.

Language of the Road – Tailoring Your Messaging to Your Audience

Once you've bridged the gap between your intended positioning and your audience's perception, it's essential to communicate your brand positioning clearly and consistently across all marketing channels. This can include your website, social media, email marketing, and any other touchpoints with your audience.

Ensure that your messaging, visual identity, and tone of voice are aligned. Consistency is key to establishing brand recognition and building trust with your audience.

Check the Dashboard – Using Data to Continually Improve

Finally, it's essential to continuously monitor and refine your brand strategy to ensure that your brand positioning remains aligned with your audience's perception. This involves regularly reviewing your brand messaging, tracking your brand's performance across all marketing channels, and gathering feedback from your audience and employees. 

By continuously monitoring and refining your brand strategy, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to ensure that your brand positioning remains in tune with your business goals and values.

Conclusion

So, just as a car needs its wheels to be aligned for optimal performance, a B2B company needs its brand positioning to be aligned with market perception for a smooth and successful ride. By being aware of these potential potholes, businesses can navigate the road to brand alignment more smoothly and effectively, avoiding damage to their momentum and ensuring a consistent and compelling customer experience. Remember, this process takes time and effort, but the results are worth it.