Strategy for Brand Positioning

As I mull over the finer points of the business model I'm developing in my head, I'm finding the most interesting bloggers and blogs on a variety of interrelated subjects. My current fascination is centered around the subject of brands, branding, brand essence, brand building and positioning. While burrowing myself deeper into the archives of some excellent resources, I find myself having flashbacks to the marketing class required for the Masters' program I was enrolled in, once upon a time. I did not finish the program and owe thousands of dollars, so at least I can begin to feel I received SOME benefit from that strangely cumbersome experience: I actually understand what the heck these bloggers are talking about!! I admit I had a 'high-five' moment.

So I'm considering brand positioning, how will this business endeavor fit itself into the market place, how will it differentiate itself from its' competitors, what value will it bring to the end users' life and how will I go about informing those users of these benefits. After reading this excellent article, I am reminded of a couple of critical questions that any business person will want to ask themselves when thinking about brand positioning:

1. Who is the target for brand use?
2. Why should the brand be considered (i.e., to what category does the brand belong and what goal does it allow the target to achieve)?
3. Why should the brand be chosen over other alternatives in the competitive set?
4. How will choosing the brand help the target members accomplish their goal(s)?

If you or I can positively answer the above questions, we'll know we have the ingredients of a winning formula for providing and maintaining a consistent message to our customers about our product/services, as well as a road map to keep us on the straight and narrow.