Brand Positioning That Converts: How to Become #1 in the Minds of Buyers

Table of Contents

Marketing Isn’t Magic—It’s Math (With Better Fonts)

Let’s get one thing straight: marketing isn’t a mystical art practiced by hoodie-wearing wizards who whisper to algorithms under a full moon. It’s not a vibe. It’s not a TikTok dance. And it sure as hell isn’t “just making things go viral.”

Marketing is math. It’s strategy. It’s psychology. It’s business. And yes, it’s also a little bit of theater—but the kind with a spreadsheet backstage and a P&L in the front row, judging your every move like a grumpy Broadway critic.

The Myth of the Marketing Unicorn

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that great marketing is about finding a unicorn—a magical campaign that explodes overnight, gets 10 million views, and makes your CFO cry tears of joy. Spoiler alert: unicorns aren’t real. And if your strategy depends on one, you’re not a marketer—you’re a gambler with a Canva subscription.

Instead of chasing mythical beasts, let’s talk about what actually works. Here’s the truth bomb:

“Marketing isn’t about going viral. It’s about going viable—again and again.”

Viable marketing is repeatable, measurable, and scalable. It’s not sexy, but neither is compound interest—and that’s how Warren Buffett got rich, not by posting thirst traps on Instagram.

The Math Behind the Magic

Let’s break down the real formula behind effective marketing. It’s not complicated, but it is disciplined. Here’s the framework I call the 3M Model (no, not the Post-it Note company):

Market: Who are you talking to? (Hint: “everyone” is not a target audience—it’s a cop-out.)
Message: What are you saying that actually matters to them?
Mechanism: How are you delivering that message in a way that gets attention and drives action?

Get all three right, and you’ve got a marketing engine. Miss one, and you’ve got a very expensive game of digital charades.

1. Know Your Market (Like, Really Know Them)

If your customer personas are still named “Marketing Mary” and “IT Ian,” congratulations—you’ve created a BuzzFeed quiz, not a strategy. Real customer understanding comes from:

Talking to actual customers (yes, with your mouth)
Analyzing behavioral data, not just demographics
Understanding their pain points better than they do

Pro tip: If your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) doesn’t make your sales team nod like they’re at a Metallica concert, it’s not specific enough.

2. Craft a Message That Doesn’t Suck

Here’s a fun exercise: go to your homepage and read the first sentence out loud. If it sounds like it was written by a committee of buzzword-generating AI bots, start over.

Great messaging is clear, bold, and customer-centric. It doesn’t say “we’re innovative.” It shows how you solve a real problem in a way that makes your customer say, “Finally, someone gets it.”

Here’s a simple test: if your message wouldn’t make your customer stop scrolling on LinkedIn, it won’t make them stop in their buying journey either.

3. Pick the Right Mechanism (Not Just the Trendy One)

Just because everyone’s doing webinars doesn’t mean you should. Just because your CEO heard about TikTok at a golf outing doesn’t mean it’s your next growth channel.

Choose your marketing channels based on:

Where your audience actually spends time
What kind of content they consume and trust
Your team’s ability to execute with excellence

Execution matters more than novelty. A well-run email campaign will beat a half-baked metaverse stunt every time. (Also, please stop saying “metaverse.” It’s 2024. Let it go.)

Case Study: The B2B SaaS That Stopped Chasing Trends

One of our clients—a mid-sized B2B SaaS company—was spending $50K/month on paid social with zero attribution clarity. Their CAC was higher than Snoop Dogg on 4/20, and their sales team was drowning in unqualified leads.

We applied the 3M Model:

Refined their ICP to focus on mid-market IT managers in healthcare
Rebuilt messaging around a specific pain point: compliance chaos
Shifted budget to targeted LinkedIn ABM campaigns and SEO content that answered real buyer questions

Result? CAC dropped 38%, SQLs doubled, and the sales team stopped sending us passive-aggressive Slack messages. A win for everyone.

Stop Worshipping the Algorithm. Start Serving the Audience.

Too many marketers are building strategies around what the algorithm wants instead of what the customer needs. That’s like designing a restaurant menu based on what the health inspector likes instead of what your diners crave.

Yes, optimize for reach. Yes, understand the platform. But never forget: the algorithm doesn’t buy your product. People do.

Final Thought: Be the CFO’s Favorite Marketer

If you want to be a CMO who actually gets invited to the boardroom (instead of just being asked to “make it pop”), you need to speak the language of business. That means:

Knowing your CAC, LTV, and payback period cold
Building marketing plans that tie directly to revenue goals
Proving ROI with