For startups with limited marketing budgets, every pound needs to count. The key to making an impact is crafting a message that speaks directly to your audience and compels them to choose you over the competition. Strong positioning—defining your brand and finding your unique space in the market—is the foundation of a powerful marketing message.

If you're navigating this process for the first time, it can feel overwhelming. Based on experience working with startups across various industries, here are six essential tips to help you refine your messaging and positioning.

1. Don't Skip Competitive Research

In Obviously Awesome, April Dunford emphasises the importance of analysing competitive alternatives when positioning your product. Understanding your competitors helps highlight what makes your offering unique.

Try mystery shopping or purchasing from competitors to experience their buying process firsthand. If you’re in a completely new market with no direct competitors, look at similar industries or substitute solutions to better understand your differentiation.

2. Build Deep Customer Personas

The more you understand your audience, the stronger your messaging will be. Go beyond basic demographics—look at their behaviours, challenges, and motivations.

Map out their buying journey to identify key decision points and opportunities to influence their choices. Consider different buyer roles: decision-makers, influencers, gatekeepers, and blockers. Each of these groups needs tailored messaging to move them towards conversion.

3. Validate Your Messaging with Real Customers

Even if you think you know your audience, your perspective might be biased by your inside knowledge of your product. That’s why validation is key.

Talk to existing customers or use user research platforms to gather insights from your target segment. Surveys and polls can help test assumptions at scale. Ask potential customers to rank key selling points—this reveals what truly matters to them.

4. Back Up Your Claims with Proof

Saying you’re the best isn’t enough—you need to prove it. Customers trust businesses that provide evidence of their value.

Support your messaging with:

✅ Customer testimonials

✅ Case studies

✅ Awards and industry recognition

✅ Metrics and data-driven results

These elements add credibility and build trust, making your messaging far more persuasive.

5. Know When to Focus on Features vs. Benefits

Both feature-driven and benefit-driven messaging have their place.

• Feature-driven messaging works well in saturated markets where differentiation is key.

• Benefit-driven messaging is more effective when entering new markets, where customers may not fully understand how your product compares to alternatives.

In all cases, ensure customers understand not just what you offer, but how it solves their pain points and improves their lives.

6. Stay Adaptable and Keep Evolving

Messaging that works today might not work tomorrow. Markets shift, competitors emerge, and customer needs evolve—your positioning should adapt accordingly.

Stay on top of industry trends, competitor moves, regulatory changes, and shifts in customer behaviour. Regularly reassess your messaging to ensure it remains relevant and compelling.  

Final Thoughts

A well-defined messaging and positioning strategy is more than just a marketing asset—it’s a company-wide resource. It helps align teams across marketing, sales, customer service, and even product development.

By taking a structured, research-backed approach, startups can craft messaging that not only attracts attention but also converts customers and drives growth. 🚀