How to Differentiate your Brand in a Competitive Market

A step-by-step Guide to making a clear Market Positioning Strategy using the Brand “Ear Worm” Effect

Every once in a while, a song gets stuck in your head. You know the type. It’s the song that you hear everywhere. In the car, in a café, in the supermarket, on your friend’s playlist. Before long, you’re humming along without realising it. Last Summer I found myself humming along to several songs about coffee – namely Espresso and Espresso Macchiato – before I even knew the songs or singers!

That’s what powerful brand positioning feels like. When your story, logo, and message become a kind of “ear worm” in a new market. They feel familiar, yet maybe not quite recognisable. But they’re definitely impossible to ignore. 

Your audience starts to see your brand name everywhere. Your goal is to lead them to such good brand recall that they eventually seek you out on their own.

In crowded markets, being remembered is half the battle. The other half is ensuring that what people remember and experience sets you apart for the right reasons. This is where a clear market positioning strategy comes in. It’s a framework for making your story findable, credible, and consistent across every touch point – from awareness and recall to purchase and experience.

In this article, I’ll step through how to strengthen the positioning of your business or personal brand in new markets and ensure that it stands out authentically.

1. Step 1: Introduce the Market to Your Brand Story
2. Step 2: Put Faces to the Story
3. Step 3: Adapt Your Messaging to the Market
4. Step 4: Amplify What Works
5. Step 5: Target Your Audience Where They Are
6. Step 6: Consider AI-Driven Visibility
7. Step 7: Own the Comparison
8. Step 8: Convert Curiosity into Conversation
9. Conclusion: Consistency Is Your Differentiator

Step 1: Introduce the Market to Your Brand Story

Your brand story is the foundation of how the market understands you. It’s not just what you sell, but why you exist and what change you stand for.

Control your narrative early, whether you’re launching a startup or building your own professional reputation. Don’t let others fill in the blanks about what you stand for.

You have to teach the market who you are. You do it by showing up with the same story everywhere. To differentiate effectively, introduce your brand story consistently across every channel, from PR and event panels to social media captions and website copy.

Step 2: Put Faces to the Story

People connect with people, not just logos or slogans.

For founders and business leaders, your personal brand amplifies your company’s positioning. Visibility matters: a strong LinkedIn profile, a clear thought-leadership voice, and media mentions all help shape how your market perceives you.

Being searchable and findable is part of this. Make sure your leadership profiles, bios, and digital footprints reinforce the same brand narrative that lives on your website.

Step 3: Adapt Your Messaging to the Market

Even the strongest story evolves once it meets the real world.

Pay attention to what resonates with your audience: which posts are shared, what phrases clients repeat back to you, which ideas spark curiosity. These are clues to how your brand is being received and where it stands out.

If you already have a brand framework or messaging guide, revisit it regularly. Adjust phrases, visuals, and examples to reflect what’s landing best. 

Your brand messaging isn’t static; it’s a continuous feedback loop between your story and your audience.

Step 4: Amplify What Works

Once you know what’s resonating, amplify it ruthlessly.

Create campaigns around your best-performing ideas and distribute them across the channels where your audience spends time. Build content pillars that support your main story and use data to guide investment in the channels that convert.

For example, if your thought-leadership article on sustainable design drives more engagement than your product posts, that’s an insight. Use it.

Step 5: Target Your Audience Where They Are

Differentiation doesn’t work if no one sees you.

Research the distribution channels that match your audience’s habits. For example:

• PR and organic search for brand authority and discoverability
• Social media for community and narrative repetition
• Thought leadership and events (especially in B2B or B2G) to build credibility through expertise

You don’t have to be everywhere, but you do have to be present in the right places, consistently.

Step 6: Consider AI-Driven Visibility

A new dimension of brand positioning is emerging: AI visibility.

Large language models (LLMs) — like ChatGPT or Google Gemini — now act as information gateways. When someone asks, “Who are the top consultancies in X?” or “What companies help with Y?”, you want your brand to appear in those results.

To influence this, focus on two things:

1. Optimise your own website content: use clear, factual, authoritative language about what you do.
2. Contribute to third-party publications: reputable media, guest blogs, and knowledge platforms are likely to be indexed by AI datasets.

It’s the next frontier of discoverability: shaping how not just people, but machines, understand your brand story and can differentiate you from competitors.

Step 7: Own the Comparison

In competitive markets, people will compare you to others. Don’t shy away from it — own it.

Publish fair, helpful comparisons between your brand and others in your space. Be respectful and factual; the goal is clarity, not combat.

Show where you excel, where your approach differs, and who might be the right fit for each. This kind of transparency builds trust.

By controlling the narrative, you avoid being defined by others. Instead, your informative content will guide potential customers toward the right conclusions.

Step 8: Convert Curiosity into Conversation

Once your message lands, make it easy for people to act. Customer experience starts even before their first purchase.

For example, few things frustrate potential clients more than not being able to reach you. Whether it’s a demo form, a contact email, or a LinkedIn DM, remove friction between interest and action.

Ensure your website and Google listings display clear, easy-to-find contact information. Conversations – whether by website form, sales call, or live webinar – transform positioning into conversion.

Conclusion: Consistency Is Your Differentiator

Differentiation isn’t about shouting louder; it’s about singing the same tune across every channel, every time.

Stay true to your authentic story. Meet your audience where they are. And repeat it — not once or twice, but relentlessly. In a crowded market, consistency is what cuts through the noise.

When your story is consistent, your leaders are visible, and your message adapts to what resonates, you become that brand people can’t forget. Your brand “tune” will keep playing in their minds long after the first encounter.