Marketing how-to

How to do competitive positioning with Claude.

Most B2B companies are positioned indistinguishably from competitors. The fix is structural: find the gap competitors do not address, claim it specifically, defend it consistently. Claude accelerates each step. The strategic conviction stays human. Here is the workflow.

The premise

Why most positioning is generic

Most positioning fails the "substitution test": if I removed the company name from the website, could it apply to 5 competitors? Usually yes. That is not positioning; that is category description.

Real positioning specifies who you are for, who you are NOT for, and what you do that competitors cannot. AI helps you find and sharpen each. The commitment to actually narrow the market stays human.

The competitive analysis prompt

Phase 1

I am positioning [OUR COMPANY] against [N] competitors.

Our product/service: [SHORT]
Our primary ICP: [SHORT]
Competitor list: [NAMES]

For each competitor:
1. How they describe themselves (positioning statement from their website)
2. Who they appear to be for (their ICP signals)
3. The 2-3 things they emphasize
4. The 2-3 things they DO NOT emphasize (gaps)
5. Their pricing model and rough range
6. Their visible weaknesses (from public reviews, complaints, etc.)

Then synthesize across all competitors:
- What every competitor emphasizes (table stakes — do not lead with these)
- What no competitor addresses (potential positioning gap)
- Where do customers complain about competitors (potential entry point)
- Where is the market underserved

Return: 3 specific positioning gaps where we could credibly claim differentiation, ranked by attractiveness.
The positioning sharpening prompt

Phase 2

We have decided to position around [SPECIFIC GAP/CLAIM].

What we currently say: [PASTE EXISTING WEBSITE HERO]
What we want to say (rough): [CANDIDATE POSITIONING]

Generate 5 sharper variants. Each must:
- Pass the substitution test (NO competitor could use the same words)
- Be specific enough to defend
- Lead with what customers GET, not what we ARE
- Avoid: "trusted partner", "industry-leading", "best-in-class", "innovative"
- Be testable in market (could we measure whether buyers find it compelling)

For each variant, explain:
- What we are claiming
- Who self-selects in
- Who self-selects out (this is the test of real positioning)
- The 1 piece of proof we need to back it up

Recommend the strongest variant with reasoning.
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