Positioning

This week’s readings focused on topics and tips related to “Building a ‘Support Magnet’: Pitching, Positioning, and Presenting.” Never having formally pitched an idea before, I found the articles quite interesting and informative. Although I appreciated all of the tips and tricks mentioned in the article, the most important take away I garnered from the readings was the notion of Product Positioning. Since companies currently exist that are similar to my proposed social venture, I recognize the importance of positioning my product correctly in order to positively differentiate myself from the current market.

In trying to discover additional tips on doing so, I came across the following article, which is full of tips and tricks for positioning your product correctly: http://www.adcracker.com/position/Positioning.htm. The site also offers the following advice:
• The positioning statement: It's all in your mind
• Workshop: How to create a positioning strategy
• 10 positioning strategies - from classic to cutting edge
• A positioning reality check
• Creative positioning tips

Unfortunately, these items are only accessible for a fee, but depending on the seriousness with which one is pursuing their social venture, the cost may be well worth it.

Realizing that the additional information available on the site was only available at a cost, I wondered if it would be worth it for me to purchase it down the line. Similarly, I contemplated whether the benefit of hiring a marketer to handle the positioning and other related marketing aspects of my venture would be worth the expense. After pondering this, I concluded that yes, it would be worth it based upon the possible added market share, public image, etc. Do you agree? Or do you think that a venture could be just as successful without bringing a costly marketer on staff? Is it worth the expense? Feel free to share your thoughts.