Keir Whitaker

Positioning & Messaging

People I work with don’t struggle to do great work. They struggle to explain what they do in a way that makes it obvious to the right people.

Their business has evolved. The projects have changed. The value they offer has shifted. But the words they use to describe it are still from an earlier version of the business.

You can usually hear it when they talk about what they do. They start confidently, then qualify or correct themselves. The explanation mostly works in conversation, but it doesn’t quite land on the website or in a pitch. It’s rarely a confidence issue. It’s usually a positioning one.

Positioning

Let’s be honest — ask ten people “what is positioning?” and you’ll likely get ten different answers. Here’s my take. To me, it’s not:

• A clever tagline
• A punchy headline
• A brand exercise full of adjectives

For me, positioning is about the business being clear on:

• Who the business exists to serve
• The problem the business is set up to solve
• Why it’s the right business to solve that problem for that customer

When your positioning doesn’t represent your business, things quietly get harder. Conversations take longer, the right people hesitate, and you’re left explaining things your messaging should already make clear.

Messaging

If positioning is about how the business sees itself, messaging is how that shows up in the real world.

It’s the words you use on your website, in sales conversations, in proposals, and in emails. Good messaging does a lot of the heavy lifting explaining for you. Bad messaging leaves you filling in the gaps as best you can.

When positioning isn’t clear, messaging ends up vague or overcomplicated. When positioning is clear, messaging becomes much easier. You’re no longer trying to persuade or perform. You’re just describing the business in a way that matches reality.

How I Help

When I help with positioning and messaging, the work starts by looking honestly at what the business is today. That usually means:

• Clarifying who you really serve
• Unpacking how you currently describe your work, and how it needs to change
• Looking at the work the business enjoys doing, and where clients see the most value
• Shaping a clearer, simpler way of talking about it

The aim isn’t clever language. It’s being able to explain what you do without caveats, without wincing, and without feeling like you’re oversimplifying.

When your positioning is right, your messaging starts doing its job. Conversations are clearer, the right customers recognise themselves, and things feel less complicated.

If this is something you’re wrestling with, positioning and messaging is one of the ways I help businesses be better.