Marketing Lessons Older Than AI, eight lessons from marketers who figured this out long before AI, and how I use each one in my business now.
If one of your subscribers had to describe you to a friend in one sentence, what would they say? If you're not sure, or if you think they'd say something different every time, this lesson is for you.
How old is this lesson?
It's 45 years old. Al Ries and Jack Trout published Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind in 1981. They'd been writing about the idea in Advertising Age since 1972, and the book turned it into one of the most used words in marketing.
Their main point was that people are flooded with so many messages that they only remember a few brands in each category. So you can't win by being a little better than everyone else. You win by owning one clear spot in your buyer's head that nobody else owns.
One of their favorite examples was Avis car rental. Avis couldn't claim to be the biggest because Hertz was, so its ads said "We're No. 2. We try harder." Avis turned being second into the reason to pick them.
You win by owning one clear spot that nobody else owns.
The idea behind Positioning, 1981The lesson, in plain words
Pick the one thing you want to be known for, and say it the same way everywhere. Your bio, your freebie, your podcast intro and your sales pages should all point people back to that one idea.
This is harder for creators than for big brands, because we tend to do a lot of things. We teach, we coach, we write, we run events. But if you try to be known for all of it, people don't remember you for any of it.
How I use it in my business
HobbyScool is my favorite example of this. HobbyScool is known for fun, virtual events where makers can try different things to spark their creativity all year long. We run more than 12 virtual summits a year, and every one of them fits that sentence.
That one sentence makes a lot of decisions easy. When we plan a new summit, the question is whether it gives makers a fun way to try something new. When we write an email, we're inviting people to come try something new.
It also makes HobbyScool easy to recommend. A maker who loves our events can tell a friend "they do fun online events where you get to try all kinds of crafts," and that friend knows exactly what they're signing up for.
Positioning does most of its work in the Attract stage of the Creator Growth Flywheel, because it decides who notices you and whether they remember you. It also helps the Advocate stage, since people can only recommend you if they can describe you.
How to use it this week
Write your one sentence
Finish this sentence: "I'm known for ____ for ____." Keep it simple enough that one of your customers could say it to a friend without checking your website.
Check it against your bios
Pull up your website, your social bios, your podcast intro and your freebie page. Do they all say the same thing? Rewrite any that point somewhere else.
Ask a customer
Ask two or three customers how they'd describe what you do. If their answer is close to your sentence, you're on track. If it's different, their version might be the better one.
Mistakes I see creators make with this
- Trying to be known for everything. When your bio lists six things you do, people don't remember any of them. Pick the one that matters most and let the rest support it.
- Changing your sentence every few months. Positioning takes time to stick, because people need to hear the same idea many times. Pick your sentence and keep using it long enough for people to remember it.
- Writing it in industry words. If your positioning sounds like a marketing textbook, your customers won't repeat it. Write it the way a happy customer would say it to a friend.
Why this feels harder than it is
The scary part about positioning is that it feels like you're closing doors. If HobbyScool is about trying new things, does that mean we can't go deep on one craft? Not really. It means the deep dives still fit inside the bigger promise.
The other hard part is that you can see all the things your business does, so one sentence feels too small. But your buyers aren't thinking about your business as much as you are. One clear sentence is a lot easier for them to remember than a list of everything you offer.
What Ries and Trout would tell you about AI
Ries and Trout wrote about people being flooded with too many messages back in 1981. With AI, that flood is a lot bigger now. Anyone can publish a blog post, a course or a newsletter in an afternoon.
So positioning matters more than ever, because AI can copy your content but it can't copy the spot you own in someone's head. When your audience has one clear sentence about you, they come back to you on purpose, and that's how you stand out when everyone's content starts to sound the same.
Keep reading the series.
This post is one of eight. Start with the full series overview, or jump to another lesson:
- Claude Hopkins: test everything and let the numbers decide
- Eugene Schwartz: sell to people based on how aware they already are
- David Ogilvy: the headline does most of the work
- Theodore Levitt: people buy the result, the product is how they get it
- Robert Cialdini: give first and people want to give back
- John Caples: story headlines that make people want to read on
- Gary Halbert: find a starving crowd before you pick an offer
Find out if your business is easy to recommend
The free Creator Growth Flywheel scorecard shows you how well your business attracts the right people, and which stage to work on next.
Take the free scorecard →Frequently asked.
What is positioning in marketing?
Positioning is the one clear spot your brand owns in your buyer's mind. Al Ries and Jack Trout made the idea famous in their 1981 book Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind.
How do I find my positioning as a creator?
Finish the sentence "I'm known for ____ for ____" in words a customer could repeat to a friend. Then make sure your bios, freebies and sales pages all say the same thing.
Does positioning mean I can only do one thing?
No. It means everything you do should fit inside one clear promise. HobbyScool runs many different summits, and they all fit the idea of fun virtual events where makers try new things.
Why does positioning matter more with AI?
AI makes it easy for anyone to create content, so there's more of it competing for attention. A clear position is something AI can't copy, and it gives people a reason to choose you on purpose.
Dr. Destini Copp helps digital product creators build sustainable, systems-based businesses through the Creator Growth Flywheel framework. She's the founder of Creator's MBA and HobbyScool, and has been teaching online business strategy for over a decade. Learn more →
