Positioning

The place your product occupies in a customer's mind relative to the alternatives they are already considering.

Example

'The scheduling tool for logistics teams who have outgrown spreadsheets but cannot afford an enterprise rollout.'

Positioning is chosen against competitors, including 'do nothing'. If it would fit your competitor equally well, it is not positioning.

Messaging — The specific words you use to express your positioning to a specific audience.
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) — A precise description of the customer who gets the most value from your product and is easiest to reach, sell and keep.
Value proposition — The concrete benefit a specific customer gets, and why it is better than their alternative.

Defining your ICP — The customer who gets the most value and is easiest to reach. If your definition does not tell you where to find them tomorrow, it is not specific enough. (12 min)
Positioning and messaging — Positioning is the place you occupy against the alternatives. Messaging is the words. Most startups get the second one wrong because they skipped the first. (12 min)
Competition and defensibility — Everyone has competitors, including spreadsheets and doing nothing. What matters is why you win a specific segment, and what stops a copy. (12 min)