What is an AI Overview, and how are they changing search?

4 minute read

A person holding a phone in their hight hand, about to search for something on the Google Search engine.

One of the most notable innovations in recent years is the introduction of AI Overviews. These are AI-generated summaries that are reshaping how we access information online and how search engines are functioning in an era which is ever more dominated by artificial intelligence.

So, what exactly is it?

An AI Overview is a concise, automatically generated summary that appears at the very top of search results. Instead of simply listing links, an AI Overview leverages large language models (LLMs) to pull information from across the web and turn it into a readable, contextually relevant answer. For example, if you search for “the best time of year to plant sunflowers”, rather than scrolling through multiple websites to find an answer, an AI Overview might immediately provide you with a curated list of instructions or suggestions.

How does it work?

AI Overviews work by combining search engine indexing with advanced language processing. When a user searches a query:

The search engine scans its index for the most relevant and reliable sources of information.
An AI model processes this data, identifying patterns, facts, and key points.
This model then generates a summary designed to directly answer the query in a conversational and human-like manner.

This process often integrates links to source material, allowing the searcher to dive deeper if they choose.

A google search asking when the best time of year is to plant sunflowers

That all sounds great, but why did we need it?

AI Overviews were introduced to meet the ever-growing demand for faster, more intuitive search experiences. As online information expands, users increasingly want quick, accurate results without wading through endless links and websites. Search engines recognised that AI-driven summaries could reduce friction, improve user experience, and set a new standard.

How are AI Overviews changing search?

AI Overviews are revolutionising online search in many ways:

From search to answers: Traditional search engines function like indexes; they help users find websites where the information may exist. AI shifts this paradigm by giving direct answers, reducing the need for a searcher to click through multiple links to piece together information.
Time-saving convenience: By consolidating information into a single, readable format, AI overviews can save valuable time.
Enhanced context and personalisation: AI Overviews can consider the context of a query, user preferences, and even prior searches to deliver a more personalised result. This moved the search from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to a more tailored experience.
Impact on SEO and content: For businesses, AI Overviews present both challenges and opportunities. While fewer users may click through to traditional websites, there is also a growing need for high-quality, authoritative content that AI systems can surface and summarise.
The impact on search results: Because AI Overviews sit at the very top of results pages, they can influence exactly how users interact with search content. Click-through rates on traditional links may decrease, but traffic may shift towards the sources cited in the overview.

The pros and cons

Like everything, there are pros and cons to AI Overviews:

Pros –

Faster, more efficient access to information.
Summarised insights without overwhelming the searcher with too many links.
Potential to surface high-quality, authoritative content.
Personalised results based on context and user intent.

Cons –

Runs the risk of reduced website traffic as searchers may not click beyond the summary.
Potential for inaccuracies and incomplete answers.
Limited visibility for smaller publishers who may struggle to be included.
Less control for businesses over how their content is presented.

How to optimise your content for AI Overviews

To maximise visibility, businesses should:

Focus on high-quality content: Provide detailed, well-structured and authoritative information that AI models can easily extract and summarise.
Answer questions directly: Write content that addresses common search queries clearly and concisely.
Prioritise trustworthiness: Cite sources, keep information accurate and build domain authority to be recognised as a reliable source.
Optimise for user intent: Go beyond keywords and focus on solving problems, providing actionable insights and meeting user needs.

By aligning with how AI Overviews function, businesses can increase their chances of being included in these summaries, ultimately maintaining visibility in a changing online environment.

What does all of this mean for the future of search?

AI Overviews signal a shift toward and more conversational and answer-driven search experience. Rather than serving as a gateway to the web, search engines are becoming knowledge providers in their own right.

For users, this means faster, more intuitive access to information. For businesses and marketers, it underscores the importance of creating trustworthy, detailed and well-structured content.

When it comes to navigating this new era of search, we’re here to help! We specialise in SEO tailored to drive visibility. By combining creative content with data-driven insight, we empower businesses to stand out in both traditional search and AI-powered summaries, keeping your content not just seen, but surfaced where it matters the most.

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16.07.25

Which Website Platform Is Best for Your Business?

by

3 minute read

With so many website platforms to choose from, it can be tricky to know what’s best for your business, particularly if you’re not sure about the options or the differences between them.

The answer to the question, which one do I pick, is generally determined by what you need and want to do with your website, and very importantly, what is your budget?

Your digital agency will be able to provide guidance on which platform will be best for you. That being said, it can be useful to have a bit of background knowledge about your options to help you understand why certain solutions are pitched.

Our Top Picks

After over 15 years in the website-building business, we have tried out or encountered almost all the major platforms on offer. With that experience, we choose to offer four website types: Standard WordPress, WordPress WooCommerce, Shopify and Laravel.

We know them in depth, and we understand how to maximise their potential to deliver stunning websites for our clients time and time again.

Standard WordPress

Powerful, flexible and trusted since 2003, WordPress remains one of the world’s more popular CMS systems, and for good reason!

Ideal for SME businesses, WordPress offers a perfect blane of simplicity, performance and professional design. It’s intuitive, user-friendly, and highly scalable, meaning your website can evolve seamlessly as your business grows.

What sets WordPress appart is its incredible versatility. Our developers can craft a unique, fully customised website that reflects your brands personality, not just another cookie-cutter template with a refreshed colour scheme. WordPress makes it easy to add non-standard functionality tailored to your business goals.

WordPress WooCommerce

If you have products, to sell or to showcase, a WordPress WooCommerce site is a great solution.

This website type comes with all the benefits of a standard WordPress site. A familiar admin, bespoke styling, and scalability, with the added integration of product management and sales.

Shopify

Shopify is a CMS system and platform whose primary function is to provide a solution to build websites for e-commerce. While in the vast majority of circumstances we recommend WordPress WooCommerce, Shopify offers a budget-consious alternative.

The compromise with a Shopify website is a much lower level of customisation. We can still integrate your branding through colours, fonts, images, and other simpler styling decisions, but the overall originality remains limited.

Laravel

If you are a business with an extensive website system or an e-commerce site with a high sales volume, Laravel provides an excellent solution. This brilliant tool can also be used to create highly bespoke non-client-facing applications such as costing calculators, tracking systems or complex internal product management tools.

Laravel websites and applications are incredibly lightweight and fast compared to WordPress, as it doesn’t carry unnecessary built-in code and, which can make WordPress websites feel weighty.

As a web application framework, Laravel provides our developers much deeper and more comprehensive control in comparison to WordPress websites. This allows for advanced integrations, highly bespoke features and complete customisation control over both the backend and front-facing client-side. With Laravel, the limitations are your imagination and your budget.

Quick guide

Type	Eccomerce	Budget	Speed	Customisation	Advanced Integration
WordPress	No	Low-Mid	Good	Great	Limited
WordPress WooCommerce	Yes	Mid	Good	Great	Limited
Shopify	Yes	Low	Good	Okay	No
Laravel	Yes	Mid-High	Excellent	Excellent	Yes

Still wondering which website type is right for you and your business? We always complete a full scope with our clients, discussing needs, wants and business aspirations to ensure you have a fully functioning website that is truly right for you.

Get the ball rolling by contacting us for a comprehensive scope and quote.

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15.05.25

Website design & development: how we set you up for success

by

3 minute read

Woods Valldata website design & development

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of websites in today’s digital age. A well-designed website not only delivers key information about your business, products and services but should also capture your brand identity. In doing this, a website becomes a gateway to connect customers and clients directly to you and your business. They are a tool for driving growth, strengthening customer relationships, and ultimately, keeping you competitive.

So, yes, a website is essential. Partnering with a creative agency that understands your business ensures a smoother process and the best possible results. Explore our recent projects to see how we’ve brought businesses to life online.

How often should you update your website?

In a nutshell, we recommend updating your website every four years. Within that time frame, your business has likely grown or developed in new ways. Rather than working with extras tagged onto your website, a rebuild ensures your site is efficient and cohesive when viewed from the front-end or admin area.

Design trends and web technology are constantly evolving and improving. Keeping your website updated reduces the risk of errors caused by unsupported code. It also allows you looking fresh so you stand out against your competitors.

WordPress Websites

The majority of our websites are built using WordPress. With over 10 years of experience working with this hugely versatile and scalable CMS, we know all the tricks to delivering high-quality, bespoke websites that do exactly what you need.

Our Process: from concept to launch

Scoping: kicking off your website project

The development of every website begins with scoping. During this phase, we take the time to get to know everything about you: do you need e-commerce, where are the weaknesses, which sites inspire you, what are your business goals for the next year or 5 years? With this information and more, the foundation of your website starts to come into focus.

Website design: the look and feel of your website

With the scoping of your website determined, we first confirm a sitemap plan. Then, the project passes to the talented hands of our design team. With a wealth of industry know-how and experience, including responsive design, accessibility and UX (user experience), you can rest assured that your site will be technically up to scratch. They are able to bring together insights from the scoping and design inspiration to deliver a refreshing design for your website.

We start with the homepage. As the primary page users will land on, it’s vital that it both looks and feels right while delivering the information and functionality needed for your users. Once we get this spot on, our designs will use the homepage to broaden your website design onto a selection of key pages.

Website development: the building blocks of your website

With the designs signed off, it’s over to the dev team. WordPress websites can deliver a comprehensive system of bespoke layouts, styling and animations, the extent of which is only limited by your imagination and budget.

Your website setup will include a custom theme following current standards and best development practices. We will ensure you’re only set up with plugins that are necessary to deliver what you need to limit unnecessary clutter. As standard, we complete cross-browser and cross-device testing to make sure your site looks top-notch at any size and provide an admin tutorial to help you get to know your site to help you navigate and edit your website.

Content: adding content to your website

We always set up the content on your website’s primary pages, as determined in scoping. These serve as a guide, along with an admin tutorial, if you wish to add the remaining content yourself. If you need content support, we can help. From copywriting to imagery, we can assist in a variety of ways, depending on your needs and budget.

Launch: launching your new website

We deliver a completely managed launch process that includes everything you need for a smooth transition. Our dev team are able to coordinate with 3rd parties, complete server setups and provide search-engine-friendly redirects from your old site in preparation for your new website launch. Post launch, we will complete a series of tests and checks to ensure everything it running smoothly. We also offer free corrections for any snags that arise for up to 30 days post-launch.

A new website is more than just updating your online presence, it’s an opportunity to reflect on your business and evaluate your plans for the future. To kick off a discussion about a new website, get in touch with us today.

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05.03.25

Why you should outsource your marketing in 2025

by Becca

2 minute read

Resolution team discussion around the table

So far in 2025, companies have begun to pivot towards strategies that help them stay ahead of the competition. One notable approach is the outsourcing of marketing functions. This strategy brings a host of advantages, including significant cost reductions, improvements in marketing effectiveness and the ability to tap into a diverse pool of expertise all in one place.

The marketing industry has experienced remarkable changes over the past few years, particularly due to the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and the growing intricacies of digital platforms. To keep pace with these developments, businesses must invest in dedicated resources and ongoing education.

By outsourcing, companies can tap into the expertise of professionals who are well-versed in the latest marketing trends and tools, helping them stay relevant and competitive in the market.

So, what are the benefits of outsourcing your marketing?

Cost Efficiency: Running an internal marketing team comes with various costs, including salaries, training and the necessary infrastructure. With the UK Government’s increase in National Insurance expected to impact employment in 2025/26, these expenses could rise even further. By outsourcing marketing functions, companies can avoid these overhead costs, enabling them to use their resources and investments more strategically and effectively.
Access to Specialised Skills: Marketing encompasses various disciplines, including SEO/PPC, web applications, content creation, social media management and data analytics. Outsourcing connects businesses with experts proficient in these areas, ensuring the high-quality execution of marketing strategies.
Scalability and Flexibility: Outsourced services offer the flexibility to scale efforts based on the businesses’ needs, whether this be launching a new product or entering a different market.
Enhanced Focus on Core Activities: Delegating marketing tasks to external professionals allows business owners and internal teams to concentrate on primary operations, fostering innovation and efficiency.
Access to Advanced Tools and Technologies: Marketing agencies invest in the latest tools and platforms to deliver optimal results. Partnering with such agencies provides businesses with access to these resources without additional investments.

Resolution Design is an award-winning creative marketing agency. Since 2007 we have been dedicated to assisting SME businesses throughout the South West and beyond to achieve their growth objectives through comprehensive marketing solutions.

Here are just some of the services we offer –

Web Applications: Developing custom web solutions to meet unique business requirements.
Graphic Design: Crafting visually appealing materials that align with brand messaging for digital and print. From Logo design to social media campaigns, our designers are on hand to help bring your creative vision to life.
Digital Marketing: Implementing strategies across SEO, PPC, social media, email marketing and more to enhance online presence.
Website Development: Creating user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing websites that serve as effective digital storefronts.

(You can view our full range of services here!)

Our integrated approach ensures that all marketing efforts are cohesive and aligned with business goals and objectives. We offer a reliable partnership for businesses aiming to elevate their marketing strategies.

Outsourcing marketing functions in 2025 presents a strategic advantage for businesses seeking efficiency, expertise and flexibility. Collaborating with a reputable agency can provide tailored solutions that drive growth and success in an ever-evolving market landscape.

Want to find out more? Contact our friendly team today.

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22.01.25

The Impact of AI on Marketing: What Changes Will 2025 Bring?

by Becca

5 minute read

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been transforming the digital marketing landscape for years, but 2025 is set to be a pivotal year, with industry leaders like Apple and Google launching their own advanced AI assistance, Apple Intelligence and Gemini.
Ongoing innovations and the rapid growth of AI promise to reshape how brands and businesses interact with consumers.

Smarter AI, Smarter Marketing

Apple’s AI and Google’s Gemini represent the next generation of integrated AI technology. These platforms promise to deliver personalisation and contextual understanding. For a business, this means the ability to:

Deliver more personalised content: AI assistance enables advanced machine learning to understand individual messages, which will create meaningful connections with the audience.
Enhancing voice search optimisation: With more and more AI systems being integrated into devices and services, voice search will become even more efficient and widespread. This raises the question, will businesses need to prioritise voice search optimisation to stay visible and relevant? It’s something we’ll be closely watching over the coming months!
Predictive insights: AI can process vast amounts of consumer data to predict trends and behaviour enabling businesses to act proactively rather than reactively, making campaigns more effective and efficient.

What are some of the key changes in 2025?

The Rise of Conversational Commerce
When it comes to search and shopping, tools like Apple Intelligence and Gemini are set to transform how consumers act. These tools not only recommend products that may be the most relevant, but they will also help guide seamless purchases through voice commands and conversational interfaces.

Amazon’s Alexa has had this capability for years now. For example, you can ask Alexa to build your desired shopping list throughout the day to then purchase in one simple transaction at your convenience However, there are limitations with Alexa as this device is typically anchored at the home or workplace.
These ongoing shifts in shopping behaviours demand that businesses rethink their e-commerce strategies to include AI-driven shopping experiences.

Evolving Ad Strategies
Traditional advertising methods will continue to give way to AI-enhanced targeting and we are already seeing advertising campaigns using AI.
In 2024, Coca-Cola produced 3 AI Christmas campaigns which received mixed feedback from consumers, with many feeling it had lost the spark and magic it once had. However, with AI systems accessing more detailed user insights, businesses can create advertisements that feel more like helpful suggestions than intrusive promotions. We can’t wait to see the development of these advertising campaigns in the future!

Search Behaviours
With the integration of Apple Intelligence and Gemini on their respective devices, search behaviour will become more conversational and contextual. Users can expect immediate responses which will need to push businesses to invest in SEO management to ensure they are appearing at the top of search results and suggested content.

Preparing for an AI Future

Now, we don’t believe AI is going to take over completely in 2025, but it is something we all need to be more aware of, the landscape is evolving and businesses need to embrace and evolve with it. To help you get started, we’ve shared some of our top tips:

Focus on ethical marketing: As AI collects more data, being transparent about usage and prioritising consumer privacy will build trust and loyalty.
Upskill teams: Work with marketing agencies who have the knowledge and skills to leverage any emerging AI technologies effectively.
Stay Agile: Don’t shy away from AI, you may not have to embrace it with open arms but don’t close the door on it completely! Businesses and brands must be prepared to pivot long-term strategies as new tools and capabilities emerge.

How can Resolution Design help?

Navigating the complexities of AI-driven marketing requires expertise and a clear strategy. At Resolution, we specialise in helping businesses adapt to the evolving landscape of marketing and leverage its potential to achieve exceptional results.

Here are just a few ways we can support your business –

Content creation and strategy: We can help you to produce engaging content that resonates with your audience. With the rapid changes in search algorithms, having relevant, high-quality content is more important than ever.

SEO/PPC: Our skilled team can optimise your website and campaigns to improve search engine rankings and maximise ROI. From tailored keyword strategies to driven ad targeting, we help ensure that your business remains competitive in search results.

Website Design: Having a website that is visually appealing, user-friendly and optimised for performance is essential. We design and build websites that not only reflect your identity but also incorporate best practices in SEO, mobile optimisation and user insights to enhance engagement.

Transparent practices: We prioritise ethical marketing practices, which ensure your data usage builds trust and complies with regulations.

Continuous guidance and support: Our team provides strategic support, keeping you informed about the latest developments in marketing and how we can implement them effectively, whether this be website plug-in updates or updates to social media algorithms, we’re here to help!

Integrated systems like Apple Intelligence and Gemini are just the beginning of a new era in AI. These tools can empower businesses to engage with consumers, in ways that were previously unimaginable, however, there will be some bumps in the road – and this is where we’re here to help!
2025 is already shaping up to be a year of transformation, but the question is: Are you ready to embrace the future of marketing?

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17.09.24

Benefits of a UX Audit

by

2 minute read

woman-typing-on-computer-christin-hume-unsplash

If you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking “What is a UX Audit and why do I need one?” Well look no further, let us explain!

First of all, what is UX in Design?

UX stands for User Experience. Essentially, it’s creating products that are both easy and enjoyable to use. The process involves evaluating and understanding the user’s needs and wants regarding the product and executing the design to ensure that they are functional, behave as expected, and are satisfying to use.

It’s typically a term used in digital design, ensuring from the beginning that the user experience is at the forefront of the mind. Good UX would look at how different people, or personas, may interact with the website and ensure there are clear and easy paths to complete each action successfully.

What is a UX Audit?

A UX Audit is the process of evaluating a product (such as a website or application), identifying the root causes of any flaws in the user journey and producing solutions to solve the errors. This is done by identifying the key user types of this product and mapping out their goals and journeys across the product to then subsequently test.

These journeys are typically tested using a Heuristic evaluation method, which essentially is a set of guidelines that ensure a product is easy to use. The most common of these frameworks is Neilson’s Heuristics which are 10 principles to adhere to that create better user experiences from Error Prevention to Flexibility and Efficiency of use to Aesthetic and Minimalistic Design.

Why do I need a UX Audit?

It is generally considered that a website or digital product should be refreshed every 2-3 years, or it runs the risk of becoming dated and no longer easy to use as the digital landscape and user behaviours change rapidly.

A UX Audit considers this and evaluates a product to create a more efficient and streamlined journey that leaves any user satisfied that they have achieved their intended goal for your product, prolonging the life of your product or service and keeping your customers happy.

How can Resolution Design help?

You didn’t think we’d write all this without telling you how we can help?! At Resolution we have a dedicated in-house digital design team, specialising in user experience. If you believe your website or digital product runs the risk of not having a smooth and easy user journey, we can help.

With our knowledge and experience, we can provide you with a UX Audit Report and work collaboratively with you to enhance your digital product and ensure your customers are happy and satisfied.

Interested in finding out more? Contact us today!

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08.11.21

The most overlooked marketing idea?

by Richard

2 minute read

Most of us think of marketing as a way of increasing desire, a way to encourage customers to rush out and purchase our products and services. This is of course, true, marketing is ‘fuel’. We need an attractive brand, excellent creative ideas, technical skills and accurate data to allow us to fine-tune the delivery of all this lovely fuel.

We obsess about making our businesses as attractive as possible, creating a better offering than our competition, straining every sinew to impress our customers. This is all very good, spot-on, obsessing about your sales and marketing is key to business success.

But, and there is a but, we may have lost a bit of good, old-fashioned know-how in our quest for better ‘fuel’. Yes, fuel is great, but great marketing also needs to carefully consider something else. Any ideas? Quick clue, I got 2nd place in the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ race at primary school, it’s the greatest school race of them all in my view… yes, the obstacle race.

Great marketing needs to consider all possible ways of removing obstacles for the customer. Removing obstacles to response, to sale, is very powerful. We want to make everything as easy as possible for our customers. Make your offering crystal clear, explain your pricing simply, ensure that responding or buying involves the absolute minimum effort for your customers. We mentioned the importance of simplicity in our recent design psychology blog, so can you extend that simplicity further in your business? How can you ask less of your customers in order to attract more? Food for thought.

I’ll leave you with a lovely example though. A furniture company was wondering why they were getting great interest in their sofas, but few sales. They considered numerous ways to ‘fuel’ a greater desire to get customers over the line. But after some research, they realised that the problem was not a lack of desire, but a genuine obstacle. Their customers already had sofas and did not know how to dispose of them responsibly to make space for the new sofa. Solution… free old sofa collection with new sofa delivery… sales exploded.

Thanks for reading, and in the spirit of success for COP26, remember, we’re all in this together.

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14.10.21

Design psychology – 6 tips to improve your website

by Richard

4 minute read

Did you know that our brains rely heavily on mental models and patterns, taking shortcuts to minimise thinking time? Put simply, we all make unconscious assumptions, particularly when it comes to the vast amounts of visual information we have to process.

That’s why having an understanding of design psychology in marketing is handy: it allows us to design for minds on auto-pilot. Here are 6 useful tips you can apply to improve your website for our effort-averse brains.

1. Keep it simple

When people land on your site they want to know, very quickly, who you are and what you do, so tell them. Be clear with your message and ensure you position your business effectively. It’s no surprise that research confirms that clean, minimalist websites are often the best performers.

Straightforward navigation – from menus to drivers – coupled with crisp copy and a consistent visual identity will help deliver journeys that customers (specifically their brains) enjoy.

roebuck

Also, consider the principle of proximity. We perceive objects clustered together as being related to one another, so ensure that related items are grouped and also, importantly, leave plenty of space between content that is not related. Designers love white space for a very good reason, it’s breathing room for our brains.

2. Use compelling imagery

This tip is no surprise, after all, a picture paints a thousand words. Images act as instant storytellers, they can powerfully communicate emotion and thought in no time at all. You can capture your customers’ attention by using a well-placed, attractive image.

Visitors to your website will ‘read’ the images and in a split second, make a decision whether or not the rest of your website is relevant to them. So take your time to find high-quality imagery that not only communicates what you want but also sends the right messages about your business.

hug pet food

3. Contrast, colour & CTAs

Using pops of colour and designs that utilise contrast is important for a brain-friendly website. According to the isolation effect, when we are shown multiple objects, the one that stands out is the one we’re likely to remember.

When faced with designs that lack visual contrast, we’re less likely to remember vital aspects. Making useful information distinct via differing colours, positioning, size, and shape can help it to be absorbed more easily.

CTA example

When it comes to the all-important Call to Action (CTA) buttons; ‘contact us’, ‘buy now’ or the ‘free 14 day trial’ shown in the zPlan site above, there are some broad colour rules. The best colours for CTAs are those that tend to evoke positive emotions. Red, green and orange are considered good colours; red evoking urgency, green being reassuring and orange being warm and happy. Less good colours, the more emotionally passive colours, are white, black and brown.

4. Content hierarchy and the F-shaped path

Eye-tracking studies have shown that when we browse a website for information, we often scan in an F-shape. We start at the top, shift to the right, then sift downwards, searching the page for useful imagery or text. Try to avoid putting key information at the bottom right of a page – most visitors are less likely to reach it.

Also, consider content hierarchy. Your average visitor will only read roughly 20% of your web page, so make sure you communicate the important things first, your key content needs to be top of your page with strong visual prominence, you can then move on to the ‘detail’ later, for those more patient visitors!

You can also break up the content of your pages to make them more scannable using:

Carefully crafted subheadings
Thematically ordered paragraphs
Bolded keywords
Lists
Columns

5. Pair words with images

According to dual-coding theory, a blend of verbal and non-verbal information makes it easier for us to remember data. Verbal information and non-verbal information are sorted using different cognitive systems, so communicating information to both systems helps people shape correct mental models.

print design - resolution

6. Embrace centre-stage

When we’re shown a range of similar items, we tend to prefer the one in the middle – this is called the centre-stage effect. This is a beneficial concept to consider if you’re designing visuals to promote a product or service – be it in email marketing, on your website, or in an ad.

If you’re trying to drive the sale of specific items or services, curate your website journey accordingly. For example, a promotional shot could feature several products, carefully positioned around a central item – the one you want customers to gravitate towards.

Did you make it…

If you made it this far down the post, your brain is in excellent shape, great job! You did so much better than those cognitively idle so and so’s who only read 20%, scanned the rest in an F-shaped pattern and looked at the pictures… 🙂

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30.09.21

The power of good positioning

by Richard

4 minute read

The adage ‘you can’t please all of the people all of the time’ is reassuring and certainly true. We all have different perspectives, beliefs and experiences that shape our perceptions of the world, so we’re bound to have differing views.

We’re all constantly adapting to the complex variety of situations we find ourselves in. Our ‘work’ selves, home ‘selves’, ‘out on the town’ selves. We’re all ‘marketing’ to some degree, influencing the perception of those around us. ‘Positioning’ ourselves if you like.

Naturally, in positioning our products or services we need to have the same sensitivities. We need to understand who we are talking to, in what context, and how we can help. We cannot please everyone, if we tried to our message would be so bland and diluted as to become meaningless. So who should we try to engage? Let’s introduce the idea of the smallest viable audience.

Smallest viable audience

Your product or service may be perfectly suitable for a very broad range of audiences, but the question is, who is a perfect fit? The Holy Grail for marketing is not to ‘please’ but to ‘delight’ your target audience… to be the product or service that fits perfectly with your target audience’s perceptions and requirements and communicate this specifically to them.

In this way, you can create true advocates for your business. By honestly communicating the same ‘world view’ as your target audience, helping to solve their problems and desires, they will love what you do and recommend you when they can. But you can only do this by truly understanding who your target audience is and narrowing your focus to be on just them… even if you alienate everyone else…

I could give you examples of successful high-profile product positioning, but these examples will not be especially relatable if you’re a smaller business. So instead I’m going to share an example closer to home, our own recent repositioning, which I hope stimulates some thoughts about your own business.

Considering repositioning

I have to confess that at Resolution we have had a positioning dilemma for a few years. In common with many smaller firms, we have a moderately broad range of services and we also work with many different types of business. Whilst this approach has served us very well, it has created a problem… we can be perceived as generalists.

For example… if we’re pitching for a website for an accountants let’s say, we can certainly do a great job and we have several lovely website examples in that sector. But if we happen to be up against an agency that positions themselves as the ‘Specialist marketing agency for accountants’, you can see the problem. Whatever the reality, the perception is that their specific knowledge will translate to a better result for the client. They have narrowed their market and with a sector-specific focus, they have gained marketing power.

Transitioning your business to become a sector specialist is a daunting prospect. Which sector to choose? How long will it take to become recognised? Another option is to become a service or product specialist, focus solely on your one key service/ product. Or potentially both service and sector specialisation… ‘Specialist website design for accountants’ for example.

To help solve our positioning dilemma, we looked through the many projects we’ve been involved in over the years and discovered something interesting. We mainly work with startups and SMEs looking to rebrand and reposition themselves. Then a realisation, we love working with startups and scaleups, more than that we really believe in the benefits that small businesses deliver to our local economies and local communities. It’s something we are truly proud to be part of.

This realisation is a great help. We now know more specifically who we want to talk to, we will narrow our focus and become specialists in helping startups and scale-up businesses. Having this understanding of our target audience is very powerful in shaping our marketing communications. It’s likely we’ll continue fine-tuning our positioning as we transition to discover our smallest viable audience, but for now, this is a great start.

Marketing promise

To help you understand who your own positioning here’s a simple template, a three-sentence marketing promise you can use, from Seth Godin’s book ‘This is Marketing’:

My product/ service is for people who believe in ___________________

I will focus on people who want to ___________________

I promise that engaging with what I make/ do will help you get __________________

For Resolution our marketing promise is this…

Our service is for people who believe in the power of a good brand.

We will focus on people who want to launch a startup business or scale up an existing SME business.

We promise that engaging with what we do will help you get more customer engagement and more sales.

If you’d like to talk about positioning or repositioning your business we’d love to chat, please get in touch.

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