Why positioning has to come first

I’m in the throes of writing a book, and I have to say, the process is both exhilarating and frustrating.

Exhilarating because I am clear on what needs to be said and who I’m writing for, but frustrating because it’s hard to find focused time working on it while running a business at the same time.

For me, this is much more than just another project to work on.

It came about from something I finally claimed for myself a couple of years ago: My stake in the ground is brand positioning for small businesses.

I don’t mean branding at the surface level when referring to a logo, colours, fonts, or a nice-looking website.

Brand positioning is so much more than that. More than I think many realize.

It’s definitely not in a marketing sense of throwing more content, ads, posts, emails, or tactics into the world either!

Brand positioning is the strategic process of defining what the business owner stands for, who they are really here to serve, why that matters, and how to become the clear choice for the right people over other options.

The funny thing is, I had been doing this work for years.

I just didn’t always call it that.

For a long time, I described myself as the owner of a full-service website and marketing agency. And that was true. Through eVision Media, we’ve helped clients with websites, branding, SEO, content, social media, email marketing, and all the pieces that help a business show up professionally.

Brand positioning was already part of how I approached every client project, even before I was calling it that.

But once I started looking at our work through that lens, certain commonalities became easier to see.

Clients would come to us because they wanted their business to look more professional and bring in more leads and sales.

That was the problem they could see. They wanted a better website, stronger marketing, and to look more credible online.

And yes, we could, and still do, help with all of that.

But before we could create any of those pieces properly, we had to understand more about the business foundation.

What were their mission and values? What made them unique?

What did their ideal client need to believe before choosing them?

Without those answers, the website, logo, social posts, and marketing materials could look nice and still not build the credibility, authority, or trust they needed.

That’s when I realized brand positioning needed to become the hero of our offerings and the driving force behind everything we do.

Once I started seeing this pattern more clearly, it became impossible to ignore.

I would see entrepreneurs on Facebook struggling with their marketing and wondering why nothing seemed to be working.

New clients would come to us after already trying several things, but with lacklustre results.

I could see right away that their website gave one impression, but their social media gave another. And then their marketing materials looked like they belonged to a different business altogether!

I realized a lot of it was created based on personal preference. The colours and style they personally liked, or what they saw someone else use that caught their eye.

And I understood why they were doing it. They’re busy, have limited budgets and just want to get things done so they can get clients.

But what I kept seeing was that these visible pieces were being created before the foundation work was done, creating a disconnect that kept them spinning their wheels without gaining real traction.

And that randomness was costing them more than they realized.

It wasn’t presenting them professionally or building the credibility and trust they needed to earn.

When I tried to explain that to some people, they didn’t always see what I was seeing.

Which frustrated me.

Not in a judgmental way. More in a “how do I help them understand this?” kind of way.

Because to them, brand positioning sounded like something for big corporations with big budgets. It felt too detailed, too costly, and too far removed from the immediate goal of getting clients.

They wanted the marketing to work, but they didn’t yet understand why this process had to come first.

That’s when I started to understand that my own message had to become firmer before I could help them see the importance of theirs.

And so I stopped agreeing to build websites or come up with marketing strategies without doing a proper brand analysis first.

I’ll admit that felt a little risky at first.

It meant I had to turn away people who were only price shopping or who wanted to jump straight into the visible pieces without doing the analysis first.

But the greater risk was saying yes.

Because if we built the website without the positioning, or forged ahead with marketing without understanding the ideal client deeply enough, we were setting the work up to underperform.

The client might not get the result they wanted, and my team would be trying to build a strategy around important missing pieces.

And I would know we had skipped the very thing that could have made the website, messaging, and marketing stronger.

If the foundation isn’t firmly in place, the marketing shouldn’t be built as though it is.

That decision also helped me see myself differently.

Becoming a Brand Positioning Strategist didn’t feel like inventing a new identity. It felt like finally using the right words for what had been in place all along.

Then came the No More Wasted Marketing workbook.

Writing that workbook helped me organize the process even more. It brought forward the Position Strong Foundation Method™ and gave me a simpler way to explain what brand positioning really means for a small business.

Once that workbook was done, I knew I had much more to say!

And so writing this book became necessary.

Because small business owners are skipping the very part of marketing that gives everything else direction.

They are skipping that fundamental work because they were never taught to see positioning as part of their world.

They think it belongs in corporate boardrooms, not in a home office, a small studio, a local clinic, a consulting practice, or a solo business.

But small businesses need strong positioning for the very reason that they cannot afford to waste time and money.

When brand positioning is skipped, business owners end up working harder to explain, promote, and sell what they do.

The message takes longer to shape, the website takes longer to write, the right clients become harder to reach, and decisions get dragged out…

And second-guessing starts to creep in.

That’s the part that matters to me most.

Because I’ve seen too many capable business owners blame themselves when the true culprit is that their marketing is missing the foundation it needs to work properly.

Once I claimed brand positioning as my own stake in the ground, my decisions became easier too.

The content my team and I create is much more focused now.

Podcast interviews are easier to prepare for, and speaking topics are more in alignment with what I want to be known for.

That is what knowing what you stand for gives you.

A way to choose.

A way to stop chasing every good idea.

A way to stop trying to serve everyone.

A way to recognize what fits and what sends you off course.

I understand why going through this narrowing process can feel uncomfortable. Many worry that choosing a stronger focus means turning people away because they want to help everyone, and they certainly don’t want to miss a paid opportunity.

It’s almost like having to choose a favourite child.

But a business that tries to speak to everyone often becomes harder for anyone to understand.

And trust needs understanding.

People need to know what you stand for before they can decide whether you are the right choice for them.

So that is why I am writing this book.

I want small business owners and entrepreneurs to see that this is the piece that helps the rest of their marketing all come together.

You need to know what your business foundation is.

Because once you know that, everything starts to fall into place and saying no becomes a lot easier.

Until next time, I’m Susan Friesen, your small business brand positioning strategist, inviting you to stay clear, stay focused, and stand out.

P.S. If you have been working hard on your marketing and still feel like the pieces are not connecting, my upcoming book, coming out in fall 2026, will help you see what may be missing underneath the struggle: the brand positioning foundation that makes your message, website, content, and marketing stronger.

About the Author, Susan Friesen

Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, and founder of British Columbia’s premiere boutique web development and digital marketing agency, eVision Media.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she is an expert in helping businesses establish their online presence and create a strong brand identity.

Her passion for empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners to succeed in the digital world has earned her a reputation as a leading authority in the branding and marketing industry.

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