Book · ~200 pages

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind

Al Ries, Jack Trout · Al Ries and Jack Trout Paid Intermediate

The foundational marketing text on owning a specific position in a specific customer's mind rather than trying to be relevant to everyone. It predates the startup-specific advice on this list by decades and explains the underlying psychology of why narrow messaging sticks and broad messaging doesn't.

  • A mind that is uncertain about what you're for tends to ignore you entirely, not give you partial credit.
  • Owning one specific position for one specific kind of customer beats being vaguely relevant to many.
  • A follower can win by claiming a niche the market leader hasn't occupied, rather than competing head-on.
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The question it answers

  1. How specific should my target customer be when I'm just starting?

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