How do you ensure your agency isn’t just another name in the crowd but the one clients think of first?
Positioning your agency as the first choice is a strategic decision. It’s not something a clever tagline or “partner, not vendor” claim can do on its own.
At Agency Together, we regularly dive into the real work of positioning because surface-level differentiation isn’t enough. When agency owners engage with this topic inside our community, things start to shift. What once felt like vague brand statements start to sharpen. The real positioning work begins when we dig deeper and ask the hard questions.
Recently, I guided agency owners through five specific questions that sparked breakthroughs and moved the needle on how they show up in the market and why they’re chosen.
But before we go there, let’s ground ourselves.
Positioning is a strategic choice backed by truth. It’s built by evaluating your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. And it only works when it’s authentic to you—something you can confidently back up. Positioning that sticks isn’t bait and switch. It’s truth with intention.
Think of it like shelf placement in a store: your goal is to claim the eye-level spot where buyers naturally look first. Clear. Visible. Obvious.
So why prioritize positioning? Because when everyone’s saying the same thing, clients tune out. You become a white outfit in a sea of white.
Now imagine you’re the only one wearing a bright red hat.
Suddenly, you’re visible.
That’s positioning, it’s your red hat. And here are the five questions to help you wear it well:
1. How are you harnessing your niche knowledge?
You’ve built deep, nuanced expertise over the years but are you using it strategically?
Your niche knowledge isn’t just experience. It’s insight. It’s perspective. It’s knowing what your clients struggle with before they say it.
Start by inventorying where your niche exposure lives: seminars, online groups, newsletters, proposals, project debriefs. That knowledge compounds. It gives you access to patterns others don’t see and those patterns become your edge.
When you can connect dots and offer context others can’t, your positioning shifts from “we offer marketing” to “we see what others miss.”
2. How do you challenge the norms of your niche?
Standing out means standing for something.
The agencies that break through are the ones brave enough to ask:
- What’s not being said that needs to be said in our industry?
- What do we wish people did more—or less—of?
These questions spark positioning rooted in clarity and conviction, not clichés.
Want to go deeper? Ask your clients what frustrates them. What feels outdated? Where are they stuck? Their answers will help you challenge the status quo in a way that resonates.
Think of Dollar Shave Club’s viral video—funny, bold, clear. It said what others wouldn’t and made a previously boring industry unforgettable.
3. What is “the hill you will die on” (metaphorically)?
This is about values in action, not fluff on a mission statement.
A “hill to die on” is the belief you hold so strongly that you’re willing to take a stand, even if it ruffles feathers.
I saw this recently in a video highlighting a restaurant in Austin, Texas. Instead of relying on tips, they added a 20% service charge to ensure every team member earned a living wage—between $17–$21/hour. They stood firm in their values, even though it went against industry norms.
You don’t have to agree with their approach to see the power of their positioning. They acted on what they believed. And that action became their red hat.
When your business expresses its core beliefs out loud and in motion, you attract clients who share your values and trust you more deeply.
4. What are your strengths, and how do you play into them?
If challenging your industry or defining a bold “hill” feels out of reach right now, start here.
Most agencies operate with a wide spread of effort—doing more, saying yes to everything, trying to be all things to all people.
Playing to your strengths means doing less but with more intention.
It might mean niching. Sunsetting a service. Saying no to clients who dilute your focus. These aren’t easy decisions, but they are positioning moves.
Your strengths, used strategically, help you simplify and specialize. And that, in turn, sharpens how the market sees you.
5. What is your unique value proposition?
Once, big claims were enough to impress. Not anymore.
Today’s buyers are skeptical. Marketing-savvy. Trained by experience to ask: “What’s the real value here?”
Your value proposition needs to be crystal clear. What problem do you solve? What’s different about how you solve it? What do clients walk away with?
If you’re unclear about this, start there. Because without clear value propositions, your positioning has no foundation to stand on.
Quick Recap—Your Positioning Checklist
- Harness Niche Knowledge: Go beyond experience. Identify, organize, and apply what you’ve learned.
- Challenge the Norms: Say what others won’t. Ask bold questions. Stand for something real.
- Find the Hill You’ll Die On: Declare a belief that guides your business and live it out.
- Play to Your Strengths: Simplify to specialize. Use your focus as your edge.
- Clarify Your Value Proposition: Say clearly what you solve, why it matters, and how it’s different.
Positioning isn’t decoration, it’s direction.
When everyone else blends in, your positioning is the red hat that makes your agency visible, referable, and remembered.
If you want to build a positioning strategy rooted in trust, not noise—Agency Together is where the real conversations happen.
