Begin at the beginning, but visualize the outcome. Decide who you want people to know you for and then build toward that goal. Here is an example.

My previous employer was doing many innovative things with their products (in fact, beating the 800 pound and 500 pound gorillas to these innovations by a year or two), yet the company was not known for its innovations. So we decided on a strategic use of communication to position the 80-year-old company as an innovator. Every press release, case study, article, white paper, web site page, product spec sheet, and PowerPoint presentation was developed to support this theme. My media outreach also centered on innovation. The tactics are simple: befriend the industry press, help them out wherever possible, invite them to your booth during trade shows, and ask for their feedback. When I planned to include an online news room in the new website, I asked the trade press what they needed in the site. Their feedback made the site one of the best in the business. But I digress from the innovation story…

The results of the innovation positioning speak for themselves. Within a year, the target audience awareness of us as an innovator increased by 50%. The company won three consecutive “Hot Product” awards in 3 years, and received several innovation award nominations. Now many of our products have a first name of ‘award-winning.’ Although it may take some time before this effort translates into sales, it definitely positions the company in the forefront of a dynamic industry.