X axis
The horizontal axis represents one dimension of competition — typically a spectrum from low to high, simple to complex, or narrow to broad. Choose the dimension that buyers use to evaluate options. Label both ends clearly.
Free template
Free competitor positioning map template — find your white space.
BoardSnap is an iOS app that converts whiteboard photos into structured summaries and action items in about ten seconds. This positioning map template places your product and competitors on a two-axis grid — then BoardSnap reads the map and produces a strategic brief you can share immediately.
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Free to start. Pro from $9.99/mo or $69.99/yr.
When to run this
Use this template when you're defining or revisiting your market position, preparing for a board presentation on competitive strategy, or onboarding a new marketing or sales hire who needs to understand the landscape quickly.
It pairs naturally with a competitor matrix session — do the matrix first to build factual understanding, then do the positioning map to find the strategic angle.
The structure
Y axis
The vertical axis represents a second orthogonal dimension. The best axis pairs create quadrants where different types of competitors cluster and where white space is visible. Common pairs: price (low/high) vs. target buyer (SMB/enterprise); feature depth vs. ease of use; specialist vs. generalist.
Competitor dots
Plot each competitor as a labeled dot or circle. Use circle size to encode a third variable (market share, funding, or number of customers) if it's useful. Don't overthink the placement — place each company where a typical buyer would place them, not where the company's marketing claims to be.
Your position
Plot your product. Draw a circle around the white space where no competitor clusters — if one exists. That's your target position. If you're currently in a cluster, draw an arrow showing where you want to move.
Insight annotation
Write two or three observations directly on the map: which quadrant is crowded, where the white space is, and what would need to be true for you to own the white space. These annotations are what BoardSnap AI converts into action items.
How to run it
- Choose axes that buyers use
Ask: when a buyer evaluates options in this category, what are the two questions they're answering? Those are your axes. Don't pick axes that make your product look good — pick axes that reflect how buyers actually decide.
- Draw the grid
Large cross on the whiteboard. Label both ends of both axes. Write the axis names in the center of each line so they're readable from across the room.
- Plot competitors before your product
Place competitors first — it's harder to cheat. When you place your product first, you unconsciously anchor the whole map around yourself. Start with the competitors your buyers are most likely comparing you against.
- Mark your current position
Plot where you are today — honestly. Then draw an arrow to where you want to be. The distance between those two points is your strategic gap, and it belongs on the board.
- Identify and annotate the white space
Draw a circle around any quadrant with no major competitors. Write one sentence: 'If we own this quadrant, the buyer we serve is [description] and the value we deliver is [outcome].' That's your positioning hypothesis.
- Snap with BoardSnap
BoardSnap reads the axis labels, competitor positions, annotations, and your strategic arrow. The output is a clean narrative summary plus action items — move to white space, address strategic gap, validate hypothesis with buyers.
Why competitor positioning maps on a whiteboard + BoardSnap is better than digital
A positioning map only works if the whole room debates it together. Remote slide decks let people half-pay attention. A whiteboard forces everyone to point at the board, challenge a placement, and argue about the axes.
BoardSnap captures the result of that argument in ten seconds. The final map — axes, placements, annotations, and your arrow — becomes a clean brief that lands in Slack before the meeting ends. The positioning conversation doesn't die in a shared drive.
Frequently asked
How do I choose the right two axes?
Ask your last five customers: 'When you were evaluating us against alternatives, what were the two or three most important factors?' The dimensions that come up most often are your axes. If you don't have customer data, use the axes that appear most often in competitor marketing copy — that reveals how the market has trained buyers to think.
What if every competitor is clustered in the same quadrant?
Crowded quadrant means everyone is competing on the same dimensions. Either your axes are wrong (try different ones) or there's a genuine white space in an adjacent quadrant that no one has claimed yet. The latter is often a positioning opportunity, but validate it with buyers before committing.
Can BoardSnap read a map with arrows and circles as well as text?
BoardSnap reads all written text on the board, including labels on arrows, annotations inside circles, and axis labels. It doesn't trace the graphic structure of arrows or circles, but the written annotations — which are the strategic insight — are fully captured in the summary.
Is BoardSnap free?
The free tier gives you one project and 30 boards. Pro is $9.99/month or $69.99/year for unlimited everything plus AI chat on each board.
Related templates
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