Positioning Explained Simply
Whether you realise it or not, people are already making decisions about you.
They’re deciding:
- what kind of tattoo artist you are
- what level you’re at
- what to expect from you
- and whether you’re worth enquiring with
That decision happens quickly.
And it’s based on very little.
What this actually is
In marketing, this is called positioning. But don’t overthink it.
Positioning is simply:
The place you occupy in someone’s mind when they come across your work.
Or more simply:
How people see you.
That’s it.
Not a slogan.
Not a logo.
Not a clever idea.
Just a perception.
How people decide
When someone is looking for a tattoo, they don’t analyse every option.
They scan.
They compare.
They make quick judgements based on what they see:
- Does this look like what I want?
- Does this feel like my kind of place?
- Do I trust this person?
If the answer isn’t clear, they move on.
Where most tattoo artists go wrong
They leave this up to chance.
They post a mix of everything:
- different styles
- different quality levels
- different types of clients
No consistency. No clear signal.
From the outside, it’s hard to place them. And when people can’t place you, they don’t choose you.
What strong positioning looks like
It’s not about being extreme. It’s about being clear.
When someone lands on your work, they should be able to understand:
- what you do
- who it’s for
- and what kind of experience they can expect
Without having to think too hard.
How this connects to everything else
Your positioning is built from:
- what success looks like to you
- understanding what marketing actually is
- who your work is for
- what you actually sell
If those are unclear, your positioning will be unclear.
If they’re clear, positioning becomes natural.
A simple way to think about it
Imagine someone describing you to a friend.
What would they say?
- “They’re the go-to for…”
- “They’re really good at…”
- “If you want this kind of tattoo, go there.”
If that sentence is vague, your positioning is weak. If it’s clear, your positioning is working.
And honestly, I learned this lesson the hard way.
Early in my career, my work blew up online and internationally.
And at first, that sounds amazing.
But the reputation that formed around me… wasn’t actually built by me.
It was built by magazine articles, interviews and the way other people talked about me.
And over time, that positioned me as somebody I didn’t really recognise.
People started assuming:
- he must be ridiculously expensive
- he probably has a huge ego
- he’ll have a massive waiting list
- you’ll need to impress him to get tattooed by him
Some clients would even arrive treating the appointment like meeting a celebrity instead of just talking honestly about art.
And the strange part is… none of that was intentional.
I was just busy. Working constantly. Riding the wave.
I didn’t even notice it happening.
But eventually I realised: I had become positioned as a version of myself that I didn’t feel comfortable being.
And re-positioning myself took years.
I stopped sending work to magazines.
Built an email newsletter so people could hear directly from me in my own words and completely rebuilt my website, my communication and the way I presented myself online.
Not because the attention was bad.
But because the positioning was wrong.
And honestly, if I hadn’t corrected it, I think that wave would have eventually crashed down on me.
Because trying to live inside a version of yourself that isn’t really you becomes exhausting over time.
And that’s why positioning matters so much.
It affects:
- who contacts you
- how they speak to you
- what they expect from you
- and what your entire working life starts to feel like
Everything changes once people understand you properly.
That’s when I stopped trying to impress everybody…
And started trying to become obvious to that perfect client.
Marketing for tattoo artists
Strong positioning matters because it does a lot of the work for you.
- it attracts the right people
- it filters out the wrong ones
- it makes your work easier to understand
- it reduces the need to sell yourself
Because people already know where you fit.
The shift
Stop trying to be impressive to everyone.
Start trying to be obvious to the right people.
Straight truth
If people can’t quickly understand what you are, they won’t choose you.
Not because you’re not good. Because you’re unclear.
Quick exercise
Ask yourself:
- If someone saw my work for the first time, what would they think I specialise in?
- Would two different people describe me in the same way?
- Or would they all say something different?
If the answer is inconsistent, that’s what needs fixing.
Final thought
Marketing for tattoo artists isn’t about standing out by doing more.
It’s about being understood quickly.
Because once people understand you, they can choose you.