Branding

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers.

A strong brand stands out from the crowd, connects with customers emotionally and intellectually and builds trust between customers and companies. Your brand identity is more than just your logo. It is how your customers identify with your business on every level. It not only includes your logo, business card, letterhead, and signage, it is the cohesive message of your website, print advertising, web advertising, environmental design, business documents (fax cover sheets, Power Point presentations, memos, proposals, reports, customer tickets, invoices, etc.), vehicles, in-store promotions and packaging. It’s the attitude and attire of your employees, your voicemails and emails, networking and speeches. It is about your customers entire experience with your company. A brand is visual, tactile and emotional.

Branding is the process of  building brand awareness and extending customer loyalty.

Before you build your brand, you need to do your research. You need to know who your customers and prospects are, what they want and need and who your competitors are (so you can stand out from them instead of just blending in).