Who are you?  What do you stand for?  What are your values?  What is it like to do business with you?  What, ultimately, is your company about and what sets it apart?

"Branding,” put simply, is the consistent representation of a company’s character and core values into an essential message.  It is short-hand for a collection of characteristics, qualities and missions that have always been important in building a loyal client base. 

Many refer to branding as the good faith component of your business. It is sometimes ethereal or intangible. It is not related to real estate, inventory or the financial capital you may consider assets.

Branding refers to the reputation you’ve built through years of quality and good customer service.  It is what’s behind your company's name.  A strong brand is worth more than all your physical capital combined.  Therefore it is essential that you develop an effective branding strategy.  However, in order to be truly effective, such a strategy must not only make an impact; it must communicate something about the essence of who you are.

Most importantly, you must decide, what are the essential qualities of your business? How do you want people to perceive what you do? This can be a time-consuming process.

Distilling the essence of your ‘brand’ is the starting point for all future action. It can also help  your bottom line. Once you have identified the fundamental elements of what makes your service or product different, you can move forward to secure and build that brand. It is who you are.

Awareness. Ultimately, your brand campaign will succeed or fail depending on how well you get the word out. The goal is to reinforce in the customers’ minds that you are what you offer. In the UK, people don’t use the vacuum, they ‘Hoover,’ one of the oldest brands in the business. In the U.S., no one asks for a ‘tissue’ – they always want a ‘Kleenex.’ When words for everyday activities assume the form of the product name, that’s branding.